A Slipper? Beam It Up to Pentas 1, Scotty!

(1) a fictitious Slipper Scene
"Leong, you are my bestest friend.. but your SLIPPER!!!"

(2) a fictitious Meatball Moment
"Aiyah, the Ah Sohs all mengarut lah.. men are actually more like meatballs... red and meaty. Period!"


(3) what will happen next?
"It dropped out of your pocket? So much for your 'A' in Science of Pau!"


(4) how far will it go?
Superstar: "Your Chan durians are ridiculous! They're full of sand! And bricks!"
Sub-superstar: "Yeah, just like the suitcase you made me lug up the stairs earlier! Buahahahaha..."

Cinderella Calls

we had another standing ovation on Wednesday on the charity night. we must have been doing something right. i even managed to bump into a long-lost friend from school who attended the show without knowing anyone she would know would be in it, opened the programme book, found my face, and went "HEY, I KNOW THIS WOMAN!!!" and then flipping some more and going "HEY, I KNOW THE LEONG GUY TOO!!!" so, as it turns out, she and my fellow actor were in the same school bus. (and of course all three of us went to the same school at some point in time)

the arts brings people together!!

the smaller crowd on Thursday were delightfully responsive at times, despite most of us battling various degrees of exhaustion (especially after driving through sheets of torrential rain and the snarl on every single highway and byway between work and theatre yesterday). the topic of the night (and of mamak sessions thereafter, i'm sure) was, of course, The Cinderella Slipper (we still don't know who exactly crashed into whom or who trampled on whose foot resulting in a slipper left on stage, but the names Mark and Vincent are quite high up on the popularity (or is it blame) meter!), and perhaps also, The Curtain Miscall (ah well. knew we shouldn't have relied on Superstar for the cues!).

.. yes i'm gonna leave you with those entirely useless bits of information .. now go GET YOUR TICKETS!

anyway, i decided to stay in and work from home today to make sure i don't develop a headache by the end of the day.

a friend working with a subsidiary of the show's title sponsor turned down two free tickets for tomorrow's show to catch Eason Chan in Concert. ![insert expletive here]! anyway, i've asked the said friend to get whatever free tickets she can from her boss and pass them to me to be given away (apparently the response from her colleagues was rather lukewarm.. must be bloody Eason Chan fans....) so yeah, IF i get a bunch of free tickets to tomorrow's Broken Bridges you'll hear about it... that is, if i still have any left after giving them away...

by the way (nothing related to Broken Bridges at all) a bit of fun stuff and free advertising for the world's largest software company (not that they need me to do it).. get your free Microsoft Tech.Ed 2006 Meego (i.e. interactive MSN Messenger display picture) at http://www2.meegos.com/teched/?PUID=0006BFFD82F61EFB&TCID=2169. (i suppose i'm also supposed to also go on to say "go register for Tech.Ed 2006!" :-D)

oh yes, we have a review on Broken Bridges on Kakiseni, by Nigel.. (and i thought Nigel was here just to watch us in the show! geez.. :-D) here's the review (surf over to the original source of this article on Kakiseni, where there are PHOTOS too!):

The Scenic Bridge of Ipoh
Broken Bridges: Can a musical theatre work by first timers be entertaining?
by Nigel Skelchy
24-08-2006
(from http://www.kakiseni.com/articles/reviews/MDkyMw.html)

There is always that moment of trepidation when a curtain rises on a musical for the first time. If the impact of the first scene is less than a sonic boom, it muffles the rest of the musical. What more an all Malaysian musical written by two untried and untested neophytes? It is the rare one that lives up to the promise of their glossy literature. Broken Bridges, running at KLPac – Pentas 1 right now, opens humbly enough with a beggar woman (Fang Chyi) shuffling quietly onto stage. Then the sepia toned frames, doubling as backdrops, are whisked apart as the townsfolk enter singing “Lively town, lovely town, Where it’s bound to astound…” From the sweet solo strains of Fang’s voice as she wanders the streets at dawn to the Ah Sohs going, “how’s the kailan, not so nice, get some tau foo,” to the men joining in with their baritone, the opening number builds to a big, rousing broadway finish, and nicely segues into the introduction of the protagonists.

