Dirty Dancing - Interview with Bryony Whitfield and Gareth Bailey

Have you booked your tickets yet? Just Watch Lah is thrilled about our recent Q&A with the leads from Dirty Dancing, which will start its run at the Marina Bay Sands on May 24 ( next Friday! ). Don't miss yet another high-octane musical, brought to you by the same South African company which produced Jersey Boys. :)

Just Watch Lah: I first saw the film when I was 13, and it literally rocked my world. What were your personal experiences like? Did you ever imagine yourself starring in a musical adaptation years later?

Bryony Whitfield ( who plays Baby ): I also remember watching the film as a young girl. I was a fan. Loved the music, the dancing and the romantic love story. When the auditions came round - I just had to go. I had never seen the stage production and I never imagined playing the lead in such an iconic film. It's been an honour to be a part of the Dirty Dancing family.

Gareth Bailey ( who plays Johnny ): I loved the film. It was Patrick Swayze's energy that I thought was incredible. There wasn't a stage adaptation that I was aware of when I first watched the movie, but when it came to the West End, I went and saw I had friends in it. I thought Johnny was an incredible part to play and one of the most demanding male roles for any singing / dancing performer that was currently on the West End. I remember watching and thinking how amazing it would be to have the opportunity to play it myself, and now it is actually happening.


JWL: There's a photo of the scene with the watermelons! Does the musical match the movie exactly? Are there any additional songs or dance routines?

GB: The film and the musical adaptation are almost exactly the same in their journey. We have all the iconic moments and music but now it is live and happening there in front of you. Its an energy that you could never experience with any film.

BW: The stage production has all the right ingredients. We have stayed true to the film, so all the fans can expect the moments that they loved in the film. The amazing thing about experiencing Dirty Dancing live is it has this explosive energy that will make you want to get up and dance.



JWL: One of the highlights of the show is the dazzling choreography. Do you have any personal favourite(s) routine-wise? Which is/are the biggest crowd pleaser(s)?

BW: My favourite routine is Time of My Life. The energy on and off stage is just amazing. Everyone is waiting for that number and the famous lift gets such a wonderful response.

GB: Lots of the choreography is fantastic and so much fun to dance. We have so many amazing lifts and intricate foot work. All the numbers for me are so different and all have moments that I love. Do You Love Me is so much fun to dance because of the energy from the whole ensemble being there with you, and being involved. The mambo is full of passion and the big iconic helicopter left at the end, then of course Time Of My Life is almost in its own league. By this point, you can really feel the anticipation from the audience and when the live band starts playing and the audience erupts, it is such a great feeling.



JWL: More than 25 years after the film was released, Dirty Dancing has remained very popular, winning younger fans as well. What do you think is the secret of its success?

GB: I think the film has continued to attract new followers for many reasons. One is I think people relate to the story. I remember growing up and my sister always falling in love with the head of the entertainment team whenever we went on holiday. Every year we went away, there was a new head, and every year my sister was besotted by him. Another reason I think is that it has such great music and dance. Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey tell the story so well and portray the characters wonderfully. The film has been an amazing tool to have when you are looking for new inspiration, to help slightly change your way of doing something, and giving it a new feeling.

BW: Dancing internationally has grown more popular amongst the youth. The release of more dance films thus the interest is growing. I believe that dancing has a way to connect people through culture, age, race. I also believe that audiences can relate to the characters and the love between Johnny and Baby. The classic love story told though dancing.


JWL: Another South African production - Jersey Boys - recently completed a successful run at the Marina Bay Sands. Did the cast / crew offer any advice about Singapore?

BW: I have a list of things that I've been told I must do in Singapore. Looking forward to trying the Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel, riding one of the world's largest observation wheel and the adventures at Sentosa Island.

GB: We came on a pre-tour publicity trip for three days back in March, but other than that I have never even been this side of the planet. I want to swim with the pink dolphins ( quite appropriate considering the colour). I have to visit Universal Studios. Trying to pull some strings to swim in the infinity pool on top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, and of course, go exploring on Sentosa.

One Man Lord Of The Rings - Interview With Charlie Ross

Thank you, Mr. Ross!

