Of Hopes and Dreams

I couldn't stop myself from crying. The object of my lachrymosity? Watching a frumpy 47 year old unemployed woman from a village called West Lothian in Britain stun everyone, including the often acerbic Simon Cowell, on Britain's Got Talent show.

When Susan Boyle first came out, you could see the look of sceptism on the faces of the judges, especially when she said she wanted to be like Elaine Page. At one point Simon rolled his eyes when Susan swayed her hips in an attempt to be provocative. You could see that the judges weren't giving her much hope but were resigned to enduring the few minutes her audition would last.

And what an audition it was. When she opened her mouth to sing "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical Les Miserables, a different persona revealed itself. Susan's voice was that of a seasoned performer -- strong, sure and pitch perfect. Close your eyes and you would imagine someone from Broadway or West End, a Glenn Close perhaps, performing to an adoring crowd.

Everyone should see the clip if only to see Simon Cowell's jaw drop at this unexpected treasure from what he and the other judges had written off as rubbish. After Susan sang the first stanza, the crowd could not stop cheering and as Susan continued singing, the expression on Simon's face changed from one of shock to one that I could almost describe as adoring.

Susan's performance was, to my mind, bolstered by her choice of song. I Dreamed a Dream was sang by the character Fantine, a single mother forced into prostitution to provide for her child's well-being. The song speaks of longing for a time when her dreams were not yet crushed. As Susan sang the last few words "Life has killed the dream I dreamed...", I could not stop myself from crying. This woman, who admitted that she lived only with a cat and had never been kissed at 47, must have had a tough life as well. But after her performance on the show her dreams, unlike Fantine's, will be one where hope is high and life, worth living.