17 Valjeans sing "Do You Hear The People Sing?"

The encore for the 10th Anniversary of "Les Miserables". 17 Valjeans from all around the world sing, led off by the stellar Colm Wilkinson.

Fantastique!

Follow The Light - watch it!!!

Please go watch this - it's running until end of this week at PJ Live Arts. The libretto (that's posh theatre-talk for "script for musical") and music is done by a very talented fellow, whose work is truly of international standard. Here's their promo video:

Yes, written by a Malaysian. I can't say how good it is enough - have a listen and be blown away. It's saying something when the cast is struggling to raise themselves to the level of the script, rather than use their skills to make something of the script (as is often the case here).

The quality of the singers on the cast is high, the performance quality varies. A few stand out in good light. All in all, a highly enjoyable show.

GO WATCH IT DAMMIT!!!

Match in Singapore

Match ran in Singapore as part of a triple-bill organised by the Singapore Drama Educators Association (SDEA) last weekend - on Fri 15th Aug and Sun 17th Aug, to be exact. The venue was The Play Den in The Arts House, which sits 120 people.
What's particularly awesome about The Arts House is that it's situated in the old Parliament house of Singapore. Talk about very historically arty-farty. We even had a rehearsal in The Chamber, which is where they used to have their Parliamentary debates - there are seats with plaques with names of their old cabinet and their position! Heh some of us were jostling to get our photo taken in Lee Kuan Yew's seat.

The Play Den is an odd-shaped stage though - a thrust layout, but very thrust-ed. There are only 16 seats at the front, with 52 seats on either side; so the majority of the audience is on either side of you. They're well equipped though - very nice tech room overlooking the stage, with cameras pointed at the stage feeding monitors located backstage and at front-of-house. Check out the Virtual Tour on The Arts House's website.

The whole event was generally well-organised, with the singular exception of a miscommunication - we had to censor our show a bit for being too sexually explicit (and having a homosexual element too, if you can imagine). To be fair, they were concerned about the youth of their audience (younger teenagers) and their religious beliefs, and they were worried about what their chaperones / teachers / parents would have to say about our show. Which was introduced as done by "a professional, international theatre company" - wahey!

I had a great time working in Singapore, and I must say I was impressed. I'll readily admit that it was the first time I had a very positive experience of Singapore, and I'm very seriously contemplating the possibility of working there. Will be researching the possibility of casting there soon - online, if possible. Doesn't make sense to travel down regularly just to cast, fun as it may be.

Of course, the Saturday off meant a good walk on Orchard Road. Paradigm Infinitum is amazing, so many new games but not enough clones of myself to play them all all day every day. Bought Okko in the end, which is pretty damn cool. Still learning to play and working out the intricacies. Kinokuniya's awesome, as usual. That CD Shop has a great selection, especially their High Society compilations. Got introduced to the joys of MOS Burger, which I would never have tried unless someone recommended it - check out their Natsumi Fish burger, it's really delicious and healthy! Well, not counting their cheesy mayo-like sauce. But it's wrapped in lettuce instead of buns! Okay okay maybe not so healthy. But it's damn good.
Here's to more work in Singapore.

match

Currently occupying my time:
Running in Singapore this weekend - we're part of a triple-bill on Friday evening and Sunday matinee. Come if you can. Details on the SDEA (Singapore Drama Educators Association) website, under Celebrate Drama! (that's the name of the event running this weekend) 's programme section. Also on the TOS website.

Alternative poster:
Yes, it's physical theatre, and we've got Teresa Chian of Living Arts Dance Studio as one of the performers as well as the choreographer. Which means some really interesting and funky moves, and very achy bodies! We're planning a Malaysian run, but I'll have to keep you posted on that. Come watch if you can!

How I Learned To Drive Roadshow notes 2

We did our stuff at Sunway Pyramid yesterday. It was initially meant to be at SS15, but we quickly discovered that Saturday lunchtime is a dead time at that area - even Asia Cafe was quiet! The great thing that came out of that was a contact we made, with The English House (website under construction), who's interested in collaborating with TOS on stuff. They also take in part-time teachers, so that'd be an interesting lead to follow up on.We (eventually) ended up at Sunway, at the J.Co entrance. We negotiated 5 minutes with one of the many guards there, and did our stuff - it lasted longer than 5 minutes and we caught the interest of one of the mall management staff, so we scored our biggest point: permission, practically almost an invitation, from them to do our stuff there. Coolness.

Didn't collect too much, but the results were good for a virgin act. Now we have to plan our mall strategies - where we place ourselves based on our target market, based on where they'd go.