One Man LOTR will run at the DBS Arts Centre from 18-23 June. Get your tickets from SISTIC.

Just Watch Lah: Why did you add LOTR to your One Man repertoire?

Charlie Ross: Lord of the Rings is very similarly structured, story-wise, to Star Wars. Many of the characters too share aspects between the trilogies: Obiwan and Gandalf, Luke and Frodo, Gollum/Smeagol and Vader/Anakin, etc. My previous experience adapting Star Wars prepared me for LOTR. What might have felt like an impossible task suddenly seemed plausible. Plus, I loved the LOTR films, which meant my adaptation would come from the heart.


JWL: Are you a bigger Star Wars or LOTR fan, and why? Be honest. :)

CR: I’ll always be honest about it, and the truth is that I couldn’t choose one over the other. They both fill a unique part in my life - one is set in the limitlessness of space, while the other seems like a lost history filled with gods and monsters. One lifts my head above the clouds and one makes me want to delve deep into the earth to uncover demons and treasure.


JWL: I still vividly remember your spot-on impersonation of Jabba The Hutt. ( Ross' One Man Star Wars ran in S'pore in 2008. ) I'm guessing Gollum will be a big highlight this time round?

CR: I hope people like my Gollum, he was the one I was most concerned about getting right.


JWL: Which LOTR character is your personal favourite? Which do you consider the most fun to play on stage?

CR: I don’t have a single favourite character. I have favourite moments that will hopefully delight the audience. It is surprising how much fun the character of Denethor is to perform - you’ll see what I mean if you come to the show.


JWL: More than 10 years after One Man Star Wars ( Ep IV-VI ) began, will a show covering Ep I-III materialize in the near future? How about one paying tribute to The Hobbit trilogy?

CR: I am looking at the Hobbit, absolutely, and I’ve always considered the Star Wars prequels - but now they’re coming out with episodes 7, 8, and 9! What’s a Nerd to do?


JWL: In a previous interview, you mentioned possibly adding Christopher Nolan's Batman films to the One Man tour. How's that working out?

CR: I love the Batman trilogy - but I’ve yet to pursue permission to adapt it. When those people were shot, in Colorado, while they watched the premiere of The Dark Knight Rises - I don’t know - it has been something that has stuck with me. It’s been hard for me to think of the films without thinking of that act of senseless violence.


JWL: Singapore's changed a lot since your last visit in 2008. Anything in particular you absolutely must do while you're here?

CR: I’m really hoping to visit the new Industrial Light and Magic facility, which is supposedly shaped like the Jawa’s Sandcrawler, from A New Hope.

黄城夜韵 2013 An Evening of Drama 2013

我带着非常沉重的心情写着这篇读后感。在过去的12年里，陆陆续续看过很多载的黄城。每年都带着期待万分的心，但好像每年的大大的落空。

黄城夜韵是华中中文学会学生的年度大型公演。其演出工程的浩大，学生人数的参与，校方的支持，往往令其它高中望尘莫及。也就是因为这样，《黄城夜韵》曾经是各个中文学会公演的效仿典范，and perhaps the Holy Grail of student-led theater.不过，这几个年载，《黄城夜韵》水平每况愈下，这个龙头老大的位子真的坐不稳了。

整体来说，这次《黄城夜韵》的主题应该从“尘”改称“喊”。三个剧本，从家里喊到咖啡厅喊到课室。情感高昂时不一定要用声量来传达悲愤。此时无声胜有声很多时候在舞台上更有感染力。现今的校园生活果真有如此受限，学生内心真的有这么多不满需要呐喊出来吗？反而、喊的太多，夸张过头，抽离现实，给观众一个不切实际，无病呻吟的感觉。看久了有点乏味。

三个剧共同的最大弊病出自于剧本的筛选。

第一个剧本探讨了每度黄城不可或缺的家庭感恩剧。宗旨是不错，但就是脱离真实，角色发展非常平面。剧中的儿子服兵役，唯一的用处就好像是为了讽刺“佣人被军包”的新闻。回到家后，这个儿子的角色就不见了。他服不服兵役对整个剧情就没有关系了。女儿也过于夸张。就不过是一件衣服，就跟妈妈喊成血海深仇似的。我看了都毛骨悚然，现在的孩子真的是这样和父母说话的吗？因为这剧中的家庭写不出丝毫的温暖，我也就没有同情这妈妈为何要为这家付出这么多。最可悲的是，最后一场，婆婆说，“等我和amina一走，就靠你了。”为什么连婆婆都要诋毁妈妈的付出？这可怜的妈妈，在自己家婆心中真的都不如一个佣人。

