Wow , I didnt know that Samsui women managed to match the men in terms of heavy work, working alongside the men in contruction sites and fields. Sounds like the Amazonians! They were rugged, displayed true grit and resoluteness. One thing I didnt know was that they chose to stay single and independent, often taking a vow of celibacy! .. this little input was inspired by August's edition of Asian Geographic.
.. I caught the premiere of Cabaret over the weekend - boasting a stella cast of Fei Xiang, Emma Yong, Karen Tan, Mark Richmond, Celine Rosa Tan ... and a tight knit of dancers. Boy it was long, close to three hours! Can you believe a local musiclal lasting that long? SET in pre-Nazi Germany in the 1930s, Cabaret depicts the intertwining stories of a cabaret singer, Sally Bowles, her doomed relationship with American writer Clifford Bradshaw and the citizens of Berlin during the bedlam of a changing society. Sally sings in a decadent club called the Kit Kat Klub where the sinister and seemingly omnipresent Emcee holds court.
... Sure, director Beatrice Chia packed it choked full of mature jokes, which were subtlely in-your-face. (I cant describe it otherwise).
... Sure Emma Yong's bod and VOCALS never looked and sounded that good.
... Sure I couldnt tell that the REALLY tall German- was played by Mark Richmond
... Sure I could tell that Fei Xiang's role - good as he tweaked his voice skillfully, (but sounded muffled over the sound system - audience could hardly comprehend apart from the repetitive chorus), sadly it looked out of place with the whole production. It was as if he had rehearsed the parts by himself - it was not tightly reined in with flow of the show.
... Sister said that the original focussed more on the Cabaret scene, and the one we watched focussed more on romance between Frau Schneider(German) and Herr Schultz (German Jew). It brought out strains of political issues - and pre-world war I tensions
... In short, it was a great effort by Toy Factory, although it evidently suffered from the same woes as all productions do - having never enough rehearsal time. Plus the production seemed to want to tackle too many issues, and did not have a strong focus (Either presenting a entertaining set or a musical with a message to send)Nevertheless, I had enjoyed the laughs, I liked Celine Tan's raucously irreverent protrayal of a prostitute with a penchant for young Sailors boys! It had entertainment value for sure, and I think the well-heeled crowd lapped by the jokes, by the sounds of the appreciative laugher that peppered the show.
My kids in Speech & Drama are doing pieces from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, The Horla by Guy De Maupassaunt, Vilette by Charlotte Bronte, Saint Joan by Bernard Shaw ... which means I have to read up more... argh.... quick, pass me the synopsis!
3 comments:
The set was disappointing, don't you think? Could have been more spectacular. Also, they had 21 people in the cast. The stage looked rather empty most of the time. I would've expected at least 100 in the cast for real debauchery. Size does matter. It would've contrasted with the quiet American.
Well, I was thinking the set was so-so. Looked makeshift, and hardly solid and believable for musical standard. Definitely it lacked the va-va-vroom, and the whole cabaret feel. It was surely a 'safe' performance. The stripper dancers were lifted from Igors, and the likes of the now defunct, Boom Boom Room.
Well, you see they had a humongous stage to fill, Ive been on that stage, and it is daunting to fill it. Plus consider that it was 3 hours long, a bit of a stretch to fill it with dancers the whole time. I figure they could have done better with a less ambitious stage, and use the money instead for better stage props, and realism.
hmmm...good points you've raised. I rather agree.
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