Also got to try out our new acts: Mexican wave-based tableaux, and word-/emotion- based tableaux. Not bad, I think it looks great. Hoping Nick/Amelia will come out with the pictures soon.

Ah yes, best part! I was having a good private laugh whilst performing as I saw a bunch of chef-hatted staff of a nearby restaurant ardently watching us. I thought that we even got the attention of some chefs. After we retired for a break and a debrief, lo and behold - they started doing their own tableaux, promoting their restaurant. Blatant and shameless ripping off!

But what can I say. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

How I Learned To Drive Roadshow notes 1

We planned a roadshow for TOS to raise funds as well as to publicise HILTD today, at Pusat Bandar Damansara (PBD). The intention was to set up an area opposite Menara Millenium (as it had decent office crowds) and put up a show - skits, mimes, physical theatre, tableaux, whatever theatre-/arts-related that could draw interest from a crowd. We'd have some performers doing the show, and some sandwich-board wearing people going around talking about the show and collecting donations.

We started with some difficulty - a couple of performers cancelled 25 minutes before we were to meet for briefing, and we almost gave up for lack of participation. After some brainstorming, we decided to proceed with just the sandwich boards and 1 money-collector - if nothing else, get the word out there about the show. And so we did.

We made 2 rounds around PBD handing out leaflets about TOS and the show, and me banging away at the metal pail with coins. Rhythmically lah. We found that it was really effective at generating interest in the show, while not so conducive for getting money - after all, who wants to be approached randomly or during lunch for donations? We then proceeded to set ourselves up at an open square in the middle of PBD, initially to rest.

We then proceeded to do tableaux to make use of the space and our time there. With our sandwich-board clad people spread around and me with the donation pail, we made poses and stood rather still for interminable amounts of time until we decided to change positions, in synchrony. More or less. And we had Nick Chin (who joined us at some point) go around and explain the situation to random onlookers, many of whom proceeded to pop a donation into the pail. Great job Nick!

We didn't make all too much, but I think we did a good job in getting the image of HILTD into people's minds. And we got the attention of a marketing company based there. And some encouragement from passersby. Lots of valuable experience, too.

So what did we learn?

• sitting still and asking for donations is better than going around demanding it
• putting on a show (even if a very still one, like a tableau) is worth a donation
• sandwich boards are better still than moving
• Malaysians aren't used to impromptu shows, so having someone explain it helps lots
• people enjoy shows and this kind of free entertainment

Some ideas for the next one:

1. Spread out tableaux with a nominated caller (to call out changes or even themes), a money-collector and leaflet / postcard distributors. Some of the performers will wear the sandwich boards. "Explainers" will go around the crowd and tell them that it's okay to take the leaflets and postcards and give donations, and talk about the show.
2. Lined-up mime show with a nominated caller + money-collector - every time someone donates, the caller will call out a word or emotion or a phrase (eg "Thank You!", "Joy!", "Selamat Hari Raya!") and the mimes will change position to reflect it one-by-one, Mexican-wave style. Another option is for the donor to pull up a list of lines from the script (eg "For blue balls") and the caller read it out, for the mimes to perform. We could even do that as a "selective pricing" thing - RM10 donations means a script read, or whatever.
   
3. TO BUILD A CROWD: we have 1 or 2 music-making instruments (ideally percussions) at the central location making some music. We could have some physical theatre going on. Then people with sandwich boards and leaflets/postcards could begin at far ends of the location and slowly make their way to the centre, informing people of a show. We could have a nice climax once all the sandwich-boards are there, culminating in a tableau that segues perfectly into the next show.
4. Physical theatre: we could have fluid sessions of these - nominate a director, who then nominates a musician, and then tells a story. Eg I could go, "Alfred, take the drum; Kelvin in the centre. You are in a jungle... now, Amelia jump in - you're a gorilla wanting to scare Kelvin away." etc etc.

Oookay that was much longer than expected. Anyway interesting day.

How I Learned To Drive notes 1

Hard to believe that it's not even been a month since we started rehearsing for How I Learned To Drive. To fill you in, it's an amazing Pulitzer Prize-winning script (wiki) by Paula Vogel, and The Oral Stage (go check out the spanking new website!) is producing it in early June at The Actors Studio, Bangsar Shopping Centre.We've been rehearsing like crazy, at multiple venues and I've been told that it's coming along really nicely. That's a welcome relief as it started as a rather daunting project - small company doing really big play kinda thing, but getting into it revealed that the play doesn't have to be all that big. However, the director being the director, he has come up with an ambition plan for the set and the stage which, if we pull it off, will be mind-blowingly amazing.

