Diamond in the rough

Tuesday, April 21, 2009 | 2:07 a.m.

A 47-year-old Scottish woman named Susan Boyle has become an international sensation, thanks to her recent appearance on “Britain’s Got Talent,” the U.K.’s version of “American Idol.” The video has been watched millions of times on YouTube.

On the video Boyle appears, at first glance, destined to be one of those talentless performers who take the stage only to be mocked. She is introduced to the TV audience backstage and is wearing a frumpy dress. She is crowned by a shock of hair that apparently defeated every attempt to tame it.

Boyle admits to the camera that she has “never been married, never been kissed.” She says she dreams of being a professional singer, and with a heavy Scottish accent vows, “I’m gonna make that audience rock.”

That seems laughable. Boyle is the antithesis of a starlet and everything the TV contest shows celebrate. It is painful to watch her strut onto stage and engage in an awkward exchange with the lead judge, the caustic Simon Cowell.

Cowell and his colleagues smirk and the crowd hoots when she says she’d like to be as successful as Elaine Paige, the British musical theater legend. There are giggles and knowing glances when she announces her selection: the difficult ballad “I Dreamed a Dream” from “Les Miserables.” Her choice is ironic. The song describes a woman’s dreams dashed by the realities of life, and the audience expects the same to happen to Boyle the minute she starts singing.

But within seconds, Boyle has the crowd cheering, and her soaring, emotional delivery ends with the crowd on its feet applauding.

Cowell calls it “extraordinary.” Judge Amanda Holden, a British stage star, says she was “privileged” to have heard Boyle sing.

“I am so thrilled because I know that everybody was against you,” Holden tells Boyle. “I honestly think that we were all being very cynical. I think that’s the biggest wake-up call ever.”

Indeed. Susan Boyle’s performance will not stop people from judging by appearances, but what a wonderful moment it was to see a stereotype smashed. More than that, how wonderful it is to see someone dream — and succeed.