Take Me Out
(picture courtesy of Tim Garner Productions)
Event: “Take Me Out” by Tim Garner Productions
Venue: DBS Arts Centre & Alliance Francaise Theatre
Run: 8th – 16th Jan 2014 (DBS Arts Centre), 18th – 31st Jan 2014 (Alliance Francaise Theatre)
Batter Up!
On 8th January this year, news broke that former German international football player Thomas Hitzlsperger had revealed that he is gay, becoming the most high-profile soccer star to do so to date.
The timing of which was rather uncanny, considering it was also the opening night of “Take Me Out” by Tim Garner Productions, a 2003 Tony award winner for Best Play about a fictitious major league baseball star who comes out to the media, and how his decision affects the team throughout the course of the baseball season.
Sports stars, much less active ones, coming out to the media don’t exactly occur very often, and the most prominent recent example I can think of is that of NBA player Jason Collins, who currently plays center for the Washington Wizards.
There tends to be a considerable sense of machismo associated with professional team sports, especially in the four major sports in the US, which makes coming out all the more challenging, and it is this complexity which playwright Richard Greenberg attempts to tackle in the play.
Darren Lemming, played by Juan Jackson who looks every bit the authentic major league slugger with his incredible physique (think Sammy Sosa or Barry Bonds in their primes), the undisputed star of the New York Empires, decides to come out to the media in the early part of the season, and this inevitably creates a stir, both outside of the clubhouse and within.
He initially thinks little of the situation and that the matter would easily blow over, but he is unprepared for the tumultuous season that lies ahead, mainly due to the adverse reception he receives from within the organisation itself.
His good buddy Kippy (played by Tim Garner) is his trusted companion and stabiliser throughout the season, although Darren faces callous teammates who show little understanding of his identity.
The biggest test comes in the form of the gifted but bigoted young redneck pitcher Shane Mungitt (played by Chris Bucko), who unwittingly pushes Darren to the brink, leading to near-disastrous consequences.
Juan Jackson plays Darren Lemming convincingly enough, thanks to his imposing physical presence, while Tim Garner does a great job as the trusty friend-in-need.
However, it is Hayden Tee, playing Darren’s business manager Mason Marzac, who steals the show in my book for his wonderfully entertaining portrayal of the bashful but bright accountant, who takes a huge interest in the superstar that is Darren Lemming.
The set design by Eucien Chia, consisting of four tiers resembling that of the concrete gallery seating section of an old-school stadium, together with movable sliding lockers, looks slightly curious at first, but as the play wears on, it is apparent that the entire set design is a clever one and works well for the play.
“Take Me Out” takes awhile to set things up and get going, especially in the first act, and you had to wonder where things were heading.
It seems like the first act could have been shortened, as it came across as being almost draggy at points, but things definitely pick up speed once the second act commences.
The other issue was that the characters were largely written as one dimensional (the writer even threw in the usual Hispanic players and even the token Japanese pitching ace in the ballclub), often being almost caricature-like with minimal depth.
And while the Mason character felt like a fully fleshed-out person, the others like the skipper, Davey Battle, Shane, and the rest of the teammates didn’t, and even for Darren himself – it didn’t feel like we were taken on a full enough exploration of his entire being and past experiences.
Lastly, there were severe technical difficulties with the lighting in the first act on the night I was there, and the detachable showers seemed a bit too much of a challenge for the actors to attach and detach, but I’m sure these kinks will be ironed out in due time.
Nonetheless, thanks to some spirited performances from a cohesive cast, this first production from Tim Garner Productions still scores a solid win, even if it doesn’t exactly hit it out of the ballpark.
It’s nice to see a new company like this bursting onto the scene, and we look forward to greater things to come.
Theatre fans rejoice, there’s a new kid in town.
The Buttons Theatre Accolades 2013!
It’s time to dish out the annual year end Buttons Theatre Accolades once again!
As always, these awards are tongue firmly in cheek, so no offense whatsoever is meant.