I'd been involved with the production from early stages, running the auditions for TOS. Of course, it was weird when the director told me to audition at the end of the day - but I must admit that I was flattered when he insisted I play the part. We then worked together to assemble the team and I sincerely hope that the next month will see us getting beautifully aligned and working the play so artfully that the show will be a huge WOW!

Yeah I'm kinda excited about it. The script is fabulous, I rave about it about every twice a week. We've got some really good stuff in there, good talents, good people and good ideas. Ah yes, we have a production blog as well! Check it out here.

Here's a cool shot taken during our rehearsals:
Nope, no idea how that happened.

COME WATCH IT NEXT MONTH!!!

Interim post-mortem of Uncut Untitled Paper House part 2

We recently got interviewed and filmed by Japanese TV crew, in a project funded by Tourism Malaysia Japan. Met the beautiful Miki Mizuno and her team who, in typical Japanese fashion, were so eager to please and were so willing to try hard to understand and communicate with us. No idea how that show's gonna turn out as they shot lots of footage and I really doubt they'll use everything. Anybody in Japan wanna tell us once it's done?

Value of great marketing & publicity

I have to say that the publicity for UUPH has been the best I've seen coming out of KLPac so far. The frequency we've appeared in the mass media has been amazing. The number of sold tickets is testimonial to their excellent work. I suppose having sexy mama Aishah Sinclair helps quite a bit as well.

Think about it - 3 of us nobodies (with the exception of Mark) writing and directing a triple-bill. The only big names are from TV. Of course, that in itself could be a strong sign of how to market - using mass media celebrities.

Whatever the cause may be, on a personal level it's awesome news. Having my face semi-regularly exposed to the public consciousness with a different take (ie not just for my face or my big mouth) is an absolutely wonderful angle. Writing AND directing is a nice added two-pronged thrust, too.

Handling of reviews

The 'necessary evil' of doing anything creative. Or anything worthwhile. Reviews are fine - criticism for criticism's sake is painful. What happens when a show sells well is that many critics come out of the woodwork - everybody wants to have their say, and they want that say to sound clever. Check out the charming review of UUPH at Kakiseni, then scroll down for reactions to that review as well as counter-reviews.

It's quite a stinging piece, actually. I'm so thankful that I'm in this stage of my life now - I don't know if I had the mental toughness to handle so much shit before. Now at least I know the context that the reviewers/commenters/critics operate from, and allow their viewpoints in. Or leave them out, depending on how useful it is.

Nervousness

And that sums up what my opening night nervousness was all about - what people will say. Well, not completely. Opening night symbolises the moment the director lets go completely and allows the actors to do their thing. And letting go isn't the easiest thing to do.

In the end, everyone wants the audience to take something away from the show. I remember having to steel myself for the absolute worst that Friday evening. Will the people enjoy it? What will the reviewers say? I knew I'd get shit - I think it's ridiculous not to expect shit. Not in theatre, anyway. I guess visualising the harshest criticisms leveled at me helped in handling it.

I'm ready to move on to the next show.

Cost of tickets & programme books

A possible big contributing factor to the success at the box office is the price. At RM25 for adults and RM15 concessions, it's a bargain that's probably too hard to pass up. I think we've gotten at least 4 busloads of students from various universities, and in total probably 300+ students throughout the run. More, I'd imagine - I feel we have a younger crowd in there than usual.

Also, at RM3 per piece, the programme book is selling well. I don't have the numbers and I have no idea how well these things usually sell, but I feel that every fifth or sixth person has one. If we have 120 ppl a show and every sixth has one... 120x9=1080, /6 = 180 books sold. Not bad.

The question then becomes: how do we keep the price this affordable to everyone?

Thoughts on Uncut

What I liked:
- starting rewind mechanism
- beautiful words that come back to haunt protagonist
- plays on words
- spoken-out thoughts
- "It was pornography, but with animals! Unfit even for animal consumption!"
- "Strange, this feeling."
- handling of twist of tale for both parties

How I'd do it differently:
- staging & set use - an idea I had was to circle the office like a sparring match (play with strong & weak positions)
- add more colour to Ning's character
- clarify who Zakaria is talking to (God vs audience)

Thoughts on Paper House

What I liked:
- sharing of great stories
- family tale that does have some sort of storyline

How I'd do it differently:
- more consistent use of boxes
- clearer, stronger emo-sharing moments
- shorter

More thoughts on Untitled

What I'd do if I were to re-stage it:
- rework some parts of the script (clarify and emphasize the sister's influence, show some semblance of possible change of heart in the mother, build and emphasize on the turmoil faces by the son; some possible ideas and options)
- work more and harder on the dance if it remains the finale scene
- play more with the set, maybe

What next:
- work on another script; practice practice practice!
- study playwrighting
- try my hand at directing someone else's script
- suggest another such collaboration for next year, or whenever
- focus on How I Learned To Drive by Paula Vogel, produced by The Oral Stage


What a ride. Last KL show tomorrow, and then a road trip for 2 shows in Ipoh and another 2 shows in Penang.