Set in Ipoh of 1959, Ming and Leong are teens who have just completed their Senior Cambridge. Leong is content to eventually take over his father’s business and make a brand out of Chan Durians. But Ming, son of a coffee shop owner, Wong, is full of dreams and is chomping at the bit to leave Ipoh and make a name for himself.

Chan and Wong, the boys’ fathers, however have other plans. They waste no time in arranging the marriage of Ming to Chan’s 17 year old daughter, Siew Yee. With great reluctance, Ming goes on a date with her. The three aunties, Yat Soh, Yee Soh, and Sam Soh (although she has a Chinese title, she is, in Muhibbah Malaysia, an Indian), coach the adolescent girl in the arts of attracting a man (men are like char siew pau, “white and clean on the outside but red and meaty on the inside”).

When the two youths return from their date, the fathers joyfully announce their intentions much to Ming’s dismay. It is this conflict of interests that drives the plot to its unexpected but appropriate end.

Likeable small town folks

Broken Bridges, as directed by Joe Hasham and produced by Datuk Faridah Merican, is structured in typical musical theatre style from start to end and makes no pretensions to be anything other than a piece of great entertainment. And as entertainment, it naturally stars some heavy hitters. Douglas Lim, of Kopi Tiam fame leads the cast of very seasoned veterans in the role of Ming. Other notables include the cabaret comedienne Joanne Kam Poh Poh as Yat Soh and popular TV actor Tony Eusoff as Ringo. Choir trainer Colin Kirton plays Ming’s father, Wong. Ming’s best friend Leong is played by Ho Soon Yoon and his father, Chan, is played by comedian Monti.

The leads have their coming timing down pat and the one-liners are delivered with much aplomb. The audience is naturally drawn to the likable small town folks. The loyal friend is played to great effect by Ho Soon Yoon who injects his performance with empathy, and frivolity. Douglas Lim PERFORMS – as opposed to just SINGS – his role to perfection. His theatricality, the larger than life gestures, and the emotive singing are perfect for musical theatre. And Yes, Douglas Lim can sing!

Kudos to Colin Kirton who acts with such nuance that although he plays this tradition bound father who is overly strict with his son, you feel for his pain and bewilderment.

Yat Soh, Yee Soh, and Sam Soh, the dragon ladies, played by Joanne Kam Poh Poh, Chan Wen Li, and Pangasaanii G, add much colour to the fabric of Ipoh society as portrayed in Broken Bridges. The trio are reminiscent of the mice in the movie Babe. Unlike the mice however, they are active participants in the plot and sub-plot.

Do the right thing

Tony Eusoff does his usual star pirouette but his role begs more development. We don’t know enough about him for a character who is the catalyst for Ming’s decision to leave home. Same problem with Ming’s girlfriend, Mei Ling, played by Janice Yap, in the second half. She is introduced as a smart, modern girl with a penchant for reading and thinking – a stark contrast to the girls introduced to Ming by the intrepid trio of dragon ladies. Without much explanation however, she is eventually reduced to being the small town Ipoh girl stereotype. These two seem to have interesting back stories which could be explored further.
Another question mark is Ming’s argument with the townsfolk over Mei Ling’s fate. While it is obvious that the townsfolk blames Ming, his retort that it is their fault is not explored, leaving a feeling that the townsfolk have too readily accepted his judgment in the matter without any discussion. It feels glossed over, this issue of personal responsibility and how people need to do the “right thing”.

While it’s unlikely that the composer and writer are intending to create a musical with issues, it’s the issues that make a story interesting. In a sense, everything that Ming’s father was driven to do – arrange the marriage, dismiss his son’s aspirations as frivolous, and ultimately deliver an ultimatum that becomes too hard to retract – stems from his own desire for his son to be secure and protected. The issue of the father-son relationship is at the heart of this musical and to a large extent any aspect of the plot that has an impact on it deserves some exploration. For example, what does Wong think of Ringo, Ming’s cousin, for example? It’s possible that Wong despises Ringo. It’s also possible that he thinks the world of his sophisticated nephew. Would he have been more willing to listen to reason if approached by Ringo about Ming’s leaving for Kuala Lumpur?

