Beauty World
Like mulit-hyphenate Dick Lee needed to do more to prove himself, his latest work, Beauty Kings is a delightful feel-good romp from start to finish. Based on the premise of the controversy plaguing the male beauty pageant some years ago, the sexy, the sordid and the silly are fleshed out with aplomb. In no particular order, mind.
From the get go, there was that palpable frisson of sexual tension in the air, and only because of the testosterone overload in the audience, where a random stone thrown would hit one of us, if you get what I mean. Here, of course, not disparaging the higher artistic intents of the paying public who are to believed were there for more than the flesh parade. And also not discounting the quality of the writing and the acting.
Yes, nudity was forewarned (or was it the carrot at the end of the stick?) and it was delivered. Not that I was particularly looking out for them or keeping count for the record, mind, but that two scenes of bared buns stripped of skivvies, one at the very begining ("a very good place to start!") to lay the foundation and another at the denouement where the perpetrator gets caught with his fingers in the jar (here fingers and jar to be replaced with other body parts).
Director Jonathan Lim had great material to work with, while not quite the level of genius and insanity simultaneously as his Chestnuts series, and had a faithful cast to work with. Theatre stalwarts Karen Tan, Lim Yu Beng and Rodney Oliveiro anchored the show while next-big-thing Judee Tan showcased her versatility and adaptability. Newcomers Kaeng Chan and Eli T provided that beauty, brawn and brain do come in a single package, with their talent (ahem) for all to see.
Playing the scandalous sleazeball with the history of drugging and raping a contestant, Lim Yu Beng was all smooth and silky debonair charm as he charmed the pants literally off the desperate contenders to be Mr Man. Karen Tan as his wife was also not above playing favourites with a dalliance with a contestant. Judee Tan as the controlling girlfriend with an agenda she cannot contain and Rodney Oliveiro as the undercover reporter who gets caught up in his own act shore up the reserves.
And now, for the eye candy. Kaeng Chan as the earnest henpecked civil servant Benny compensated for his lack of height with most impressive pectorals, the first time we see him stripped down to his "sister's panties" with Mickey Mouse emblazoned distractingly across his package. He was also the one to bite the bullet and treated us to a full rear nudity as he succumbed to the photographer's seduction. Tentatively shielding his nudity with his trunks, before awkwardly holding them at his side, as he was eyeballed, what I would have given to be Lim Yu Beng for two weeks.
Eli T played the blur but adorable Don whose comfort and ease in showing skin was most appreciated. As the veteran pageant participant, his slow-witted act was a laugh-a-minute as his fed lines milked the laughter. His character had an unexpected plot twist which was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the tagline "who is man enough?".
The audience cast their votes for their favourite to win, and perhaps for how the story and character was writted, the cards seem to have it that Don won most of the times, so it seems. All the more so contradicting the entire concept of the pageant. But there was that "misread" result which saw 1st-runner-up Benny stripped of his title to the dismay of his fiance, but how would that have played out if the votes cast were different?
Dick Lee has a gift for spinning a story and crafting lines, although the inevitable roll-eyes lame throwaway jokes were liberally sprinkled. Years after the dust has settled, a Ris Low mention still raised chuckles, showing infamy does pay off. That reported "Ulu Pandan not Ulu Pondan" line had the audience eating out of his hands. Don was ultimately responsible for delivering most of the aural gags with his some funny some not-so-funny hairbrained responses not quite dim-witted but more dopey.
It was a fun evening out, "out" for most of the audience, and I'm glad that beyond the basal instincts, one was challenged intellectually too. Though it wouldn't have hurt to have been satisfied sexually by brining home one of the contestants.
Posted via LjBeetle
From the get go, there was that palpable frisson of sexual tension in the air, and only because of the testosterone overload in the audience, where a random stone thrown would hit one of us, if you get what I mean. Here, of course, not disparaging the higher artistic intents of the paying public who are to believed were there for more than the flesh parade. And also not discounting the quality of the writing and the acting.
Yes, nudity was forewarned (or was it the carrot at the end of the stick?) and it was delivered. Not that I was particularly looking out for them or keeping count for the record, mind, but that two scenes of bared buns stripped of skivvies, one at the very begining ("a very good place to start!") to lay the foundation and another at the denouement where the perpetrator gets caught with his fingers in the jar (here fingers and jar to be replaced with other body parts).
Director Jonathan Lim had great material to work with, while not quite the level of genius and insanity simultaneously as his Chestnuts series, and had a faithful cast to work with. Theatre stalwarts Karen Tan, Lim Yu Beng and Rodney Oliveiro anchored the show while next-big-thing Judee Tan showcased her versatility and adaptability. Newcomers Kaeng Chan and Eli T provided that beauty, brawn and brain do come in a single package, with their talent (ahem) for all to see.
Playing the scandalous sleazeball with the history of drugging and raping a contestant, Lim Yu Beng was all smooth and silky debonair charm as he charmed the pants literally off the desperate contenders to be Mr Man. Karen Tan as his wife was also not above playing favourites with a dalliance with a contestant. Judee Tan as the controlling girlfriend with an agenda she cannot contain and Rodney Oliveiro as the undercover reporter who gets caught up in his own act shore up the reserves.
And now, for the eye candy. Kaeng Chan as the earnest henpecked civil servant Benny compensated for his lack of height with most impressive pectorals, the first time we see him stripped down to his "sister's panties" with Mickey Mouse emblazoned distractingly across his package. He was also the one to bite the bullet and treated us to a full rear nudity as he succumbed to the photographer's seduction. Tentatively shielding his nudity with his trunks, before awkwardly holding them at his side, as he was eyeballed, what I would have given to be Lim Yu Beng for two weeks.
Eli T played the blur but adorable Don whose comfort and ease in showing skin was most appreciated. As the veteran pageant participant, his slow-witted act was a laugh-a-minute as his fed lines milked the laughter. His character had an unexpected plot twist which was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the tagline "who is man enough?".
The audience cast their votes for their favourite to win, and perhaps for how the story and character was writted, the cards seem to have it that Don won most of the times, so it seems. All the more so contradicting the entire concept of the pageant. But there was that "misread" result which saw 1st-runner-up Benny stripped of his title to the dismay of his fiance, but how would that have played out if the votes cast were different?
Dick Lee has a gift for spinning a story and crafting lines, although the inevitable roll-eyes lame throwaway jokes were liberally sprinkled. Years after the dust has settled, a Ris Low mention still raised chuckles, showing infamy does pay off. That reported "Ulu Pandan not Ulu Pondan" line had the audience eating out of his hands. Don was ultimately responsible for delivering most of the aural gags with his some funny some not-so-funny hairbrained responses not quite dim-witted but more dopey.
It was a fun evening out, "out" for most of the audience, and I'm glad that beyond the basal instincts, one was challenged intellectually too. Though it wouldn't have hurt to have been satisfied sexually by brining home one of the contestants.
Posted via LjBeetle