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A few months ago there was a nationwide invitation by local organisation Musical Theatre Limited for submission of “mini musicals” under 15 minutes in length. The winning entries would be professionally staged at the Esplanade this month.
Being an aspiring Broadway composer, I almost attempted to write a mini musical for submission through collaborating with a friend, but due to lack of time and energy, we had to can the project.
Besides, I really couldn’t see how a musical could be written in under 15 minutes (which was the requirement). I couldn’t see how a proper story could be told, with musical numbers thrown in, in under 15 minutes.
But that’s just me.
Anyway, given the tight deadline of only a few weeks, I felt it was impossible for me to come up with anything…so I gave the golden opportunity a miss.
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Last night was the Esplanade presentation of six of the best entries (out of a total of seventeen submissions), held at the Esplanade Theatre Studio.
The event was called “Five Foot Broadway Mini Musicals”, and all the mini musicals were directed by Christina Sergeant, with musical direction by Kenneth Ngo. A cast of capable actors and actresses were roped in to act in all six of the mini musicals.
The six mini musicals were:
“Now You See Me” (Troy Banyan, Kenneth Lyen)
“A Delicious Pretence” (Daniel C. Meyer)
“The Tale of the Pretty, Pretty Princess” (Leon Foo, Melissa Liew)
“Peter & Pierre” (Stella Kon, Desmond Moey)
“Sunset Bloom” (Lee Chee Tian, Leong Kim Hoe)
“Singapore Boys” (Julian Wong)
I could write an entire essay on what I thought of the whole presentation, but let me just keep the story short:
I thought it was a wonderful production overall. Very well-staged and directed, considering the limited resources and time allocated to each mini musical.
The scripts were generally of a high quality, although I had issues with some of the mini plots (can’t call them “full plots”, can we?). Generally I thought the mini musicals were all very well-written.
The cast was great, considering many of them aren’t even theatre professionals. It’s hard to name specific names, but if I had to single out who I felt were the more outstanding performers, they would have to be Jo Tan and Tan Shou Chen. But generally, the entire cast was fantastic.
The mini musicals which really caught my attention were “A Delicious Pretence” (thanks to its brilliantly-written opening scene), “The Tale of the Pretty, Pretty Princess” (written by two very talented NUS Law students) which I thought was absolutely incredible all-round, and “Singapore Boys” which I felt managed to create theatrical magic from a topic as dour as National Service.
Ok, as for the songs…
As you know, I tend to be most critical when it comes to the songs. Out of the 20 or so songs in total (around 3 or 4 songs per mini musical), I would say there were about 3 or 4 songs in total which stood out for me.
One song I fondly remembered was the opening song in “A Delicious Pretence” because of its extremely clever lyrical interplay between the two main characters. Another song which I remembered was one number in “Peter & Pierre”, sung by the older guy, which I thought was very lovely in terms of its musicality.
I dunno if I’m too critical when it comes to music or not, but overall, I wasn’t extremely impressed with the songs. I mean, they were definitely functional and enjoyable, but there weren’t many that really stood out for me. And being the nasty critic that I am, I even spotted some “false rhymes” in the lyrics all throughout the production.
But that’s just me.
Don’t get me wrong. I totally enjoyed the ENTIRE production of the six mini musicals last night. I’m just stating my honest opinions with regards to some of the main aspects of the production.
Finally, I thought the “mini musicals” event was a fantastic one, and I’m really pleased with Five Foot Broadway’s efforts in promoting interest in the local musical theatre scene. I think it really bodes well for the future of musical theatre in Singapore.
I sincerely look forward to being a part of more of such events in the future!
Thanks for your comments on the mini-musicals. I wrote “A Delicious Pretence”. I agree with your opinion that it is difficult, if not impossible to write a satisfying musical that lasts 15 minutes or less. Because of those constraints, I went with an extremely traditional plot-line, few characters and short songs. Not a terribly rewarding way of writing, but a fun exercise. Thanks again for your feedback on the performances!
Hi Dan, thanks for leaving a note. Once again I must say you did a fantastic job with “A Delicious Pretence”. As I was watching it, especially the opening scene, I distinctly remember saying to myself, “The guy who wrote this is brilliant!”. I kid you not. I was really impressed with the script and the lyric-writing, amongst other things.
Yes, your plot-line was more on the traditional side, but I guess 15 minutes doesn’t really allow for much room for experimentation.
Your musical-writing ability is exceptional. Something I can really learn from. Keep up the good work!
I’m doing a cabaret of my songs on July 27 if you want to come. The more the merrier!
Argh. Sounds as colourful and alluring as the poster!
Yup, it sure was! Not to worry, I can tell you all about it when we meet.
Hello MrJeremy,
You did a very fair review and it is important to be so because it helps the public appreciate musicals better.
I feel that some reviewers write simply to show off their writing skills and to gratify themselves. Some of them can’t even tell the difference between a PLAY and a MUSICAL. Mr AmosTOH seems to be one of them.
Everyone who has a influence on the public must know that how we write affects the “industry” as a whole. If the public is not properly educated, and the artistes treated unfairly, then over time, we cannot build an audience base, a base that PAYS to come watch and sustain the growth of the performing arts industry.
I hope all reviewers out there become more sensitive to the “business of showbiz” and what better way to be a contributing local person than to be accurate in helping to improve weaker groups, and encouraging others.
Wishing you all the best, Jeremy.
dezz. 20080621-1948
Hi Dezz,
Thanks very much for sharing your thoughts. Good food for thought there. Yes, I am definitely keen to support local arts and will do my best to write/blog in a responsible manner so as to help and encourage the growth of the arts here in Singapore.
It is my keen desire that our local arts scene will continue to grow, and we may one day see a vibrant and exciting musical theatre scene here in Singapore. That would be just excellent!
HI Jeremy,
it’s heartening to find another arts and music support for Singapore local arts scene. Guys, do visit my music blog for the latest updates on Singapore music scene on the local musicians. It’s
http://www.musicartlifesg.blogspot.com
Do leave a tag or maybe introduce good musicians to me as I seek to promote the growth of gd music.
Cheers
AJ
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[...] attended the “Five Foot Broadway Mini Musicals” event (here) in 2008, and it was [...]
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