No Day But Today: RENT The Musical

BY STEFITH

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Five hundred, twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes~

I’m currently having post-musical withdrawal syndrome, as I always do after a brilliant performance, and the soundtrack has been looping on my Spotify repeatedly, because I watched RENT and it was amazing.

Brought to you in Singapore by Pangdemonium, RENT is the story of a group of struggling artists living in New York City in the 1980s. Narrated by aspiring filmmaker Mark Cohen, it trails the ups and downs of the lives of him and his friends – many of whom are HIV positive.

The entire plot is available for reading on Wikipedia (and the musical has been around since 1996), so I’ll spoil some plot points in this post. You’ve been warned. 

Prior to watching the performance, I had only ever seen the film version, which, while fantastic, doesn’t have the grandeur of the musical. I was really excited to watch it, and it was worth every penny. The cast was A++, and the performers really did justice to their characters and to the story.

Benjamin Chow (who was Lim Chin Siong in ‘The LKY Musical’) takes on the role of Mark, and Tabitha Nauser (of Singapore Idol fame) plays Mimi, the exotic dancer. The chemistry between Nauser and Cameron MacDonald, who plays Roger, is positively electric- Roger and Mimi have a very tumultuous relationship, and they portrayed it beautifully.

It’s a very emotionally charged musical, and I’ll admit it – I cried when Angel (played spectacularly by Aaron Khaled) died. The absolutely tragic reprise of ‘I’ll Cover You’, with Juan Jackson singing Collins’ absolutely wrenching solo, will make you cry, and I’m quite sure I wasn’t the only person in the audience shedding tears.

The real beauty of the musical is the cycle of emotions it puts you through, how the characters, many of whom are knocking on death’s door, handle their circumstances, and spotlights certain worries many of us may never voice, like Mark’s fear that he’ll be left behind after his friends die from AIDS. It reminds us to treasure all the time we have, to fight for what we believe in, and to forget our regrets, to seize the moment – no day but today, after all.

You’ll laugh and you’ll cry, and they’ll tug on your heartstrings. The stellar performance is absolutely ace, and not something I can adequately put into words, so seriously, catch it if you can.

RENT is running at the National Library’s Drama Centre Theatre from 7 – 23 October. Note that the show is rated R18 and some shows have already been sold out! Get your tickets from SISTIC – seriously, it’s a show worth watching.

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caught this afternoon's matinee performance of RENT by #pangdemonium, it was absolutely amazing. 11/10 would recommend – it's an excellent show and worth every cent. 📷: @therealnostalgiccomplex

A post shared by Stefanie J. Yeo (@clandestineyeo) on Oct 8, 2016 at 9:03am PDT

 

Food For Thought & Lots Of Laughs: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

BY STEFITH

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I have a new show to binge-watch rather obsessively. Perhaps binge-watch isn’t the right word, but I’ve found myself spending a fair amount of time watching this series. I was first introduced to it by my best friend, and now I am hooked.

I’m talking about Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.

It’s a news show from HBO discussing various issues, usually in an American context, hosted by a British guy. We live in a global society, y’all.

You may wonder why I enjoy it so much, considering that it focuses mainly on American content, but it’s seriously hilarious. Even if you know nothing about America other than burgers, fries, and pies, you’ll definitely still be able to appreciate the humour.

What I enjoy about Last Week Tonight is that the information is broken down into something easy to understand. Oliver can spend an entire episode talking about the IRS, but I understand everything perfectly. He can go on for nearly half an hour talking about patent law and net neutrality, but I get it. I get it, and I’m not necessarily the brightest crayon in the box.

And of course, the humour is on point. He uses all sorts of funny comparisons in order to drive home messages. Things like “Trial lawyers shouldn’t get to decide whether a bill against patent trolls gets to Congress, it’s like raccoons deciding the number and positions of garbage cans in the city!” or “getting your budget cut by 20% makes a big difference, like Zayn leaving One Direction. He’s 20% of the band, of course it’s not the same!”

Oliver does very good impressions of meth addicts and raccoons.

He also occasionally parodies show trailers or videos in order to make his point, such as parodying an action movie trailer about bridge and building inspectors in order to drive home the importance of maintaining America’s infrastructure.

Some of his jokes are borderline offensive, and clearly make fun of various political parties, situations, and people, but it makes me literally laugh out loud.

Jokes aside, you may wonder: what’s the point in watching it if it’s just about America?

Well, Oliver may examine issues from an American perspective, but some of them are very real problems that affect the world, like online bullying and LGBT rights. Stuff like how tobacco companies are suing countries for putting health warnings on cigarette packs, or how there are illegal factories behind many fast-fashion labels. They’re real issues that could affect us in Singapore too – what if one day a tobacco company tries to sue our government for enforcing the rule that IDs must be checked before cigarettes are sold?

He also covers external affairs, like the Scottish Independence referendum, so it’s pretty good for picking up general knowledge.

One episode of his that really interested me was on Native Advertising, or what we call advertorials. Basically, advertorials are content that looks like your regular blog post, but was paid for by an advertiser. Some are well-disguised, others blatant. It’s an issue that’s being hotly debated even in Singapore, with a slew of grey areas that need to be worked out. There’s long been a divide between church and state, or in this case, journalism and business, but as the world progresses and times change, the line blurs.

