Is there a pianist in the house? Audience member steps up to perform in La La Land in Sydney | Sydney
La La Land is a highly regarded homage to Hollywood, where dreamers take chances and capture unexpected moments.
At the ICC’s Darling Harbor theater on Saturday night, the idea became reality for a 21-year-old university student who became the center of attention during a live performance of the film’s soundtrack and saved a concert from being derailed.
Sterling NASA was in the audience at La La Land in Concert, a touring production in which the film starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone is projected onto a screen and a live orchestra plays the soundtrack in sync with the film.
The show proceeded normally until the intermission, which lasted up to 40 minutes. Later, the film’s Oscar-winning composer and conductor Justin Hurwitz came out alone to address the audience.
The orchestra’s keyboard player suddenly fell ill. Was there any possibility of having a pianist in the house? And someone with extraordinary sight-reading skills?
Speaking to Guardian Australia on Monday, Hurwitz explained that behind the scenes there was a quiet panic over this long period.
“Our first thought was, are there any string players who also know the keyboard? The answer was no.”
As the orchestra’s musicians frantically searched for local contacts, offers began coming in from understudies 15 to 20 minutes away. But Hurwitz knew time was running out.
“I thought it wasn’t as close as anyone said… so I thought there are 2,500 people here…
“Yes, it was a gamble.
“So I asked a few times. I wanted to make sure someone wasn’t overconfident. ‘Are you sure? Can you actually sight-read? Can you play key signatures you’ve never played before?’ I asked a few follow-up questions like “
Nasa, who plays piano and organ and was a bagpipe teacher at his former school, Scots College, hesitated when the call came.
“I was a bit hesitant,” the University of Sydney politics and international studies student told ABC Radio on Monday morning. “I owe a lot of my experiences to my friend Scarlett, and she… reached out for me. But eventually I found confidence in myself, and it was a great decision to come down and volunteer.”
Nasa, a long-time admirer of Hurwitz’s work, suddenly found himself sitting at the electric keyboard, staring at a complex piece he had never rehearsed before.
The biggest test came during a performance of the John Legend track Start a Fire, which featured a complex synthesizer solo designed to match Gosling’s character’s erratic on-screen hand movements. This was the moment when Hurwitz was the most nervous.
“The synth solo is really technical, and I thought even a really high-level professional sight-reader probably couldn’t do it,” he said. “As it approached, I was thinking: ‘Oh no, how is he going to handle the solo?’”
NASA told ABC it was thinking the same thing.
“I saw that in the score and I thought, oh, I don’t know if I can decipher that in one take,” he said.
Like Gosling’s jazz pianist character Sebastian, the student had to decide whether to remain in the shadows or take a giant leap of faith. Not having time to think too much, he chose to trust his instincts.
“I took some creative freedom and decided to improvise, which I think turned out to be a good choice.”
The gamble paid off, leading the orchestra to a home run and Nasa receiving a huge round of applause from the audience.
“He saw it coming … and improvised,” Hurwitz said.
“That’s a whole other skill beyond sight reading. Being able to play a really great solo on the fly, in the right tone, in the right tone, without rehearsing, was extraordinary.”
The backstage briefing after the final greeting was filled with mutual disbelief.
“I told him how surprised I was and, frankly, how grateful I was,” Hurwitz said. “We were all feeling a little dizzy because it was such a surreal moment.”
On Monday morning, the 21-year-old was experiencing a whirlwind of a different kind as she darted between breakfast TV and radio studios to describe her sudden taste of showbiz fame.
Evaluating the incredible course of events, NASA said that it was an unforgettable privilege to play music that he had loved for years.
“It was a great blessing to play a work that I admire so much,” he said.
The production team is currently rehearsing new keyboardists for the upcoming Melbourne and Brisbane legs of the tour, while Nasa will return to regular university classes.
So, has the student missed his calling in life?
Hurwitz said the young Sydney native certainly had the talent to pursue a career in music, but the choice was ultimately his.
“I don’t know what he’s most passionate about,” Hurwitz said. “Maybe he likes international relations a little more than music. But that’s what La La Land is about. You should do what you love most.”