Thankfully, however, none of these unsolved mysteries affect my enjoyment of the musical. They remain as intriguing questions that could be answered in part or in full in the next run, perhaps?
And for completely personal reasons, I think another portion deserving of more time is the cabaret boys scene. They come out looking like outtakes from a Chippendales show and before you can blink, it is over. In a musical, any excuse for a cheesy, corny, sexy number is ALWAYS welcome. Choy Le Roy, nice arms.

No pretensions

Pacing is superb. There is not one moment when the story drags. The singing is polished. The ensemble is well rehearsed by Mervyn Peters, timing is tight and the mood is nuanced. The music, directed by James Boyle, sounds obviously computerised in parts. But given the budget and the small orchestra, the music is pretty okay. Some voices sound tight and do not have the polish of Broadway performers (in a manner of compliment, I don’t think it is unfair to compare them to the industry’s best at all).

The choreography by Pat Chan is not spectacular but is nevertheless serviceable. Look out for Joanne Kam’s four-fingered instructions.

The production designers deserve special mention. Loo Jia Wei and Arica Chia outdo themselves with the clever use of mobile sets and those sepia toned photos of straits settlement shops on the hanging frame. Discordance, disharmony, and discontent are visualised by skewing the hangings and using projectors to display images of cracks.

For a musical that moves forward almost 47 years in 2 hours, costumes can be particularly challenging. But Chin Khin Yeow deserves much praise. From pleated A line skirts to the drainpipe trousers of the men, Broken Bridges is certainly well-dressed for its times.

In musical theatre, plot is secondary to the music. The music needs to be singable, clever, and able to advance the plot. No matter how cheesy or corny the plot could be, the music needs to reflect the mood of the scenes while a central theme tie the entire musical together. The opening number “Ipoh Town” seems to be the theme song but it is not reflected in the interludes. Hence it seems like the song is repeated 3 times rather than being used as a central motif binding the musical together like a ribbon on a present.
The melodies are catchy and the lyrics original. The “question and answer” format of the conflict music – with the singers “arguing” with each other – produces some of the slickest and cleverest songs I’ve heard in a long time. Look out for “Proud,” “Why,” and “No More” to catch this exciting bit of musical creativity. You will never have guessed that the composer and writer, Teng Ky-Gan and Lim Chuan Yik, are first timers.
On the whole, Broken Bridges is accessible, empathetic, and ultimately entertaining. Everything a good musical should be. It has no pretensions to be anything other than what it is. Like a good Malaysian food court, it has something for everyone. Fun songs delivered well, interesting conflict to make the audience root for the characters of their choice, poignant relationships, love, anger, and blind ignorance. In short, people will find it very easy to relate to, whether you are a child, a parent, a sibling, a best friend, or even a well meaning neighbour.

Huge claps on the back for everyone especially to Teng Ky-Gan and Lim Chuang Yik. When’s the next one coming out boys?

Broken Bridges is running at KLPac – Pentas 1, from Sat 19 Aug – Sun 3 Sep 2006. Tel: 603-4047 9000.

Glad to Have You Around!

we had a standing ovation tonight.

in fact, the near-full house audience were great and wonderfully receptive throughout. it was a pleasant surprise, as most of us didn't feel (or i didn't think anyway) that we put on an exceptionally stellar performance tonight, possibly due the exhaustion from the weekend opening run. for me, yesterday's 'break' turned out to be a day of catching up with work instead.. so i was rather difficult today to get into the swing of things.. it seemed ages since i last stepped into the theatre. the usual 45-minute warm-ups in the car didn't inspire my unresponsive grey matter, and after getting miked i had started to nod off (horror of horrors!) during the soundcheck process.

thank you all ye wonderful people who attended our show and provided valuable feedack thereafter.

also, contrary to what was told to me by Box Office staff a few weeks ago, i found out that tickets ARE in fact still available on Saturday August 26th. both RM80 and RM60. so go get your Broken Bridges tickets! Box Office Tel 03-40479000!

Come on down to Ipoh town!

This is Ipoh Life!