Let’s just cut straight to the chase…
Favourite Productions:
1) “Gypsy” (The LASALLE Show 2013) – The students of LASALLE surprised greatly by ably taking on this challenging Styne-Sondheim work with book by Arthur Laurents. It’s hard to believe the cast were still only students. Everything’s coming up roses indeed.
2) “Atomic Jaya” – Perhaps one of Huzir Sulaiman’s most popular works. The master playwright’s supreme comedic talent was on full display. Despite the abundance of characters in the script, Karen Tan and Claire Wong prove that two actors is all you need to pull it off. Highly enjoyable production. (Insert bomb pun here.)
3) “Gruesome Playground Injuries” – Who would have thought that a play filled with gross, gory scenes could actually be so fulfilling? Seong Hui Xuan and Alan Wong reach deep and pull off a genuinely moving performance telling of missed opportunities and lost love. Oh, and the song choices definitely did the trick too.
Least Favourite Productions:
1) “Lightseeker” – Like your wildest dreams come true, except that wildest dreams here means cheesy sci-fi nightmares of the highest order. Can’t think of many other ways to blow a multi-million dollar budget. Lightseeker? More like Frightseeker.
2) “The Bride Always Knocks Twice <她门>” – Amazing eight-women cast notwithstanding, the first half was an absolute drag, almost painful. The bride, played by Isabella Chiam, was rushing to get in the door. I was dying to get out.
3) “Pursuant: a musical” – This musical by the S’pore Lyric Opera about a dystopian Singapore in the year 2023 was disturbing on many levels, none of them good. It couldn’t seem to decide whether it was playing to kids or to adults. But perhaps the bigger and more dire identity crisis was that it was essentially an opera trying to masquerade itself as a musical.
The “Brightest Young Playwriting Talent” Award:
Joel Tan – It’s hard to come up with another resume quite a impressive as Joel Tan’s at the moment, what with “Walking In” staged by Buds Theatre in May/June, a monologue (“That Daniel”) and a full-length play (“Our Lady of Lourdes”) being read just this month by Checkpoint Theatre, and not to mention writing the libretto to W!ld Rice’s big panto “Jack & the Bean-Sprout!”, which opened last month. And it seems the musically-inclined Joel is working with Huzir Sulaiman on an upcoming new musical too. Is there no end to this young man’s talent?
The “Visit Neil Road 2013” Tourism Award:
“And Then There Was One” – This quirky little audio-based journey concocted by spell#7 as part of this year’s NUS Arts Festival was truly delightful, quite unlike any other production this year. It was a whodunit based loosely on the 1926 Neil Road murder, and took us on a long journey around the Neil Road vicinity, and finally ending up back again in the NUS Baba House. The view on the roof at the end of the journey was quite something.
The “I Didn’t Know That Part Of Singapore’s History Even Existed” Award:
“The Last Chief Minister of Singapore” – This playread as part of “Watch This Space” educated us on the colourful life and times of a certain Lim Yew Hock, who happened to be the last Chief Minister of Singapore. Thanks, Lucas Ho, for shedding light on this rather significant but strangely obscure part of our political history.
The “Best Rendition Of A Raunchy French Song” Award:
“A French Kiss in Singapore” – Sing’Theatre’s moan-for-moan recreation of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot’s “Je T’aime…Moi Non Plus”, performed by Hossan Leong, George Chan, Robin Goh and Linden Furnell was quite the aural treat. Oh, oui je t’aime!
The “Whoever Chose The Songs For This Play Should Consider Being A DJ” Award:
“Gruesome Playground Injuries” – Have songs like “Sonnet” (The Verve), “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” (Green Day), “Unwell” (Matchbox Twenty), and “Kiss the Rain” (Billie Myers) ever sounded so poignant? Not only did the chosen songs remain true to the year in which they were released, they also fit the particular mood perfectly well.
The “Whoa I Didn’t Know The Esplanade Theatre Stage Was That Deep!” Award:
“Glass Anatomy – The Musical 《搭错车》” – Who would have thought the Esplanade Theatre stage could stretch till that far deep in? I had never seen the stage being used till that extent before. If only the same could be said for the depth of this musical though.
