Cha Cha Cha!
That song from the musical is so god-damn addictive, it rings in your head hours after the final curtain has come down.
This is Wild Rice's remake of the Michael Chiang cult classic of 1988. And on this, its 20th Anniversary, Director Ivan Heng has added a few new scenes to spice things up abit. Plus our very own
baba Andrew Lloyd Webber, Dick Lee, has composed 6 new songs to add to the already very catchy repertoire.
Well I must say I didn't catch this 20 years ago. Not when it had its 2nd run in 1992, or toured Japan in 1994, or had itself turned into a TV show for the President's Star Charity in 1998. But better late than never I suppose because really, we have something to be proud of in this very local-flavoured production.
Beauty World is a story about Ivy Tan Poh Choo (newcomer Elena Wang), an orphan from Batu Pahat, who discovers that a Jade pendant given to her as a child may hold the secret to the whereabouts of her Father in Singapore. So she uproots herself and makes her way to the eponymous Beauty World cabaret, where she endears herself to the resident Mummy (Neo Swee Lin), steps on the toes of the Chief Pussy (Denise Tan), gets an extreme makeover (quite pretty this Elena) and falls in love with Ah Hock, the bouncer (Daren Tan). Ivy's nerdy boyfriend Frankie Wong (Dwayne Tan) comes looking for her from Batu Pahat and has to grapple with the shocking revelation that his girlfriend has turned into a Cha Cha Cha girl.
Its all rather campy really. But in good fun. The sets were gorgeous, the singing certainly above par and most of all, it was something home-grown which made it all that much sweeter.
I'll much rather spend some good money on local theatre than watch a masked caped-crusader terrorise an opera singer in some
angmo production.
Bravo guys, well done!
Labels: Theatre