第二个剧本的构思起先还算颇有意思。三个人受到了一封信，告诉他们只剩一天的时间。不过另我纳闷的是，第一个对妈妈有欠关心（和第一个剧本重叠了）我还能接受（但不要一直跟妈妈喊吧！）可是，咖啡厅的男生，不就只是没有告白，但却被剧标上一个罪不可赦的感觉，甚至还需要被那个同事（？天使/内心自己）大骂。不要再喊了！第三个小节，有发展的空间，不过被编剧忽略了两人的背景故事发展。因为台词写得模糊，不够精练，不但不能让观众感受到这两个朋友的动机，还不小心为这两个男生加了一段暧昧情感，害得观众出乎预料的捧腹大笑。到最后，让我非常难以释怀的是，这三个小节的解决方式也太方便了吧（如：其实你一直暗恋的女生也喜欢你，更方便的是，她有一个可以帮你告白的好朋友）。最后一场，也不知道为什么导演安排幕后人员在台上胡乱行走，让那三个伫立在台上多了一分尴尬。也没解释什么，也没说明发信者的用意，最最最最最最另我感到匪夷所思的是，为什么这三个人会相信这封信？It could have been a prank letter. I think I have received n number of such emails/chain letters before. You mean students these days make life-defining decisions because of an anonymous mail?

压轴剧 was perhaps the most unexpected. I really could not follow the tangential nature of the script. It started with a group of students in class deciding a fundraising event. It quickly degenerated (like all plays in this Huang Cheng) into a screaming competition between students. It was then revealed that the rich girl in class was no longer rich and how agonizing her life was because she was unable to buy the clothes and food she liked (oh the realism). And when you thought the play would be revolved around the notion of contentment, the play quickly digressed and the students decided to put up a song and dance number. This idea was quickly followed by another emotional degeneration by the leader (amidst more screaming and crying) before she came to terms with a simpler song/dance sequence (ironically) through a duet. Almost as random as most things happen in this play, there now appeared a 台上演员都不敢唱/不是很知道歌词的洗车dance - though it was convenient for one guy to show off his dance moves. Immediately after that, this uber rich alumnus came on with his spanking new expensive car - only to be discolored by the students. After more shouting and pushing the blame (with some remedy ludicrous suggestions), the angry alumnus was suddenly pulled away by his 突然出现 wife. Going tangent again, the scene was brought back to an anachronistic world where people dressed like 1960s were dancing to a 1990s “宝贝对不起” song. The dance then led to a stampede in which the alumnus' wife got her hand injured. Unsure of what the relevance of that scene was to the discoloration of car incident, the alumnus now conveniently forgave the students and of course offered the students more money in their donation drive. All was then well and the play ends with a song and dance and what seemed to be a rap.

The best part of 黄城夜韵 was really the curtain call - the pride and joy that each student on stage radiated was infectious. That was the moment during the evening where I felt really good about 黄城夜韵, because the students really did a lot and their efforts should be commended. However, it was a good job but I really could not bear to say that it was a good show. Sitting with the other 黄城夜韵 alumni after the show, we really thought it was a pity that the 116 students invested so much time and effort into this production. Perhaps it is time to take a break from the 自编自导自演 notion for a while. It has become a vicious cycle where the J1s will took at this year 黄城夜韵 and emulate it for 2014. Perhaps its time to revisit the scripts from the 辉煌时代 of 黄城, restage some of the wonderful scripts that have been collected in 《城说》。There are 3 plays every year anyway, do one established professional script, one from 黄城 archives and one new one?

As much as it was fun/rewarding for the students to put the production together, they should also consider the audience watching it. Because no matter what happens, 黄城 will always have a following. I know I will still watch the show next year.