(photo on left taken during a rehearsal)

am still reeling from Opening Night Euphoria... the culmination of 4 months of hard work has been nothing less than a thrilling rush of exhilaration... imagine watching your favourite musical from the stalls and wishing you could be one of the actors on stage, revelling in moment after moment of rapture and giving all you've got to the audience.. now imagine actually being up there on stage. this was not my first stage appearance, but certainly a debut appearance in musical theatre... and first freaking LEAD ROLE in ANY musical performance... i suppose this is a pretty significant milestone in anything in the performing arts i've done in the past 6 years (strangely enough, not even being a Grisette in Merry Widow - my first major dancing role - came close!)

could almost not deal with the magnificent surge of backstage adrenaline rapidly welling up as as the band striked up the Overture to the serene Beggar's opening to the rousing first 8 bars of the signature tune (which, by the way, has been my all-time favourite moment of the play - the strings, piano and drums setting the mood and revving us all up to our first appearance as townsfolk of an town awakening to the hustle and bustle of a typical morning).

everything seemed perfect.. from the klutzy cha-cha amongst the drink-drinkers (our Ringo says I look like Olive Oyl in the costume - complete with lanky limbs and hair up in a bun - I must say I haven't heard a better analogy!! :-D) .. to the energy, passion and intensity of the second Act.. tears were coming on as if on cue... they might as well have included boxes of Kleenex on the prop rack ... i could swear a good majority of the cast was so emotionally involved in the story they were trying awfully hard not to choke on their tears by the time they got on stage for the requiem scene and thereafter..

i'd figure if there was such a thing as pure rapture, the Opening Night of Broken Bridges would come pretty close. (and i don't think it's the champagne in me speaking! :-D)

it was quite amusing how some friends thought that the musical accompaniment was "pre-recorded by an orchestra"... (now WHOM did you guys think we were acknowledging at when we turned to face the back of the stage during the curtain call? :-D) i guess the band should take that as a compliment.. i.e. that the music was so perfect it sounded too good to be live.. There IS a 4-piece live band at the back, folks! and (God forbid) in case anyone is guessing, we were singing live too.. (each of us was carrying a few thousand dollars worth of equipment on our heads and around our waists, which had to be subject to painstaking sound-checks before every performance..)

must say i was pretty impressed with our programme book too ... 76 freaking thick glossy pages in full colour where everyone looked absolutely stunning .. and they even printed freaking lyrics to all the songs... all that at a value-for-money 10 bucks! i was quite taken by the simplicity of the cast's unassuming biodatas... right now you guys are the people i love most on this planet...

oh yeah, also, i have a new warm-up CD now for the long drives to the theatre the next 2 weeks ... the Original Cast Recording of songs from Broken Bridges The Musical! i play Track 1, Ipoh Town, and i start to cry. i'm going nuts!!

tickets to Broken Bridges The Musical are still available! call the KLPAC Box Office (03-4047 9000) to get your tickets NOW!

here's to a grand 2 weeks ahead, all you wonderful Ipoh towners!!

of tents

3 more days.

time to brace self for long nights of tech and dress rehearsals.

must eat well and drink lots of water too, in order that i shall continue to look glowing and resplendent in the floral tent of a samfoo. no, no, really, it's quite comfortable. airy, too. one of the most comfy costumes I've ever had (second only to the the nun's habit in Tosca). and no, you're not getting a photo of the Floral Tent.. you'll have to come and watch the show! :)

spotlights

one week to opening night! can't believe we've actually made it through all those months of rehearsals already.. it wasn't too long ago when we were gaping awestruck at the killer rehearsal schedule and sitting in the rehearsal room trying to remember the melodies and lyrics.. or when we were sitting around outside the audition room waiting for our turns.. in no time it will all be over and we'll be wondering what we ever did with our lives after office hours :-D

will there be life after Broken Bridges?

there's SongFest and Xmas stuff with The Phil which i hope to still have the time and stamina to join in by then (family members who haven't seen me much in recent months may start to forget that i exist!). i can probably also get back to watching some shows (especially the ones that are up for judging, before the organising people of the awards start shooting me dirty looks, haha). and to get back to leisurely late breakfasts on weekends without having to worry about whether my digestive system would revolt later on during the warm-ups.