Interim post-mortem of Uncut Untitled Paper House part 1

Somewhere halfway through our run (including our Ipoh and Penang shows), I decided to record my thoughts on how the show's going. So I'm adding to this entry during the play, during Ky-Gan and Mark's plays. Probably to the irritation of everyone around me, with my PDA screen blazing brightly.

Making Mistakes

I've realised that Joe has willingly let us make our own mistakes. Of course, some of those things he pointed out but we ignored. For example, perhaps I wasn't stringent enough with handling the dancing- I sometimes forgot to ask auditionees if they could dance, and I did leave the choreography till quite late. Ky-Gan's direction, staging and use of set could've done with some experienced guidance. Mark's could've been shortened, the script could've been tightened.

All stuff that he's mentioned before. The obvious next measure for the next time we work with him (separately or together) would be if we've learned the lessons from this.

Script Clarity

I think my weakest point lay in my script. The purpose was not clear- the message undefined. Perhaps it was also the conflict of keeping the roles of director and writer separate. Or perhaps in putting too much energy into maintaining that separation.

Writing it was a huge challenge for me. I am so thankful that this first time's over and done with. The pressure of doing it 'right' and excellent the first time sucks. I've learned that I need to set aside a decent and uninterrupted chunk of time to write. And I should've spent more time on Untitled, though it couldn't become what it is now without the input and work from my actors.

I've heard this a few times already, but I still have problems accepting it. There are ppl who think my script's better than Ky-Gan's. Self-belief issues with my writing, how charming. It has its merits, I suppose - I just don't see how it stands up to any comparison. Anyway practice makes perfect.

Here's to the next one.

Audience Reaction

We've gotten a wide variety of audience, which is usual I suppose. From quiet laughers to laugh-at-everything characters. Most importantly, we've been getting decent crowds - hitting over 100 every night! Amazing shit.

Interestingly, most ppl are enjoying the show every night. It's usually the theatre ppl have problems with it, so there you go. It's also interesting to see how a vocal audience can really buoy up the actors' performance, from a director's point of view. That's something that I sometimes have difficulty with - isolating a performance from the audience's reaction, to give decent notes to my cast.

My personal 'mark of accomplishment' is when people say that they totally identify with the play, and that it's what they're also going through (or some variant of that). That is my main source of pride and pleasure.


That's it for today.
The next entry will be about money, the magic of good marketing & publicity, handling reviews and my thoughts on the other 2 plays.

So I'm having a crazy year (and it started with a play called Untitled)

I actually have a resolution to post 3 times weekly here. So far, I'm not doing too well, I know. Technically it's a good thing, as I'm busy doing the things I wanna do in life. I'm not complaining, no sirree, but it's about danged time I started noting all these things down again.

Highlights of the past month:
- Uncut Untitled Paper House (UUPH) directing
- UUPH publicizing
- Jinggo & Friends
- The Oral Stage's upcoming Biggstage (June '08)
- getting back into Agel
- performer's database project
- auditioning for The Amazing Race Asia 3

Books:
- Allegiance
- Birds Without Wings
- Acting: The First Six Lessons
- A Sense of Direction
- Freemasonry
- The Tipping Point
- Jonathan Livingston Seagull
- Lords of the Bow

Movies / Series (worth mentioning):
- The Tudors
- Alone
- Apocalypto
- Sweeney Todd
- Saw 4
- The Office (both UK and US)

Okay so the books and shows aren't all in the past month, they're stuff that I've been meaning to talk about but haven't gotten down to just yet. But something happened on Monday night that brought a massive smile to my face. Well a couple of things happened, but anyway at the mamak, chatting with my Untitled cast as well as some other friends of theatre etc, some people talked about auditions and my initial reaction was being upset - how'd I miss that??

Then it dawned upon me. I was too busy doing what I enjoy doing to notice.

Wow. Awesomenation. Three (million) cheers for The Secret, positivity, absolute tons of self-belief and a healthy wallop of luck. Theatre-wise, I'm covered until September. Ain't that just a friggin' cool statement. Woo hoo!