The “What The…Did I Just Watch??” Award:
“Sex. Violence. Blood. Gore” – Red Pill Productions’s staging of this Alfian Sa’at piece at the Goodman Arts Centre Blackbox was disturbing at best, and more often than not bizarre. One wonders if it was due to the script or the staging…or both. Or maybe that was the whole point of it all.
The “Best Non-Teaching Related Use Of Chalk” Award:
“The Book of Living and Dying” – This Finger Players masterpiece had that ethereal quality to it. It seemed to speak of something larger than the artform itself…kinda like a U2 song. Mesmerising work, one of the finest yet from the Finger Players, and that is saying a lot. You had to see it to believe it.
The “Best Newly-Coined Theatre Catchphrase” Award:
“I Liddat Liddat You” from “Jack & the Bean-Sprout!” – If there was one take-home catchphrase from this year’s W!ld Rice pantomime, it would definitely have been “I liddat liddat you” from the song of the same name. What “liddat liddat” stands for exactly in this instance is not entirely clear (Like like? Love love? Adore adore?), but it sure is a fantastic lyrical idea. And the melodic hook is pretty catchy too.
Until next year!!
Crazy Christmas 2013: Ting Tong Belles
(picture courtesy of Dream Academy Productions)
Event: “Crazy Christmas: Ting Tong Belles”
Venue: Esplanade Theatre
Run: 11th – 22nd Dec ’13
As If We Never Said Goodbye
Nothing says “it’s Christmas time” in the theatre scene quite like a traditional staging of the now-staple “Crazy Christmas” show by Dream Academy.
It’s hard to believe that this is now the sixth installment of the popular yuletide series, which has gone from strength to strength and shows no signs of abating.
After last year’s successful “Silver Screen Meets Silver Bells” theme, I wondered if Dream had enough in the tank to keep this franchise chugging along the way it’s been the past few years.
Fortunately, my scepticism was entirely unfounded, because Dream rolls out their biggest trump card to date – the reemergence of the ever-popular Dim Sum Dollies, with Denise Tan joining the group for the first time.
Despite being on hiatus for quite some time, the Dollies hit the ground running and haven’t lost a step at all, and it is fairly obvious that Denise is a natural for the role and fits right into the group.
It would be pointless to try and compare Denise with Emma Yong and we shan’t attempt to go into that, since each bring their own special set of gifts and talents to the table, but let’s just say that this current trio of ladies is as lethal and as entertaining a trio as you would find in local theatre today.
The show’s formula is the same – a usual mixture of yuletide songs, sometimes done in small numbers and sometimes in full ensemble, comedy skit segments, and also the customary appearance by a cappella group Vocaluptuous.
Vocaluptuous plays a much more active role in the show this year, more than I could ever recall, with the group members featuring in a significant number of segments, some of which require acting and dancing as well.
Their pièce de résistance, however, comes towards the end of the show when they do an amazing a cappella rendition of “O Holy Night” a la the version done by ‘N Sync (go YouTube it).
The comedy segments provided plenty of comic relief for a full-house audience clearly in the mood to be tickled.
Some of the segments were evidently a bit hit, such as the one with the Dollies impersonating divas Beyoncé, Rihanna and Lady Gaga, as well as the one where the entire ensemble does a parody of Girls Generation.
Another segment which deserves honourable mention is the video game segment where the ensemble literally recreate iconic video games on stage, with pitch-perfect sound effects to boot.
You had to see it to believe it.
The show’s writers throw in plenty of references to recent pop hits such as “What Does The Fox Say” and “Diamonds”, and even to older songs like “Bohemian Rhapsody” as well.
Judee Tan, always an asset to any show, brings her ever-lovable “Dr. Teo Chiew Muay” act to the stage once again.
There have been a number of TCM sightings in the past, such as on last year’s “Crazy Christmas”, as well as on “The Hossan Leong Show” and “Happy Ever Laughter”, and she has never failed to bring the house down every time she takes to the stage.
Her act this time round, however, felt far too short and could definitely have gone on for a good five more minutes.
Kumar, decked out in a lovely Christmas elf outfit, delivers his stand-up routine in his usual deadpan manner and razor-sharp wit while touching on a diverse range of topics, although this year’s material didn’t seem as strong as the stuff he’s done in the past.
