Singapura The Musical opens at The Capitol Theatre
I used to walk past the old Capitol building very often. The Capitol Theatre was Singapore's first cinema and it screened its last movie in 1998.
I don't believe I have ever been inside but I remember marveling at the showcase of the handprints of the movie stars to the likes of Jacky Chan and Anita Sarawak, if my memory serves me right, and thinking the Capitol Theatre must have been very grand in its heyday.
So we were quite excited when we heard that the The Capitol Theatre had been refurbished and was finally reopening after 20 years.
It was most apt that the first event to be staged in this refurbished iconic landmark was the world premiere of Singapura: The Musical, which depicts the lives and struggles of Singaporeans during the country's formative years.
Credit: The 4th Wall Theatre Co
The gala night was a grand red-carpet event - definitely a first for me! - and we were thrilled to be part of it.
The restoration of The Capitol Theatre was nothing short of impressive. It retains much of its original charm with its extensively restored neo-classical architecture, the Pegasus panels flanking the stage and the intricate Zodiac painting on the dome ceiling. A stunning sight to behold in modern day Singapore!
Conceptualised by Ed Gatchalian, a celebrated composer who is also the artistic director and founder of 4th Wall Theatre Company Pte Ltd, Singapura: The Musical tracks the lives of an ordinary Singaporean family - Mr Tan, a busdriver and a devoted father and husband, his supportive wife Ling who operates a small kopitiam (coffee shop) in their close-knit multi-racial community, and their teenage daughter Lee May.
Credit: The 4th Wall Theatre Co
As the story unfolds, we see how the Tan family was affected by the numerous events that took place in the tumultuous decade between 1955 to 1965 - the Hock Lim bus riots, merger with Malaysia, Konfrontasi and the 1964 racial riots before finally gaining independence as a nation.
The scenes and songs come fast and furious so you have to have a pretty good grasp of Singapore's history to know what was happening. I had a lot of answering to do with a very curious Sean.
Along the way, the opinionated Lee May also fell in with Flynn, a British soldier, and she faced conflicting emotions from her affection for him and her allegiance to Singapore and her family.
Credit: The 4th Wall Theatre Co
Overall, I felt the musical was truly a gallant undertaking - it is not easy condensing 10 rocky years into a convincing 2.5-hour show.
The lead casts were stellar with amazing vocals and great chemistry between them. There were many noteworthy eye-opening scenes like the Hock Lim bus riots, the MacDonald House bombing and seeing a young Lee Kuan Yew (even though his name was oddly never mentioned) sing on stage among others. We enjoyed the original scores too - I am sure many people in the audience would still have the catchy 'At the Kopitiam' ringing in their ears after they have left the theatre.
Yet I found the story was unnecessarily convoluted at some parts, and even though the largely Filipino cast made attempts to 'localise' their accents, I wish they had casted more local actors to make the dialogue more convincing.
Still, we did enjoy most parts of it.
I thought it was a very laudable effort to put together a full-length musical and vividly portray the story of Singapore on stage. I definitely am able to appreciate the real-life struggles and sacrifices our forefathers experienced to bring us to the pristine modern-day Singapore we have today.
Singapura: The Musical will be running at The Capitol Theatre from now till 28 June 2015 before it goes to Broadway and West Ed. Tickets are priced from $65 to $175 and can be purchased here.
Disclaimer: We received complimentary tickets to the gala premiere of the musical. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.
I don't believe I have ever been inside but I remember marveling at the showcase of the handprints of the movie stars to the likes of Jacky Chan and Anita Sarawak, if my memory serves me right, and thinking the Capitol Theatre must have been very grand in its heyday.
So we were quite excited when we heard that the The Capitol Theatre had been refurbished and was finally reopening after 20 years.
It was most apt that the first event to be staged in this refurbished iconic landmark was the world premiere of Singapura: The Musical, which depicts the lives and struggles of Singaporeans during the country's formative years.
Credit: The 4th Wall Theatre Co
The gala night was a grand red-carpet event - definitely a first for me! - and we were thrilled to be part of it.
The restoration of The Capitol Theatre was nothing short of impressive. It retains much of its original charm with its extensively restored neo-classical architecture, the Pegasus panels flanking the stage and the intricate Zodiac painting on the dome ceiling. A stunning sight to behold in modern day Singapore!
Conceptualised by Ed Gatchalian, a celebrated composer who is also the artistic director and founder of 4th Wall Theatre Company Pte Ltd, Singapura: The Musical tracks the lives of an ordinary Singaporean family - Mr Tan, a busdriver and a devoted father and husband, his supportive wife Ling who operates a small kopitiam (coffee shop) in their close-knit multi-racial community, and their teenage daughter Lee May.
Credit: The 4th Wall Theatre Co
As the story unfolds, we see how the Tan family was affected by the numerous events that took place in the tumultuous decade between 1955 to 1965 - the Hock Lim bus riots, merger with Malaysia, Konfrontasi and the 1964 racial riots before finally gaining independence as a nation.
The scenes and songs come fast and furious so you have to have a pretty good grasp of Singapore's history to know what was happening. I had a lot of answering to do with a very curious Sean.
Along the way, the opinionated Lee May also fell in with Flynn, a British soldier, and she faced conflicting emotions from her affection for him and her allegiance to Singapore and her family.
Credit: The 4th Wall Theatre Co
Overall, I felt the musical was truly a gallant undertaking - it is not easy condensing 10 rocky years into a convincing 2.5-hour show.
The lead casts were stellar with amazing vocals and great chemistry between them. There were many noteworthy eye-opening scenes like the Hock Lim bus riots, the MacDonald House bombing and seeing a young Lee Kuan Yew (even though his name was oddly never mentioned) sing on stage among others. We enjoyed the original scores too - I am sure many people in the audience would still have the catchy 'At the Kopitiam' ringing in their ears after they have left the theatre.
Yet I found the story was unnecessarily convoluted at some parts, and even though the largely Filipino cast made attempts to 'localise' their accents, I wish they had casted more local actors to make the dialogue more convincing.
Still, we did enjoy most parts of it.
I thought it was a very laudable effort to put together a full-length musical and vividly portray the story of Singapore on stage. I definitely am able to appreciate the real-life struggles and sacrifices our forefathers experienced to bring us to the pristine modern-day Singapore we have today.
Singapura: The Musical will be running at The Capitol Theatre from now till 28 June 2015 before it goes to Broadway and West Ed. Tickets are priced from $65 to $175 and can be purchased here.
Disclaimer: We received complimentary tickets to the gala premiere of the musical. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.