Rose Rose I Love You : Opening Weekend

With rather insufficient preparation, rehearsals and full runs, we opened last Friday. I cannot accurately gauge the size of the audience (the layout's quite different to KLPac, and the Genting International Showroom seats 1000) but it's in the hundreds. Personally, I think the first show went terribly. Last minute changes were still being made during the day, with a quick rehearsal for the changed parts (not necessarily running the whole scene) and off to get made-up / sound-checked / dressed / prepared for the big show. My opening dance sequence was one of the late changes, as we (my "wife" and I) got caught in the crux of misaligned ideas that came to fruition at the eleventh hour - choreographer wanted a nice partner-work dance that emphasized that we were family, set designer wanted a nice tight set that had multiple stories that just fit people's heights, costume designer wanted gorgeous, dramatic, Chinese opera style headgear for my wife and I. The set was fixed, the director loved the headgear (with the massive feathers that double my height) and so we had to work around that. No worries, the sequence is short, I can hack it. Anyway showtime adrenaline kept me on the ball.
By the second show we pretty much had our act together - most of us thought it our best (including the 3rd show lah!) and I think it was great that all various teams pulled their socks up and really made a difference. Actors with their cues and pacing, musicians with their cues and timing, technicals with the sound cues and balance.
At the end of it all, people are enjoying the show (for the most part). It's pop theatre, nice and simple, and doesn't pretend to be anything else. The thing that would put most people off is the bilingualism of the play, and they're rectifying it this weekend with a subtitle screen.

More shots to come later.

What I think this production could have done better? Planning. I think the production team (producer, director, stage manager) and the extended production team (choreographer, set designer, costume designer) really should have sat down early and met regularly to set out exactly WHO DOES WHAT, and WHEN. Regular communication between these people, as well as clear scheduling would've made a huge difference to the final production, and everyone involved.

What I think this production does very well? Marketing. Blimmin'ell, the sheer number of articles regarding the play puts KLPac to shame. Mention Rose Rose I Love You and so many people respond with, "oh, the Rose Chan musical?". Kudos. The other thing that this production has done very well is put together a piece of enjoyable (not exemplary nor excellent) theatre in a very short period of time. Much of it is a credit to the sheer talent, hard work, dedication and thick-skinnedness of the creative team lah.

Come up, watch it. It's fun, and Genting's not so bad. In fact I'm really enjoying my time here - it's quite different when you're working and have been given a prepaid debit card for buying food here. I'd happily work here again. And I believe that I'd work with this team again.