And as with any comedy revue, there would be the inevitable skits which didn’t quite hit the mark, and in this case certain skits like Pam Oei’s “partridge” skit, Judee’s “Mrs Santa” skit, and even Sebastian Tan’s “snowman” skit didn’t exactly hit the sweet spot.
But that does not take away from the fact that Dream has practically got the “Crazy Christmas” formula down to an exact science.
There is no other show in town that can quite offer the wacky, hilarious and highly-entertaining 90-minute spectacle that “Crazy Christmas” offers, and bringing back the Dim Sum Dollies is just the perfect icing on an already fabulous festive cake.
It’s been awhile since we last saw the beloved Dollies, and words cannot express what joy it is to be able to see them take to the stage once again.
And if there was a single headline to be written of this show, it would have to be none other than about their triumphant return, and how they look as re-energised as ever.
Yes, everything’s as if we never said goodbye.
The Woman In Black
Event: The Woman in Black
Venue: Kallang Theatre
Run: 11th – 15th Dec 2013
Baby’s In Black And I’m Feeling Blue
First staged in London’s West End in 1989, “The Woman in Black” is now the second-longest non-musical play in the history of West End, which is saying a lot. (The longest-running one being, of course, “The Mousetrap”.)
The play features just two actors – with Arthur Kipps being played by Robin Herford (who, incidentally, was the director of the original West End production), and The Actor being played by Antony Eden.
The story tells of a junior solicitor Arthur Kipps and how he is tasked to make a trip from London down to the small town of Crythin Gifford to attend the funeral of one of his company’s clients, Mrs Alice Drablow.
It is at this small town where he starts to see a mysterious woman in black with a dreadful, wasted face, and as the story progresses, he continues to encounter this woman at the most unexpected moments, and he eventually finds out the horrendous secret to this bizarre and tragic mystery.
Although this stage play is based on a 1983 book of the same name written by Susan Hill, it cleverly adds a whole new dimension to the story by introducing the element of a play within a play, whereby the younger actor assumes the role of Arthur Kipps while Arthur Kipps himself dons the role of the other incidental characters.
The idea is that the older Arthur Kipps has a horrific personal story to tell, and seeks the help of The Actor to help him convey this personal tale to an audience which he is most eager to share with.
There is a completely logical and ingenious reason for adding this play within a play element to the stage version, for reasons which I am unable to disclose as it would obviously spoil the surprise at the end.
The play’s first act is slightly laborious as it slowly lays out the backdrop and traces Arthur Kipps’s gradual journey to the Drablow mansion, but it is in the second act where things get into full swing and the bulk of the thrills occur.
“The Woman in Black” is, in my humble opinion, easily the most frightening stage play I have experienced, thanks to a myriad of factors such as exquisite scriptwriting, the slow but steady building up of tension, exceedingly loud shrieking sounds when you least expect them, and of course, the woman in black herself.
This was my third time viewing it after catching it twice before in London, but it still never fails to send a chill down my spine.
Robin Herford and Antony Eden are actors of the highest calibre, as is demanded from a play such as this, and Robin especially exhibits great versatility in the way he eases in and out of various characters with consummate ease and authenticity.
The only criticism I have, however, is that the expanse of the Kallang Theatre did not help the show’s cause, as it made the play lose the sense of intimacy which is so vital in maintaining a keen sense of tension and trepidation throughout the play.
I perfectly understand the commercial reasons for staging the play at the Kallang Theatre, but I personally felt that the play would have worked so much better had it been staged at the Jubilee Hall or the DBS Arts Centre, because of the acoustics and mid-sized ambience of these two venues.
Nonetheless, this did not seem to deter audiences as it was a virtual full-house at the Kallang Theatre on opening night, and my guess is that the play probably sold very well throughout its five-day run.
If you’ve never watched “The Woman in Black” before, I would highly recommend you take the opportunity to do so the next time it comes to town, or if you happen to visit the West End, because this is probably as scary as it is ever going to get inside a theatre.