Anyway enough joy for the moment. The main point I'd like to make this post - no, not point, but note - is just a progress report on the behemoth I took up called Untitled. Yes, it's just 22mins long but as a playwrighting and directorial debut, coupled with the combination of a non-certified dancer and a differing range of experience in the cast, thrown into a production with 2 experienced and rather good writers; it was fucking gargantuan. Is.

Last Monday started with me expecting a normal rehearsal for the 3 of us: we start warming up together, then we separate to our individual studios to rehearse our respective plays. But no. 10 minutes before rehearsal begins, I discover that we're doing a full run of the play for the benefit of the set designer, the lighting designer and the artistic director. I, of course, shat bricks.

No, they're not ready! We're not ready! We can't do it with Ky-Gan's bloody beautifully-wordy script and Mark's charmingly ghostly story! Our dance isn't quite ready! My cast need more time! I need more time!

Several bricks, a sore ass and some good laughs later, I was a happy chappy. Not only did Untitled pull through decently well, it fared well against Uncut and Paper House. My biggest fear, of course, was that my inadequacy as a writer/director/wannabe/rising-star would show up glaringly when it came down to showtime, that I'd be beaten down for reaching so high so fast. Thankfully, not so.

Thank you so much, FangAlfredAmelia, for giving so much. Thank you Joe & Faridah, for your belief in me that I didn't quite have myself. Thank you Mark & Ky-Gan, for your faith. You all made Monday night a truly special experience for me, and I shall not forget that.

I am eternally grateful even now, that things are shaping up even better than I expected. The choreography is coming out wonderfully well, with the amazing Marcus Tucker putting his brand of magic into it that further builds on my belief that 'there's no such thing as coincidence' (that's a whole nother story right there). My dancer's working out better than I could hope for. I think Untitled's something I'm already proud of and happy with.

And you know what? That makes it all worth it.

KLPac Open Day: What a buzz!

As I last posted, KLPac had their Open Day today - and what a carnival it was! The closest 3 car parks were packed from the very moment I got there (12noon, admittedly) till I left (about 3.20pm). A marquee was set up at the nearest (and smallest) car park selling food and drinks, there was even a Milo truck (which apparently was drunk dry by 1pm). Events going on everywhere all the time, and there were people people people. Wow.

My first feeling of uncertainty was when I turned off Jalan Ipoh into the KLPac / Sentul Park driveway. Traffic was mostly mild, as you'd expect on a Sunday. In the driveway were already 4 cars ahead of me, winding uncertainly for KLPac. Not the norm for 12noon. Taking the final turn, it hit me: the car park was FULL.

Fine, grabbed the first empty lot, walked my way there - and saw people. Lots of people. Milling around, dragging kids around, kay-poh-ing around. Then saw the stalls outside. And the packed walkway to the entrance. By the walkway, people were standing around - chatting, meeting new people, watching the singing performance just off the walkway. Nice.

Then through the entrance (after navigating the flow of people in and out the door) and saw more people. There was a band playing at the foyer. Curtain Call (the restaurant in KLPac) was empty, they took out all the tables and chairs (don't know why, actually). Wandered my way up the stairs, through the people, and saw more people. Argh it was crazy. Outside the Indicine. Inside the Academy. Inside the studios in the Academy. Further up, people people people on the 3rd floor landing. People in all the studios (except the smallest studio), be it rehearsals or dance workshops or shows or whatnot.

It was sheer madness. But oh what a buzz - there's just something about having lots of people in one place, gathered to learn more about it. The energy. The excitement. What a thrill.

Unfortunately, I think it got to all of us in the rehearsal for Uncut Untitled Paper House - our workshops and one reading didn't go well. Ah well, good lessons to be learned there. And we had fun.

Well done to the whole KLPac team - I'd say the Open Day was a real success in creating awareness and excitement in the arts!

KLPac Open Day

KLPac's come up with a great idea to really promote the arts in general and theatre in particular - having an Open Day! What that means is that they've gotten all current productions-in-progress to have a rehearsal on that day to have an open rehearsal so that anyone can just pop in to have a look-see. They've also gotten many people who've done something or another with KLPac to put up something or another: workshops, mini-shows, videos, photos. Check out the page on their site itself for more info!

In fact, it sounds so exciting and interesting I may end up spending the whole day there myself - Faridah's doing a reading of her upcoming play, Sybil. There are also vocal and instrumental shows going on, and dance classes of various forms. The Oral Stage will also be putting something up.

Uncut Untitled Paper House's rehearsal will be on from 1pm to 3pm, do pop in - we've decided to make it quite audience-friendly, with very open workshopping.

