[LJ2ME] Sing To The Dawn
Like Rat Race and It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World before it, the oft bandied-about lessons of "too many cooks spoil the broth" and "don't put all you eggs in one basket" did not apply to Sing Dollar!, where the biggest and best names in local theatre were culled for this madcap musical.
Imagine if you will The Dim Sum Dollies, the Singapore Boy, the Broadway Beng, The Queen, Asia's Bagus and erm, Lim Kay Siu sharing the same stage and you have the premise down pat. This motley crew of characters as fleshed out by the dream cast of "Singapore's finest comic talents" provided an evening of jokes and laughs.
While it is second to nature to expect the flogged to death political potshots and caricature send-ups of stereotypes and cliches, it has still not overstayed its welcome when executed with such precision as this company. Milking their diverse assets for laughs was to be expected and in this, a judicious and killer combination of writing and performing talent helped set the seal of approval on the production.
How better to open the show than with Kumar, deadpan as he mercilessly jibed the late-comers, for a surreal moment as though it were his own show. Sebastian Tan nonchalent and senang diri in his Beng guise, already in rehearsal for his year-end show. Hossan Leong, all nervous tension wound tight in his compact self as he paid tribute to the late MJ albeit having the thunder stolen by Sebastian's Ming "I-have-the-5-Cs" Yi delivery.
What about Najip Ali whose return to the stage was refreshing to those unfamliar with his work, where his monologue and soliloquy segued seamlessly into an interpretive dance as he prostrated himself on the boards and arched ever so gracefully forward. Lim Kay Siu so often overlooked for the younger crop of actors, has his face to recommend himself, be it woebegone desperation or smiling-Buddha beatification. His most memorable incarnation would be the invalid Lolo whose demands for "specials" from the domestic help were LOL.
And then we come to the Dollies. Pam Oei was native-fluent in her spot-on mastery of the Pinoy tongue where she delivered her lines with absolute accent and inflection. And baring her formidable cleavage in a second-skin lingerie-top proved that if you've got it, flaunt it. Emma Yong would be someone you'd love to hate, looking impossibly good in what would be ill-fitting stage costumes held in place with surreptitiously positioned velcro and tape. Her China prostitute certainly works hard for her keep, with a sterling singing voice and an impeccable Mandarin diction when she didn't overdo it.
Of course there's the brains behind the show, the hard-to-miss Selena Tan who gamely and sportingly subjects herself to ridicule and mockery with the unintentional physical comedy as she attempts to clamber out of a toilet window, flashing the world her nether regions and acres of it it was. Elaine Chan's music was not quite the sound of music, while catchy and infectious when attempted with such energy and passion by the cast, failed to leave more behind in the memory than a faint fleeting acquaintance. However, to be fair, she masterfully recreated the nuances of traditional Malay and Chinese rhythms and melodies, which helped move the songs and scenes along.
So while not quite big dividends on this investment, like the trusty Singapore currency, this show stays the course in good faith. It's money spent in the company of good friends and impossible to put a price on.
Imagine if you will The Dim Sum Dollies, the Singapore Boy, the Broadway Beng, The Queen, Asia's Bagus and erm, Lim Kay Siu sharing the same stage and you have the premise down pat. This motley crew of characters as fleshed out by the dream cast of "Singapore's finest comic talents" provided an evening of jokes and laughs.
While it is second to nature to expect the flogged to death political potshots and caricature send-ups of stereotypes and cliches, it has still not overstayed its welcome when executed with such precision as this company. Milking their diverse assets for laughs was to be expected and in this, a judicious and killer combination of writing and performing talent helped set the seal of approval on the production.
How better to open the show than with Kumar, deadpan as he mercilessly jibed the late-comers, for a surreal moment as though it were his own show. Sebastian Tan nonchalent and senang diri in his Beng guise, already in rehearsal for his year-end show. Hossan Leong, all nervous tension wound tight in his compact self as he paid tribute to the late MJ albeit having the thunder stolen by Sebastian's Ming "I-have-the-5-Cs" Yi delivery.
What about Najip Ali whose return to the stage was refreshing to those unfamliar with his work, where his monologue and soliloquy segued seamlessly into an interpretive dance as he prostrated himself on the boards and arched ever so gracefully forward. Lim Kay Siu so often overlooked for the younger crop of actors, has his face to recommend himself, be it woebegone desperation or smiling-Buddha beatification. His most memorable incarnation would be the invalid Lolo whose demands for "specials" from the domestic help were LOL.
And then we come to the Dollies. Pam Oei was native-fluent in her spot-on mastery of the Pinoy tongue where she delivered her lines with absolute accent and inflection. And baring her formidable cleavage in a second-skin lingerie-top proved that if you've got it, flaunt it. Emma Yong would be someone you'd love to hate, looking impossibly good in what would be ill-fitting stage costumes held in place with surreptitiously positioned velcro and tape. Her China prostitute certainly works hard for her keep, with a sterling singing voice and an impeccable Mandarin diction when she didn't overdo it.
Of course there's the brains behind the show, the hard-to-miss Selena Tan who gamely and sportingly subjects herself to ridicule and mockery with the unintentional physical comedy as she attempts to clamber out of a toilet window, flashing the world her nether regions and acres of it it was. Elaine Chan's music was not quite the sound of music, while catchy and infectious when attempted with such energy and passion by the cast, failed to leave more behind in the memory than a faint fleeting acquaintance. However, to be fair, she masterfully recreated the nuances of traditional Malay and Chinese rhythms and melodies, which helped move the songs and scenes along.
So while not quite big dividends on this investment, like the trusty Singapore currency, this show stays the course in good faith. It's money spent in the company of good friends and impossible to put a price on.