The Grande Old Dame of City Hall has finally awakened, and with it a sense of old Singapura, nostalgia and romancing of yesteryear. It was where my parents went on their first date; after years of not having been back there, they went on a date to Capitol again – this time with me – when we were there to catch the gala performance of Singapura: The Musical.
The gala took place in style. While international film stars were walking the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, we Singapura theatre-goers enjoyed our very own star-studded glitz and glamour too, as the Capitol rolled out its very own red carpet. Men were decked out in bow-ties, some in tuxedos, while the most glamourous women in Singapore all seemed to turn up on this evening.
The cocktail thoughtfully featured delicious canapes from Spizza Mercato, chocolates from Teuscher, ice cream from Casa Italia – all retailers from the brand new retail mall which is the Capitol’s very own Capitol Piazza. While these retail outlets are already open, there are many others which will all be ready for the public by next month.
Meanwhile, I was trying to do as much celebrity spotting as I could. Some local familiar faces had turned up to catch this slice of history, in both the musical and the revamp of the historic building. I found the piazza to be astoundingly gorgeous. We were milling around an open square opposite the St Andrew’s Cathedral, which adds a touch of class to the surrounding cityscape.
Then the flurry of camera clicks ended and we were ushered to watch Singapura. I felt honoured to be sitting within the depths of the building which I had only glimpsed from the outside in the past. Here was a theatre within a heritage building built in 1929 that had seen war and a time before my parents were born. It had been 17 years since the last show was screened at the theatre in 1998. And here it was, celebrating Singapore’s 50th birthday, albeit with physical differences in its extensive restoration.
For this momentous occasion, Mr Pua Seck Guan, President of Perennial Real Estate Holdings (Capitol Investment Holdings in a joint venture between Perennial and Pontiac Land Group) appeared to welcome the crowd. He spoke about some of the milestones of this four-year refurbishment project and also explained some of the features of the theatre – the top range AV system, and the inevitable limits to having more depth in the stage in order to respect rules that govern conservation buildings.
The seats (all 900 of them!) are able to disappear into the floor at the touch of a button to transform to other seating configurations instantly. Mr Pua also explained the thinking behind Singapura, chosen because the developers had wanted something suitably historical and ‘Singaporean’.
The world premiere of Singapura: The Musical is presented by The 4th Wall Theatre Company from The Philippines. The music is by Ed Gatchalian, founder of the company. There are over 40 cast and crew, some of whom have Broadway and West End experience. The musical takes the audience through the love, hope and new beginnings in Singapore’s early years, specifically carving out the decade of 1955 to 1965. Through the lens of a Singaporean girl, Lee May (Marian Santiago), her family and friends, the story tells the trials and tribulations of ordinary Singaporeans during the difficult times starting with the Hock Lee bus riots and ending with Singapore’s independence.
Photo courtesy of Singapura The Musical
I confess I went in without knowing what to expect because I’ve not watched a musical for some time and I am not a history expert. With the very premise of it being historical to mark the Capitol’s rebirth, Singapura was fitting for the occasion, but would inevitably tip towards coming across as a history lesson.
The two-hour performance takes you through the Hock Lee bus riots, merger with Malaysia, the MacDonald House bombing during the Konfrontasi period and the racial riots until separation and independence. Mr Lee Kuan Yew, though not explicitly named, makes an appearance via a Man in White and actual archive videos, poignantly familiar to most of us from the events of a mere two months ago.
Photo courtesy of Singapura The Musical
The show was a broad, sweeping overview of the events of that decade, which could educate the many youths in the audience in an accessible manner. The non-historian in me identified more with the parallel narrative of Lee May’s growing up and time with her parents in the family’s kopitiam, and the issues such as interracial relationships, personal sacrifices and tragedy and her unredeemed first relationship with a British soldier.
The performances were generally good, with the vocals of Lee May’s father, Mr Tan (Juliene Mendoza), being one of the stronger ones. However, the “Singapore-ness” in Singapura was somewhat diluted with the very strong Filipino accents and contrived use of phrases such as “so drama” interspersed with Singlish words like ‘lah’. The songs though, were enjoyable and the love theme “Be With Me” stuck with me in particular.
Photo courtesy of Singapura The Musical
Photo courtesy of Singapura The Musical
I thought Singapura: The Musical might have been beneficial if more Singaporeans were involved, with more authentic accents and less clichéd lyrics. Musical director Gatchalian had conducted extensive interviews with individuals over many months to get their stories of past turbulent times, but it seemed the local element in the show was still overwhelmed in the end. Nonetheless, it is a good effort by Gatchalian to bring our history to the stage, and there were appreciative members of the audience who showed their gratitude in the end.
What: Singapura: The Musical
Where: Capitol Theatre, 11 Stamford Road, Singapore 178884
When: Now till 7 June 2015; Tues to Sat at 7.30pm, Sat and Sun at 2.30pm and 7.30pm
Tickets: $65 to $175, 10% discount with Passion Card. Available from http://www.singapurathemusical.com/.