I could go on about advertorials and paid posts, but that’s another post for another day.

Long story short, if you’re looking for an entertaining show that’s also pretty insightful, check out Last Week Tonight.

I’d recommend starting with this episode on televangelists scamming the hell out of people. It’s startlingly similar to a recent case we had in Singapore about a mega-church that I shall not name. Do the words ‘China Wine’ mean anything to you?

Cheers, folks!

Unashamedly Feline

BY STEFITH

Photo from Wikipedia

Have you ever wondered what the world would look like if your brain was on LSD?

Well, I’m pretty sure it’d look like the set of Cats The Musical, which has one of the most amazing and elaborate sets I’ve ever seen, with amazing technicolour lighting and incredible sound effects. There were so many bright lights and colours swirling all over the stage- I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much colour on one stage.

Photo from inSing.com

I was lucky enough to get to see Cats while it was at the Mastercard Theatre at Marina Bay Sands free of charge- the school sponsored a ‘field trip’ of sorts for us to watch the musical, and for that I’m thankful. I love musical theatre, but my God it is expensive.

Granted we had the cheap seats, but they were more than good enough for me to truly enjoy and appreciate the entire visual spectacle that is Cats.

Cats tells the story of the Jellicle Cats, a bunch of kitties who look forward to the Jellicle Ball on the night of the Jellicle Moon, where Old Deuteronomy (also known to my friends and I as ‘Cat Jesus’) chooses one cat to go to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn.

Featuring a colourful cast of characters (both literally with their multi-hued costumes and their vibrant personality), Cats is a feast for the eyes and the ears.

The storyline is hard to grasp at times, and the first half of the musical seems a bit dull in terms of plot, introducing characters and providing some backstories about the Jellicle kitties.

However, it definitely picks up after the intermission, with songs like Macavity: The Mystery Cat, Magical Mr. Mistoffelees, and a full, powerful version of the famous Memory, which is both poignant and beautiful.

I was especially impressed during the show with the performance of Earl Gregory (Rum Tum Tugger) who displayed incredible professionalism when his mic failed on him midway through the performance. He still kept going, and gave a marvelous performance, a true example of the phrase “the show must go on”.

Cats is the third longest running musical on Broadway, and the fourth longest running show on the West End. It was also the musical that propelled Andrew Lloyd Webber into record-breaking history- when it opened in New York in 1982, Lloyd Webber became the first man in history to have three musicals running simultaneously on both Broadway and in the West End.

So what’s my verdict on this musical tale about the Jellicle Cats? Well, the storyline can be hard to follow, but the set takes your breath away, the dances are creative and astounding, and the songs are wonderful, both hilarious and poignant, with clever lyrics and catchy tunes.

Cats certainly made my week- and I’m glad I took time off my hectic schedule to go watch it.

A Smile Like Sun, Eyes Like Ice

BY STEFITH

Zankyou no Terror

Zankyou no Terror (Resonance in Terror) is an anime series that ran in summer 2014 – as a matter of fact, the final episode aired just about two weeks ago, much to my immense grief, seeing as it is one of the best anime I’ve seen.

Set in an alternate version of the present day, Tokyo has been hit by a series of terrorist attacks, leaving the people in paranoia. The only clue to the identity of the terrorists is a video on the Internet, by a pair of teenagers in Power Ranger-esque masks. Known as ‘Sphinx’, the duo pose riddles to the authorities, detonating bombs when the police fail to answer them correctly with one clever twist- nobody is hurt in the ensuing blast.

Meanwhile, high school student Lisa Mishima is has a problematic family life, and is often bullied by her peers. One such bullying attempt is interrupted by two mysterious boys: one with a smile like the sun, and the other with eyes as cold as ice.

These two mysterious boys, known as ‘Nine’ and ‘Twelve’, are also collectively known as ‘Sphinx’- and this meeting is a catalyst for the subsequent events of the show. Throw in disgraced detective Shibazaki, with his sharp mind and wit, and the mysterious US operative Five, who has a mysterious link to the pasts of Nine and Twelve, and you get a twining web of intrigue that really makes you want to know more.

It’s an intricate web of riddles and games, of the real reason why these two boys would want to bomb Tokyo, of what lies hidden in plain sight in the city.

Now, I’ll not spoil the series for you, because what makes it so brilliant is the plot twists. The truth is, throughout the entire series, you never quite know how it’s going to end- will they really blow up the city? Will the truth ever come to light? Will these two boys who “should not exist” ever find peace?

And I admit, I can be quite the cynic- while the idealistic part of me fervently wished for Nine and Twelve to get their happy ending, another part of me was certain without a doubt that things would end in tragedy.

The ending wasn’t what I expected, and admittedly, I found it rather anticlimactic- but that’s because I’m fond of anything action-packed and fast-paced, and Zankyou no Terror ended on a slow, bittersweet note.

It is a commentary on how sometimes, adults manipulate children for their own ends, and how tragedy ensues.

If you’ve got a fondness for dystopia, and you’re looking for something more serious (think Neon Genesis Evangelion, but with a lot less trauma and mindscrew, and of course, no giant robots), give Zankyou no Terror a shot. Who knows, Nine and Twelve may very well capture your hearts, the way they captured mine.