One Man Lord Of The Rings

Many years ago, Charles Ross was in Singapore for the One Man Star Wars show, which I caught at the DBS Arts Centre.

It. Was. Hilarious! :D

Being a solo stand-up comedy act, it lasts only 60 minutes, but is jam-packed with spot-on impersonations and bursting with creativity. I still remember Ross' version of Jabba the Hutt - had everyone practically rolling in the aisles. :)

I've been waiting for One Man LOTR, and have already purchased tickets to the show which runs from 18-23 June. It's guaranteed to be an even more enjoyable evening, because I love LOTR more than Star Wars. My precioussssss... :P

Shows are likely to sell out, so don't miss your chance to see it!

Ross is a very friendly chap, so maybe I'll try to do a short email interview with him.




Also, Dirty Dancing opens at the Marina Bay Sands in less than 2 weeks. Have you bought your tickets yet?

Email interview on the way. Stay tuned. :)

Rabbit Hole by Pangdemonium! 4/5/2013

This was great. Like, really really great. Typical family drama but really gets into the overwhelming unpredictability and unreasonable concept of accidents and death. I teared a little during Becca’s outrages, because you really felt her pain and resentment and utter disbelief and inability to move on, even after 8 months.

Direction took a lot of leaves out of the movie adaptation, and the characterization was really similar, particularly with Adrian Pang as Howie. For me, the American accent worked, because of how small town American the script was. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I LOVED THE SET. I was impressed by how they fit everything in. Felt a little claustrophobic, but it really made you feel cozy and really close to the characters, and definitely brought out all the Feels when they happened. It was so clean! Thought it was really cool how the bedroom was quite literally above the living room, and enjoyed the little touches, such as the precisely labelled boxes in Daniel’s room, reflecting Becca’s practicality and penchant for neatness. Must have cost a bomb to build. I’d totally live there though.

I think the reason why I enjoyed Rabbit Hole so much was because the actors managed to make the characters so relatable. I’m talking about Lok Meng Chue as Nat and Janice Koh (<3) as Becca. At this point I have to comment on the bedroom scene, where Nat and Becca are cleaning up the room. This gave me feels because of how ordinary they made it seem, so relatable, and then BOOM, they hit you with an emotional blast with how lonely Nat feels and a tender mother-daughter reconciliation. What a glorious script. Adrian Pang was just playing...another version of himself as usual. Not that it was bad, but I feel like I’ve seen him a million times playing that role. It really felt a lot like Aaron Eckhart’s portrayal in the Rabbit Hole movie though, took his cues from him I guess.

Anyway, back to the actresses.

I don’t recall seeing Lok Meng Chue in any production, but she was really good. She talks a lot like my grandaunt, and despite her not quite mastering the American accent, it felt really natural (because my grandaunt really does sound like that). She faltered a little during her emotional scene in the bedroom with Becca, and her speech impeded the emotional bits a little, but overall, I quite liked her. It’s refreshing how she wasn’t playing it like the movie, and she wasn’t an old biddy, but a really brash kind of (grand)mother who speaks her mind. And of course, Becca. The wardrobe choice reminded me a lot of some of my aunts, and halfway through I was imagining what if the same happened to them, and it was devastating. Sorry, I digress. Janice Koh is amazeballs, beyond the whole Arts NMP awesomeness. It’s hard to describe her acting, but she really brings out the victimized aspect of Becca; from the very outset she’s already feeling pretty low and you want to know so much more about why she’s so sad. Janice shifts from calm to anger to tears, and even if you’d probably find her annoying in real life, you feel her pain and just want to help her so much. She keeps you wanting more. NEED to catch The Optic Trilogy just for her.

Seong Hui Xuan was a surprise for me, with how good she was, considering how she's never really stood out for me in some of her previous productions (Spring Awakening, Into The Woods). She had a really good grasp of Izzy's character and her body language, and I immediately took a liking to her in the first scene. Whether it’s her uncouth foul mouthed speeches or general lepak attitude towards life, Izzy was definitely my favourite character this production of Rabbit Hole. Kudos to her and looking forward to seeing her act again in Gruesome Playground Injuries in November.

