Singing in the Pool

Synchronized swimmers, opera singers, hybrid sea creatures and a shipwreck, all aboard a cruise ship hosting a swimming competition and coming to a public pool near you – this description only partially covers the multi-sensory production Singing in the Pool, to be enjoyed in swimsuit and swim cap from the pool’s edges.

As incongruous as it feels to hear a great aria being belted out from an inflatable pool float (O Sole Mio is performed in elegant evening attire by the tenor bobbing around the pool in an inflatable poofy chair, accompanied by a butler with a floating tray of drinks and a ballerina swimmer), the tiled wall acoustics reverberate with the hushed awes of the spectators. Deliciously genre bending, with the alto doubling as talent show host, the baritone as lifeguard, and the ship’s captain as orchestra conductor, the performers slip in and out of their roles, from floating corpse to slithering sea-creature to elegant opera star. There is sometimes too much happening for the eye to take in, with each side of the pool featuring its own drama, at one point culminating in a shipwreck scene, with bodies thrashing and cries ringing out among floating debris and yellow life jackets while the synchronized swimmers transform into dark furies and the conductor keeps time by striking the water. Each musical element is given its aquatic counterpoint in one way or another, often by the swimmers whose choregraphed movements transcribe the musical score into watery mandalas.

Designed to bring opera to a broader audience, Singing in the Pool also collaborates on occasion with local communities via synchronized swimming classes and singing workshops for underprivileged youth. The production is designed to integrate and encourage such collaborations, including, on the afternoon’s performance I attended, a local choir whose rendition of Rod Stewart’s Sailing was the poignant closing act. – A. Street