If you're on Facebook, check out KLPac's Facebook Group. Just noticed this - PDF file with the schedule of the day (as of 18th Jan; do check the page itself closer to the date for more accurate information) so you can plan your trip! Finally, a link to the map to the place.

See you there!

Theatre: The Illusion

I was invited, in my capacity as "HR Director" for The Oral Stage, to attend the Preview Night of The Illusion at The Dram Projects last Wednesday.
Details (as well as booking contact) can be found at this Facebook Event link.
In typical TOS fashion, there's a production blog for it.
The Star did a short write-up as well.

Introduction
Firstly, to anyone wanting to watch this (and the short of this entry is, do check it out), note that it is wordy. Verbose. Many-worded. I was told that this is useful information as some people (myself included) require preparation for listening-heavy stuff. Second note is that the venue (map link) can be quite mosquito-friendly. It wasn't when I went, thankfully. Third note is that the setting's quite dark, as in under-lit. It's intentional as the setting is in a crypt of some sort.

I arrive and am duly given a rose (part of the theme of the play - life and death, that kinda thing) and a programme book. Wahey, bonus! I am ushered in by the Front-of-House, and handed over to a couple of lantern-wielding, half-naked, tattoo-bodied, double-bent-over creatures - the first 2 actors I meet, Jason and Izzat. They grunt and gesture a polite "Mind your step" and guide me to the seating area, where I am free to choose my seat. Among candle-lit gravestones, watched over by the Bomoh (magician, sorceress, witch) Batsheba. Which is the actor's name, too. I'm not a big fan of calling characters by the actor's name.

The Set
The Set Designer did a great job with the venue - it's a tiny space that's unfortunately ill-designed for theatre as it has 4 pillars smack in the middle. However, in the darkened hall littered with tombstones and candles, 4 rose vines snaked up these pillars - life and love flourishing even in the most ominous of places.

The Lights
The venue remained relatively dark throughout the play - the usual 'house lights' only a faintly noticeable brightening of the stage lights. In fact, the only change in the lights I remember was a simple shift from yellow lights to green lights to describe an illusion created by Bomoh. Perhaps more could be done with lights, but the play did not suffer for it.

The Script
The script is the free adaptation by the award-winning playwright Tony Kushner of Pierre Corneille's L’Illusion Comique. It is truly wonderful to listen to, and to read. The style is rather classical, being wordy and poetic and long-winded but very enjoyable. A great idea to utilise such a fantastic script for TOS' first full-length piece. Without gushing even more, it is enough to watch this play just to hear the script.

The Sound
Which naturally beggars the question: can you hear the actors relay this wonderful script of yours? Yes, most indeed you can. In fact, the problem may be the other extreme - that the actors are a bit too loud, too big for the space (thanks to Gavin for pointing this out to me). And in working too hard on projecting and filling the small space, they may have lost out on some vocal texture, subtleties and nuances which the script amply provides for.

The Direction
It is a welcome departure from TOS' 2 past works that I have seen (and of the 2 which I haven't I heard that they were similar in direction and style), where here it is a clear-cut theme and the focus was less on new talents but on the production as a whole. Because I enjoyed the show, I would say that the direction was good. Of course, it is the director's duty to get the best out of every actor as well, and I think he was remiss for some. Perhaps, in the end, it was a problem with casting - some people just weren't right for their roles. The other problem I had with the direction was the localization of the script. I hate inconsistent and senseless localization of scripts.

The Actors
Originally, when I first thought about the actors involved in this production, I thought they fell into 3 categories of experience: highly (lots of plays and other involvements for quite some years), medium (quite some plays for some years) and low-none (1st play to 3rd play and/or started recently). After some research, I found out that only 2 of them are highly experienced and the rest are mostly low to no experience. So let's start with the experienced buggers and give them shit first:

Mark. Coming from someone who is biased and knows him, he did a great job. Playing a character who he is not, I know he worked hard on it to make it work. Unfortunately I think he was quite miscast for the role, there being only so much one can do with a character whom one is not. More unbiased and critical voices would say (and have said) that he stretched the believability of his character.

Azmir. Playing one of the most enjoyable characters in the play (a lunatic), he did well. In fact, his character was the straightforward humour of the play. And he's an experienced lunatic. So, little to fault, except for the choice of costume (which seemed a little out of place) and the bigness of his role (which would've suited a larger venue better).

On to the lesser-experienced actors:

Jason. Playing one of the creatures of the Bomoh, who ushers the audience in, he has one of the most stage times together with...

Izzat. Playing the other creature of the Bomoh. Now these 2 are complete newbies and accomplish their task handsomely well. Perhaps the lack of lines helps but they are consistent and stay in character throughout, and that's all anyone can really ask of any ensemble.