If there’s one thing I had a problem with it’d be the music. I’m really not fond of hearing children’s nursery rhymes adapted into background music with a modern twist. Something about it seems childish, for a play that yes, deals with the death of a child, but somehow, nursery rhymes don’t seem to fit. Also, Eden Ang. I think I have a person vendetta against him after hearing his cringe-inducing anal voice in Spring Awakening last year. It isn’t as bad as it was in Spring Awakening, but it’s still there. Oh well.

All in all, this was yet another great production from Pangdemonium!. I think I’m going to finally be willing to look past the tragedy of a name it has for a company and embrace the fact that they’re just going to churn out quality production after quality production :)

JustWatchLah Rating: 4.25/5

P.S. Kind of praying really hard someone does a restaging of Pillowman. Looking really hard at you guys Pangdemonium.

Othello by SRT 1/5/2013

A caveat before I begin; I've never read Othello, and in general, I’m pretty terrible at Shakespeare and old English. That’s why the best productions of Shakespeare are able to push past the archaic language and shine through with the emotional content of the script. That’s precisely what this production of Othello did with some of the actors.

The first thing you notice about Shakespeare in the Park is always the grand, eye catching set, and Othello was no different. Adopting a modern military theme, complete with liberal usage of video and digital images, as well as elaborate stunt scenes (for Shakespeare) gave the play a very Universal Studios feeling, which isn’t a bad thing. It was all pretty brilliant and well organized, if a little elaborate, particularly with the rotating satellite dish and missiles. But overall, the set helped enhance the immersive experience of Shakespeare in the Park and made it that much cooler.

Standout actors had to be Daniel Jenkins as Iago, Daniel Francis as Othello, and Zura Johnson as Emilia. Everyone else played their characters well, and as expected, in Shakespearean fashion, but the aforementioned stand out, because they really worked past the script and brought all the emotions and nuances out of it. Othello was able to bring out the pride, the rage, the utter desolation of his character, and by the end of the play, you really felt the tragedy of it all and wanted to stab yourself too. Preposterous, but tragic nonetheless. Zura was able to remain completely likeable and really brought the sense of an innocent bystander who got roped into her husband’s schemes out from her character. Finally, Daniel Jenkins played a really good Iago. Aided by the appropriate dramatic lighting and music during his revealing monologues, he’s a perfect villain, and truly gives you as the audience member a sense of fear and loathing for him. There isn’t a shred of remorse as he tears through the deaths of characters mercilessly and mindeffs everyone into killing everyone. It’s horrifying. I feel like I should give Wendy Kweh some credit as Desdemona, and she was fine, but maybe they should have gotten a younger actress. Or a non-asian actress. Something about her casting suggested that she needs more mature roles in her life, and Desdemona is definitely a young character.

All in all, I kind of liked it. I can never bring myself to fully embrace Shakespeare, and ultimately, the potential and endless possibilities that Shakespeare scripts have always impress me more than the final product itself. But Othello was pretty good! It was an above average production that was heavily bolstered by its set and ambience. Shakespeare in the Park continues to be a good introduction to Shakespeare for the uninitiated.

JustWatchLah Rating: 3.75/5

P.S. NEXT YEAR OUGHT TO BE HAMLET.  

Avant Theatre's Comical Dazzler "Fourlies"

“Fourlies” is an experimental and surrealistic theatre piece that focuses on many key issues like historical revisionism, creative freedom and character autonomy in a literary work.

What if a certain character in a story takes the liberty to re-orchestrate a story to suit one’s own ends? What if the other characters protest to this interpretation? What should the writer’s main priorities be: accuracy, artistic freedom or financial success of a book?

These underlying questions combined with a constant social commentary forms the backbone of “Fourlies”. In essence, “Fourlies” is the story of four people and their follies brought to light.

Fourlies will provoke thought in the audience. Do all humans want to rewrite their past to remodel people’s perceptions of them? Can history be written the way it was or is it always subject to reinterpretations? The drama will instigate the audience to think about these issues and derive answers for themselves.

Date:  27th (Thursday), 28th (Friday) & 29th (Saturday) June 2013
Venue: The Arts House Chamber
Time:  8pm
Ticketing Outlet:  www.bytes.sg
Website: www.avanttheatre.com