Lightseeker
Event: Lightseeker
Venue: Resorts World Theatre @ RWS
Run: 28th Nov ’13 – 23rd Mar ’14
Misguided Light
Part of Resorts World Sentosa’s operating licence requires that it produce and stage original shows rather than restage Broadway productions the way MBS is doing over at Marina Bay, which explains the first two RWS shows “Voyage de la Vie” and subsequently “Incanto”.
Which is all very heartening to hear, honestly, because that means that there is at least one major venue in S’pore which is focussed on producing original big-budget, world-class extravaganzas which can (hopefully) compare with the likes of those seen on Broadway, West End or even Las Vegas.
I had not seen either of RWS’s first two productions, but I hear that reviews were mixed.
Yesterday evening was my first visit to the Resorts World Theatre, and the interior is certainly very impressive.
It is far and away the more attractive venue as compared to both theatre venues at MBS, and reminds me a lot of an up-sized version of the SOTA Drama Theatre with its vibrant colours and modern interior.
You would no doubt have heard about “Lightseeker’s” credentials by now – it features big names such as Dick Lee (songwriter), Michael La Fleur (director), and is produced by showbiz veteran Andrea Teo, who is now Vice President of Entertainment at RWS.
The ensemble is an international one – some may say too international – and includes stars who have West End credentials.
The only local name I seem to have spotted in the extensive list of around 40 cast members is Lim Kay Siu, who plays both The Cloud Spirit and The Emperor, although he inexplicably does not perform in the flesh but exists only via on-screen projection throughout the show.
The show’s introduction, projected entirely on the massive LED wall featuring 281 trillion colour variations, is a curious one, sort of like an opening sequence in a movie where a narrator lays out the backdrop of the story before the music finally reaches a crescendo and we see the large title text “LIGHTSEEKER” flash across the LED wall.
And from then on, the rest of the musical was one curious decision after another.
The characters were mostly uni-dimensional, and although an attempt was made to try and flesh out the inner conflict faced by The General, it was poorly done.
For all the show’s multi-million dollar production values, what with the ostentatious LED wall to the glitzy props to the breathtaking acrobatics, it was a huge pity that it lacked the one most important ingredient the audience was looking for – heart.
Throughout the show, there was close to zero emotional connection being made with the audience, due to a myriad of factors such as poor bookwriting, puzzling plot development, cheesy – almost off-putting – attempts at slapstick humour, and forgettable songs.
There were scenes which were incomprehensible – how they could devote what seemed like more than five minutes to a “snake” dance, where everything else just stops and everyone watches as the supposed snake takes human form…only for this “snake” creature to never feature again in the musical.
The dialogue was often cringe-worthy at best, and when you realise that for all the show’s resources in hiring experts in various technical fields to put the show together, it didn’t even hire a dedicated bookwriter for this musical (the director doubles up as the bookwriter), then you’d probably get a feel of where the priorities in the production lay.
Oftentimes it felt as if the show was conceived firstly as a vehicle to show off fancy sets, multimedia, choreography and stunts, and then as a feeble attempt at telling a story.
Midway through the show, due to some computer glitches backstage, we started to see bits of code running prominently across the LED screen (“Press F1 to Resume” anyone?), and for a show which has been running for more than a week, you’d expect that such elementary gaffes would have been cleaned up by now.
Dick Lee’s score (he was the reason why I decided to buy tickets in the first place) was highly disappointing, with almost all songs sounding either similar to each other or forgettable, and even though the show’s theme song “The Light Within” was blatantly force-fed down our throats, it hardly made a mark.
That is not to say the musical is without its saving graces.
Stuart Boother, who plays the protagonist, is a singer of the highest quality, having being trained as an operatic tenor more than 10 years.
He reached notes which us mere mortals could only dream of, and duly played the part of The General with as much conviction as the score and script would allow.
Vivienne Carlye and Sarah Brown, who play Usha and Nova respectively, also played their roles competently, and it is without a doubt that the production team had done a fine job as far as the casting of talent was concerned.
The stunts and acrobatics too were a sight to behold, and the production featured a number of creative and ingenious stunts which evoked more than a few “oohs” and “aahs” from the 30%-filled theatre.