BUT OF COURSE, there's the Ipoh run of Broken Bridges which i can hopefully join depending on the rehearsal schedule! who knows, perhaps somebody will want us up in Penang too (and all our lines will have to be Hokkien-ified ... I can see it already ... "Rule Number 2! Always look down! Pai-seh a bit...")

anyway, for now, am glad for tomorrow's day off. the huge mouth ulcer that has been maiming me for the past four days can finally take a break!

in other news, heathrow airport is in chaos after security measures were put in place resulting from the revelation of a (foiled) terror plot. disturbing. sometimes things are more disconcerting when you think of what *could* have happened rather than what actually happened. (like the incident last year that could possibly been an attempt by road bullies to get me out of my car) anyway, a friend is due to fly back from london within the next few days, and another is due to fly there tomorrow. wonder how their travel plans would be affected.

auntified and ancient

oi, haven you heard the latest news? the Bloken Bliges show ah, sold out aleady on Saterday 26 Auges and Saterday 2nd September wor! yalor, tiket all moh sai. No More! so laku one. but then ah, they say ah, still got a lot of tiket on Auges 19.. nehh, the one they call opening night lor... so ah, anyway, you all must go and call the Kay El Pack faster faster and buy. ha. cannot just stay put lidat one, mus take some action lah! make sure that you not too late!

okokok i tell you all secret lah. mus watch one this show, very keng one, got all the ipoh place inside one. nehh, Hiu Loh Street*, Cathay cinema, all that they got say one. Tiger Lane also got say.. haiyo, so long never hear Tiger Lane.. now that road dunno call Sultan Aslan dunno wat name lah, so hard to lemember one... surrender, surrender (sigh)! haiya but better than Kay El lah, still stuck in that.. wat they call ah? nutshell.

yalor ipoh famous aleady after this show. hai, din know the people who write the show were so lek chai..

haiya, sorry ah, Day By Day become yee soh for so long aleady, the Lingo also become lidat aleady...

eh, don read anymore aleady lah. afterwards people think you are not doing your work...

* Hugh Low Street . Aiya, the spelling just seemed too refined, lah.

opportunities

was flipping channels on the telly last night (that's about all i do nowadays after rehearsals) when it landed Maximum eXposure and i spotted the Malay translation their tagline "we have lots of Really, Really Bad Days for you" flashing away as "kami ada banyak hari-hari yang malang untuk anda". it's a literal translation, nothing really wrong about it, but it just sounded.. weird. dunno. maybe some taglines aren't meant to be translated.

anyway, today has started off as a pretty Good Day. received an encouraging review on one of my academic papers. this particular paper is also possibly one tiny step closer to being published in a journal. *fingers crossed* also, i hope the boss approves my second overseas conference for the year in December! *more fingers crossed* and i hope the conference won't clash with the usual Christmas festivities of the Selangor Phil! *run out of fingers*

we received news yesterday that the PM will be attending the Sept 2 Broken Bridges show, which will coincide with the official opening of the KLPAC. sweet. he attended our performance of Tosca back in 2003 when he was DPM, together with PM Mahathir (as he was then); and i have a somewhat odd photo of self shaking hands with Dr M, with a man in a bloodied shirt and red lipstick standing on my right doing the introductions (well actually that was our Director who played Cavaradossi that night, who was shot dead at the end of Act 3 - hence the bloodied shirt) but unfortunately the photographers probably thought DPM Abdullah (as he was then) wasn't quite important enough to have photos taken shaking hands with the cast. ah well. i'll try and get my Abdullah photo this time lah. and at least i don't think i'll have any bloodied men standing near me who will need Photoshopping out ;) (yipes.. unless we have the Ghost of Mei Ling or The Unborn Child! :P)

anyway, we're having our photos taken for the programme book tonight. found out this morning that i ran out of concealer.. and started wishing that i worked in the city, where a dozen shops selling makeup would be within walking distance. ah well, will have to rely on Photoshop as usual lah.

Sneak Preview of Broken Bridges!

This was taken by Nazrul who attended our press conference last Tuesday. Enjoy! Also check out the post by Jasiminne (who also attended the PC) who also has some nice photos of the actors on stage..

We also appeared in the Weekend Mail on Sunday July 30th.. if you have a copy I can take/borrow (to photocopy lah)... I owe you teh tarik! Or perhaps Ipoh white coffee!

And if you're a reader of periodicals, check out the August issue of Her World where some of the ladies of the cast gave their few sen worth of what Malaysian women want.. (In other news, the FCUK top I wore in that shoot has finally entered the sale racks :-)) Anyway, don't bother trying to figure out which is me. I looked so different it took me quite a few seconds to find myself in that photo..