We went to ‘Some enchanted evening’ at the Music academy on Thursday evening and found a whole lot of friends and acquaintances also there. Everyone who enjoyed all the musicals like Fiddler on the Roof, My fair Lady, Mary Poppins, Cats, Wizard of Oz, Oliver and more would have enjoyed the evening. Presented by Young Nations, a group that does sterling work in identifying and developing the latent talent of the people of Chennai, young and old, ‘Some enchanted evening’ was towards the aid of ‘V can help’, a cancer care foundation.

Founded by Joy Mathews, himself a cancer survivor after being stricken with leukemia, V can help is a foundation that enables poor cancer patients to afford treatment. The proceeds from this show were being set aside for the treatment of children with cancer. Joy Mathews (whom we know personally) was present and spoke briefly about how grateful he was to Young Nation, and all those present, for helping fund the treatment of children with cancer.

Cancer treatment is an expensive affair, with Joy’s bone marrow transplant alone costing Rs 14 lakhs, provided for by his school mates and others. Having experienced such generosity and recovered, this remarkable man is now devoting the rest of his life to ensuring as many people as possible can afford treatment. Its people like this who are an example of self less giving that benefit many whom we should emulate. For they make the world a better place for their having been here.

The performance began with the title song, and moved seamlessly from song to song, most of them performed with dances choreographed by Andrea Jacob. The ones with the tiny tots (and there were plenty of them!) were absolutely captivating (‘The bare necessities of life’ from the Jungle Book for example). There were a number of songs from My Fair Lady, with the song at the Ascot Races being a highlight. The sets were interesting, simple and worked very well. A special mention must be made of the beautiful backdrops, which were slides back projected on to a screen at the back- simple but very effective!

The brain child of Martha Howie, and ably supported by her husband Solomon Howie, Young Nation has gone from strength to strength over the last few years. Martha runs a small kindergarten school in Kilpauk, and it was wonderful to see her entire staff involved in the show, doing the props and managing backstage. James Davids of the Emmanuel Methodist Church was the music director along with Martha, and both Martha and Solomon Howie were the stage directors. Arul Siromoney, choir master of St Andrew’s Church, and a renowned pianist, was on the key boards, while the back up singers were all from the choir of the Emmanuel Methodist Church.

What made this show so special was that it was a platform for the young to develop their talents, the proceeds of the event went for a worthy cause and the audience was entertained! This annual event also adds to Chennai’s cultural calendar, and has become something that people look forward to. There were so many young people, from six to twenty two, on stage that we knew personally that it was like a family affair. We’ve seen many of these kids grow up over the years, and it was wonderful to see them come into their own and perform with such poise, confidence and grace.

All in all, it was indeed some enchanted evening!