Which brings us back to the larger picture – with a 30% audience attendance on a Friday night, and with a good three more months to go before the show ends its run, it’s hard to see how this production would eventually become the sell-out show which the producers and creative team had hoped for it to be.
Tickets to this show aren’t cheap – which I can fully understand, especially when you feature production values as high as this – but the bigger worry is that this show has huge structural problems which are unlikely to be easily fixed.
Buried somewhere deep in this show is a moral about how we all can find the light within ourselves, and that we have the power to change the world, but the show’s deficiencies are just too glaring to ignore.
It’s probably okay if you’re just looking to be entertained by a visual spectacle, but if you’re looking to be moved by a satisfying book musical, then you’re better off looking elsewhere.
I personally found it an ordeal to sit through the entire musical, and if you have strong preconceived notions about what a proper book musical should be, then you might want to think twice about checking this musical out.
Unless you’re a fright seeker, that is.
A Christmas Cabaret
Event: “A Christmas Cabaret” by Sight Lines Productions
Venue: Lowercase Cafe @ LASALLE College of the Arts
Run: 4th – 7th Dec 2013
Have Yourselves a Merry Little Christmas
It’s been awhile since I last visited the cafe at LASALLE, and what was formerly the 15 Minutes Cafe is now known as the Lowercase Cafe.
It still looks roughly the same with the same decor and feel, and the food is still very decent while being reasonably-priced…but I realise I am starting to digress.
“A Christmas Cabaret” is, as the title suggests, an informal little cabaret show filled with familiar Christmas tunes, put together by directors Mohamad Shaifulbahri & Derrick Chew, and features six talented students from LASALLE – Edwin Tsien, Melissa Gan, Crenshaw Yeo, Catherine Campion, Matheus Ting and Valerie Choo.
I’ve seen quite a number of shows featuring LASALLE students over the years and they’ve never failed to impress with their immense talent, and this time was no different.
From the opening ensemble number “Seasons of Love”, it was apparent that this cabaret show would feature a healthy mix of both Christmas and Broadway numbers.
Valerie would be the first to do a solo item (“My Grown-up Christmas List”), and I particularly liked her crystal clear, Disney-like voice, which I imagine would work very well in a stage musical.
Her duet with Matheus (“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”) was probably one of the more tender moments in the show, while Catherine would thereafter demonstrate her incredible set of pipes with “All I Want for Christmas is You”.
One of the comedic highlights of the evening was the Christmas Story retold via a series of Broadway tunes, and Crenshaw did the honours by playing narrator while the cast belted out diverese stage tunes from “The Lion King” to “My Fair Lady” to “Jersey Boys”…and even to “Chang and Eng”!
Perhaps the most audacious musical arrangement attempt of the evening had to be Crenshaw singing the first verse of Lloyd Webber’s “Music of the Night”, and thereafter attempting to mash it up with good ol’ “Silent Night”.
The sceptic in me grimaced for a number of seconds before I finally accepted the fact that it could be done (what with changing time signatures and all), and it didn’t hurt that Crenshaw – together with Catherine – was one of the strongest singers in the entire ensemble, with wonderful vocal control and technique.
It was a slight pity that he didn’t quite manage to nail the high note in “Music of the Night” cleanly though (you know, that note) – considering the build-up to it was fantastic – but I am very confident that it was purely a case of opening night nerves and that he would have no problems with it henceforth.
Another musical number of note was the Michael Jackson medley towards the end of the show, in promoting awareness for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, which featured “We Are The World”, “Heal The World”, and “Man in the Mirror”.
I thought it was a nice touch and it really got the entire cafe grooving along together.
Apart from the fact that the performers’ voices couldn’t always be heard clearly due to their distance away from the mics, as well as a few cases of opening night jitters, “A Christmas Cabaret” exceeded my expectations by some margin.
I particularly enjoyed the cosy atmosphere in the cafe, the sheer enthusiasm of the ensemble, as well as the amount of thought that was put into structuring the show.
There’s a certain intimate vibe to this show that you’d hardly find anywhere else these days.