Marvin. Playing the Amanuensis (that's fancy-talk for secretary/PA), who is more-or-less the 'top' creature of the Bomoh. He's a young fellow (17 this year) and has a little bit of experience, and a lot of potential. I remember him reading well for his audition and he did do some nice stuff on stage, but could do with good guidance and coaching. Some of the things I didn't like about his characters (he plays someone else at some point) was inconsistency, 'acting' (as compared to 'being') and THAT voice. You'll understand when you see/hear it, and you'll be too distracted to hear what he says, thinking, "Awww some poor beetle crawled in his throat and is dying a horrible death there."

Zalikha. Playing the Bomoh, she's the boss of the crypt that is the set and so has one of the most stage-times, together with her minions. For a role that has so much stage time, and is mysterious and commanding, and who effectively runs the show, AND has some of the most important lines of the play, she was unfortunately not strong enough to pull it off. A true miscast on the director's part - a relative newbie for a most demanding character, she's not ready for such a huge role yet. I know she worked hard at it, and kudos to her for that.

Ka Vee. Having the 5th most stage-time (after Bomoh and gang), he too was truly miscast. A complete newbie, playing a character who has total emotional investment in the rest of the play. I almost feel sorry for him - it must be quite overwhelming, and it was all he could do to keep things running.

Isma. Apparently Wednesday was not one of her better nights, but regardless - her performance was good enough, though she is capable of better. She plays a character not too dissimilar to her own, and would do well to stretch herself with more varied roles.

Christine. Hers was one of the more enjoyable performances that night. My only annoyance is this: "Who are you talking to?" Monologues can be such pain or pleasure, depending on how it's done.

Shamir. Another complete newbie, he too did reasonably well. He does have potential that needs further tempering. Another one I'm dying to ask, "who are you talking to?!?" And not just at monologues.

Conclusion
So there you have it: a simple story told with an interesting variety of characters - the perfect mix for a good show. Personal dissections of individual actors aside, the core of the show is solid enough to be entertaining, as long as you're not allergic to wordy plays. Hell, RM20 for a 2-hour play is true value for money! GO WATCH IT!!!

Details at this Facebook Event page, or the production blog's right sidebar if you don't have a Facebook account (get one! :P ).

Rose Rose I'll Miss You

The run is over, so quickly it feels. Of course, 6 shows IS short; and 1 month rehearsals is VERY short. Owing to the mad schedule we were keeping in Genting and my severe lack of sufficient computer exposure, I've been spending the last 2 weeks catching up on sleep and Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts (which, I must reiterate, kicks ass).

Highlight of the past 2 weeks is "guest starring" in Ghost, a drama series in Malay that'll be coming out on 8TV next month. It's by Popiah Pictures, and the script's looking quite interesting so that's something to look out for. More on that in the future (yes yes lots of posts promised, I'm getting round to them). Oh yes a great development also happened, but a teaser will have to do for now.

The highlight of Rose has to be meeting a whole host of new people and working with them. Broken Bridges to Ah Steve to Tunku, lots of similarities. On to Rose, and there are only a small handful with whom I worked with before. And of course we had great opportunities to bond - shared hardship and being locked up in Genting together. Got to meet some real star characters. Quite a number of us regularly meet up for yam char or whatever, though I usually count myself out.

Post-production blues? Initially. Now, I've just inundated myself with stuff to do so it's all good - from catching some amazing plays this week (Wrecks at KLPac and Solo Sessions I at Central Market Annexe), organising entertainment for my university alumni centenary dinner, organising the next university alumni social event, working on my short play, working on a whole bunch of ideas.

I'm back, baby; and I'm ready to roll!

Rose Rose I Hurt You

The biggest challenge I'm facing with Rose Rose I Love You on stage is actually physical. Sure, there's definitely standards to maintain, expectations to live up to and the quagmire that is the production process. But really, the character I play does not require much emotional depth, nor verbal eloquence; and his greatest dramatic moment is already written into the script. So I don't have to worry much about lines or creating deep emotion. Much of the physical challenge lies in the gorgeous headgear that we open the show with:
(No, we don't open inside the dressing room with the toilet in the background.)
That's me and my wife. She's an accomplished dancer and choreographer - in fact, she helped choreograph some of the stuff in the show. The inside of the headgear:
Notice the demonic little staple-like things scattered about between the holes. A close-up to the demons within:
Just think of it as a mother-thick big staple that's there to hold up the fancy stuff on top of the headgear. Now imagine - there are 7 (or so) of those things, digging a hole in my skull. It's like one of those ancient torture helmets people used to clamp on victim's heads to render them rather stupefied with pain. Of course, it's a really dumbass thing to use for interrogations - they'd be too dumb to speak after it's been on for any length of time.