There might be something in the water at LASALLE, because they’ve certainly got some serious talent on their hands.
Citizen Pig
Event: “Citizen Pig” by The Finger Players
Venue: Drama Centre Black Box
Run: 28th Nov – 1st Dec 2013
Rent and Rave
In a city like ours of 5.4 million inhabitants, and with a population density of more than 7,500 persons per square kilometer, it is inevitable that the issue of space – or the severe lack thereof – rears its ugly head.
Visitors to the country, being yet unable to afford to buy housing, would have to resort to renting a room to stay in, whilst for locals who wish to start their own little enterprise of sorts, they would also have to seek to rent a suitable office space in order to carry out their business.
“Citizen Pig” tackles this oft-neglected topic of the perils associated with renting in Singapore, uncovering the seedy underbelly of the rental scam market, with Oliver Chong playing the wide-eyed local who wishes to embark on a new journey of entrepreneurship with his business partner, and Liu Xiaoyi (himself a Singaporean PR) playing the street-smart visitor from China who seeks to rent a HDB apartment to stay in.
The actors take turns to relate their stories in parts to the audience at roughly the same pace, with each actor donning multiple personalities as they appear in the storytelling.
The details of their respective stories may be different, but the parallels are unmistakable – both unwittingly find themselves locked in a scam of a rental agreement, whereby the owners were clearly out to deceive them of their rental payments, largely because the owners themselves were in desperate need for easy cash.
Each protagonist is often at his wit’s end, having exhausted literally all avenues of recourse – the authorities, the lawyers, the police, and struggles to find a way out of his arduous situation.
Eventually they do manage to find some sort of resolution to their predicaments, though not without great inconvenience, but nonetheless, each emerges from his ordeal having learnt valuable lessons.
Oliver Chong and Liu Xiaoyi are master storytellers, with Oliver in particular being as enigmatic as always, often bringing flashbacks of his turn in last year’s award-winning monologue “Roots”, which carried the same intimate storytelling style.
“Citizen Pig” is a cautionary tale (or two) that sheds light on the dangers that lurk in a society where the pursuit of material wealth often becomes the primary goal, and where morals and ethics often take a backseat.
It’s basically just two people recounting their personal stories from start to end with nothing but an array of chairs on stage, but in such an engaging way that at the end of the play you feel like you have taken two long intimate journeys with them.
And in a cold and impersonal metropolis like ours, sometimes stories are all we need.
A French Kiss in Singapore
Event: “A French Kiss in Singapore” by Sing’Theatre
Venue: SOTA Drama Theatre
Run: 27th Nov – 7th Dec 2013
Love and Other Accidents
Sing’Theatre presents a delightful little production celebrating the music and songs of four of France’s most celebrated songwriters – Charles Aznavour, Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Brel and Charles Trenet – in the form of a four-man cast featuring the likes of Hossan Leong, George Chan, Robin Goh and Linden Furnell.
Even for those (such as myself) who aren’t entirely familiar with the French pop music oeuvre, one can’t help but recognise the familiar strains of crossover hit songs such as Trenet’s “Beyond the Sea” and Brel’s “Seasons in the Sun”, and not to mention the sultry, erotic sounds of Gainsbourg’s “Je T’aime…Moi Non Plus”.
So in many ways it was very much like French Pop Music 101, where we were taken through a whirlwind 90 minutes of some of the most exquisite and well-loved French songs ever written.
It definitely didn’t hurt that the 4 actors exuded excellent stage chemistry, bravely trudging along even despite niggling mic issues for both Linden and Robin midway through, and giving their all in every song in every scene.
The scenes were a good mix of slow, pensive ballads – Hossan doing “La Bohème”, Linden doing “Amsterdam” on solo guitar, George doing “Beyond the Sea”, and also lively comedic numbers – the entire ensemble doing “Je T’aime…Moi Non Plus” replete with the signature groans and moans, and Hossan acting as the little girl in “Lollipops”, so as to keep the audience engaged throughout.
And engaged they were, as the show was constructed well-enough such that, despite the relative unfamiliarity of most of the songs to the non French-speaking audience members, the energy level in the room hardly sagged throughout the 90 minutes, which is a testament to both the performers as well as the way the song numbers were sequenced.
A shout-out goes also to the tight four-piece band comprising Ben Kiley (musical director & keyboards), Daniel Chai (guitar), Brandon Wong (double bass) and Lee Lin Chow (drums), for providing beautiful accompaniment throughout the show.
George Chan once again showcases his choreographic talent in many of the dance sequences, which the rest of the cast valiantly pulled off.
You should not expect to hear too many familiar tunes at “A French Kiss in Singapore”, especially if you aren’t entirely well-versed with French popular music, but what you can be sure of is that you’ll get 90 minutes of engaging music, competent singing, delightful dancing, and an overall entertaining experience from four of the most talented men in the business.
You may or may not get that “Oh, I didn’t know that song was originally a French tune!” moment, but you’d most likely come away with a newfound appreciation for French pop music as a whole.
Who knows, you may even catch yourself humming a French tune or two on your way home.
Coming Soon: “Ox” by Skinned Knee Productions
Event: “Ox” by Skinned Knee Productions
Venue: The Vault
Run: 5th – 7th Dec 2013
Skinned Knee Productions proudly presents an original cinematic theatre experience entitled “Ox”, which is written by Adeline Pang and directed by Adam Marple.
It stars Amanda Tee, Seth Adams, and Adeline Pang.
Official synopsis:
“Ox” is an intimately poignant and sometimes surreal exploration of the connections between love and grief, tradition and modernity, memory and reality, and offers its audience an upclose, visceral experience in a uniquely filmic setting.
Mei is mourning the death of her grandmother. Mei writes to remember what her late grandmother taught her about “Ngow Lek”, oxen tenacity and strength. A woman known only as She has just lost her lover; She sleeps, and finds what she wants in memories. Without distinction between night and day, the two young women navigate through dreams, legends and childhood memories. Their individual stories of love and grief are connected in a profoundly personal way. And waiting for them along these two converging paths are a lecherous wolf and a heroic ox…
In a modern Asian society such as Singapore, we have been imparted our ancestors’ fables and beliefs. These mysticisms have shaped our cultural memory, perhaps even affecting us unconsciously in our everyday life. How aware are we of the level of dependence that we have on the stories we were told in our childhood — how do we stay true to our cultural identity without losing our personal identity?”
Show Duration: 80 mins
Ticket Price: SGD$38 (plus booking fee)
Ticket Purchase: www.skinnedkneeproductions.com/tickets.html
Skinned Knee Website: www.skinnedkneeproductions.com/index.html
Skinned Knee Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/skinnedkneeproductions
Coming Soon: A Christmas Cabaret
Event: “A Christmas Cabaret” by Sight Lines Productions
Venue: Lowercase Cafe @ LASALLE College of the Arts
Run: 4th – 7th Dec 2013
Sight Lines Productions returns with a delightful little production to usher in the festive season.
Be razzle-dazzled by the musical talents of LASALLE College of the Arts as they take you through a night of merry music-making.
Expect a musical whirlwind mash-up of Christmas favourites and Broadway show tunes, a retelling of the Christmas story (the Broadway way), and a reimagining of how the Phantom celebrates Christmas.
And they’ll also throw in a musical medley of love songs to end things off!
The show is directed by Mohamad Shaifulbahri and Derrick Chew, with musical direction by Leonard Francisco Neo.
It stars an array of talents such as Kimberly Chan, Rachel Tay, Matheus Ting, Valerie Choo, Crenshaw Yeo, Melissa Gan, Catherine Campion and Edwin Tsien.
Go get your tickets soon!
*FESTIVE DEAL: Every ticket purchased for “A Christmas Cabaret” gets you 1 FREE CHRISTMAS DRINK courtesy of the good people at Lowercase. Your ticket also enables you a 10% discount off all food and drinks menu.*
Play Duration: Approx 1hr 15mins
Ticket Purchase: www.ticketmash.sg/achristmascabaret
Event Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/events/434172066683445
Sight Lines Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/SightLinesEntertainment
Buttons In The Bread 