Also, part of my choreography involves shaking my head side-to-side to emphasize the gorgeousness of the headgear (and the beautiful head it rests on, obviously). Yerks. An additional exacerbation point: I need to wear a black wrap around my head to support the headgear. It's wound really tight. With lots of additional hairpins for support. And it's on the whole show. I really dislike it. It constricts blood flow to my head until it comes off, then all the waiting blood does a much-anticipated blitzkreig right back into my head. Ugh. And the hairpins are not cool, either.

It's no wonder I feel so nauseated, faint and generally unhappy just before curtains are open. Of course, then everything after that is easy-peasy shitsy-sneezy, so it's nice that way. One of those "suffer now, gain later" things. Anyway great experience for the next time I carry funky stuff on my head.

Rose Rose I Shit You

Overheard in the male dressing room:


X: "You know what? Ever since we came up to Genting, I've been shitting 3 times a day. I mean that's not actually bad, it's not diarrhea or anything but you know what's really annoying is that my ass itches like hell!"


Y: "Here. Take these pills. You'll be okay in about 30 minutes."

Rose Rose I Dress You

As a welcome change from Tunku the Musical (yes yes I've still yet to post up my layers of costumes for Act 1), here's my full wardrobe for Rose Rose I Love You:
Yes, a grand total of TWO sets, comprising of:

• 1 white Pagoda T-shirt (worn throughout the whole show)
• 1 white kung-fu top
• 1 black kung-fu trousers
• 1 pair of kung-fu shoes
• 1 pair of white socks
• 1 black trousers
• 1 pair of dark blue slippers

Of course, these are the most accessories I've ever worn in my life lah:

• 1 black band for my head
• 1 black band as a kung-fu belt
• 2 black bands as wrist-wraps
• 1 monster headgear

And here's a parade of headgears, as worn by the Kam family:
Bet it looks great on stage. I've no idea myself, though. Someone should make a giant portable mirror that'll reflect everything on stage for vain, preening actors. Not, not me obviously.

As you can see from the first pic above, the lucky fellow I'm sharing a "wardrobe slot" with is Tony, who only has one costume the whole show (the other lucky bugger's Soon Yoon). Technically I'm the lucky one as I've a huge space to hang my clothes. So here's my dressing table area (with the necessary rose, programme booklet and resident monkey):
And here are some shots of the male dressing room. Here's some flashy lights, an angle from the toilet and our resident primary schoolteacher playing School Wars:
Here's the other angle from the toilet, with a committee-jukebox (Anrie, Bella, KK, Tony and Soon Yoon [hidden behind the jacket]):
And here's an angle from next to the front door, where they've set up a make-up & hair corner:
And yes, with unusual laconicness, I end here.

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.

Rose Rose I Love You : Full Dress Rehearsal

We had our first full dress tonight, the first time we're seeing and working with all our costumes. As usual, it was madness. We all felt it went horribly, though from the current looks of things the 2nd Act was worse (we're working on it right now) than the 1st though we felt the opposite was true.

Anyway the costumes are fabulous (courtesy of Steven Sunny) and the make-up is fantastic (courtesy of MAC). My opening costume was shocking when I first laid eyes on it, and amazingly gorgeous. The headgear's worth RM800, but I just realised that I didn't wear my belt in the run. Check it out:


Battery out.

Hopelessness and Resignation

[composed on my PDA-phone at 1.30am, 1st Nov 2007]

It is 1.30am and we're running Scene 3, possibly the most rehearsed scene in the play. I am resigned to the possibility that we will run past 3am today, with a ridiculous call time tomorrow morning.

What is the point? We started with a 9am call time and ended up properly rehearsing at 11.30am. We've been in this god-forsaken hall since NINE A.M. with 1 hour 45 minutes break for lunch and dinner. In total. There has been no structure to the day, with the singular exception of ONE full technical run. That creates an environment of tension, where your best is required the instant your scene is on but you don't know when that is.

What is the point? Will we remember all these changes tomorrow? Will we be yelled at again tomorrow? Will we stay in robust health at the end of the week? Will we stay injury-free at the end of the week?

What is the point? Will we start 2 hours AFTER call time again tomorrow? Will we have an insufficient break again tomorrow?

What is the point? The insults. The rudeness. The unreasonableness.

So many tears. So much frustration. So much negative emotion, pent-up, bottled. Is it all necessary?


What is the point??