The Magic Paintbrush: the Musical

The Magic Paintbrush: the Musical

Book, Lyrics and Artistic Director by Brian Seward

Music Composed by Kenneth Lyen

Music Arranger and Additional Music by Bang Wenfu

A week earlier, I tried to buy tickets online, and there were only six tickets left. However, I had something else to attend to, and so delayed buying my ticket by one hour. When I got round to buying the ticket, there was only one left, and no choice, I bought that last one. Sure enough, today’s performance was full house.

Throughout the performance, I heard shrieks of laughter, and children shouting to the cast telling them what to do, and misleading the villains by pointing them in the wrong direction. This impromptu interaction was fascinating for me to observe. Probably the best review one can get is what is overheard as one leaves the auditorium. Both adults and children were gushing: “Good, really really good!” “So funny!” “Must tell my friends to watch!” “Hilarious!” Those are some of the descriptions I overheard by the audience members, complete strangers to me.

All the elements came together in this musical. It resonated with the children. They saw the father scolding his stage daughter because she had fallen asleep instead of studying for her exams. And the children laughed. They saw the poor hungry peasant family trying to catch the chicken that had just been brought to life. And they laughed. They saw the villains Shrimp and Sotong getting lost, and undecided which direction to go. And they laughed. The laughter continued unabated right through the show.

A musical for children will only succeed if it speaks to the adults as well. Indeed the Magic Paintbrush does just that. It talks about excessive parental pressures on the kid’s academic studies, about greed for material wealth, about using one’s abilities to help others.

The Magic Paintbrush is based on an old Chinese folktale about a young boy, Ma Liang (Jodi Chan), who wants to paint, but is too poor to afford a paintbrush. He wishes for a paintbrush, and his wish is heard by The Spirit of Creation (Dwayne Tan) who sends Madam Hoang, a phoenix bird (Amanda Tee) to help. The Spirit of Creation then personally appears to deliver the paintbrush to Ma Liang, instructing him to use it wisely. This paintbrush is magic because it has the power to transform painted objects into 3-dimensional life forms.

Ma Liang’s first creation is a chicken (Ghazali Muzakir) who becomes attached to him, and follows him everywhere. Ma Liang helps the poor and hungry wherever he goes, by painting food for them to eat. However, his acts of altruism is witnessed by two hare-brained rogues, Shrimp (Darren Guo) and Sotong (Ebi Shankara). They inform the Emperor (Tan Shou Chen), who is obsessed with acquiring gold. They apprehend Ma Liang, and imprison him. Fortunately his faithful chicken finds Madam Hoang the phoenix, and with the help of a pie rat (Elizabeth Loh) residing in the prison, they rescue Ma Liang.

But their escape is thwarted by Shrimp and Sotong, who capture them all. The greedy Emperor orders Ma Liang to paint an ocean, a ship made of solid gold, and some wind to enable the ship to sail. However, Ma Liang paints wind that becomes increasingly stronger, eventually sinking the ship, together with the Emperor, Shrimp, and Sotong. Ma Liang continues to help the poor and needy.

Suddenly Ma Liang wakes up, and realizes it is all a dream. Or is it?

The actors are all triple threats, able to sing, act, and dance. They are excellent singers, capable of matching some of the best professional singers in major overseas centres. Their acting is also remarkable. You would not believe that there are only nine actors in total, most playing multiple roles. They convey the lyrics of the songs with perfect diction. My favorite three songs are “Reaching”, sung by Ma Liang:

“Reaching for a shining star
Working for a world so far
Looking for a place to call
My home at last.

Striving for a heart that’s true
Searching for the peace you knew
Hoping for a future better than your past.”

And the song “Wisely, Wisely”, sung by the Old Man:

                “The spirit of each person   
                Holds a precious jewel   
                The joy of life and of love   
                The joy of kindness from above 
                Use it wisely, my child,   
                Use it wisely.   
 

                At the heart of every person 
                Lies a precious gift.   
                The gift of joy, or of song   
                The gift of knowing right from wrong 
                Use it wisely, my child,   
                Use it wisely.”

And “Wishing for a World”, sung by the Paintbrush

             “A wish can bring you joy
                A wish can bring you grief
                It all depends on the way you wish
                And what is in your heart

                Wishes are powerful
                Wishes are strong
                Beware the selfish wish that harms
                The wish that causes wrong”

The Magic Paintbrush is an entertaining, and at the same time, a profound thought-provoking musical. The credit for this goes to Brian Seward, who is both the writer as well as the director. The music arrangement and additional music are by Bang Wenfu. The music is brilliantly directed by Sara Wee. Cathy Kee choreographed the dances, and the movements flowed very smoothly. The sets are absolutely stunning, as are the props, the puppets, and the costumes. Sound and lighting were flawless.

May I congratulate everyone involved in this project. It is certainly a landmark in Singapore’s musical theatre. Bravo!

29 October 2016

ACTOR                                                CHARACTER

Jodi Chan                                            Toni Lee, Ma Liang

Tan Shou Chen                                  Father, Emperor

Amanda Tee                                      Mother, Madam Hoang (phoenix)

Ebi Shankara                                      Sotong

Darren Guo                                        Shrimp

Dwayne Tan                                       Paintbrush, Old Man

Elizabeth Loh                                     Peony Blossom, Pie Rat

Ghazali Muzakir                                Lotus Flower, Chicken

Daphne Ong                                       Villager, Puppeteer

CREATIVE TEAM

Book, Lyrics, Director                    Brian Seward

Composer                                          Kenneth Lyen

Music Arranger, Additional Music  Bang Wenfu

Music Director                                 Sara Wee

Choreographer                                Cathy Kee

Sets and Props                                 Wai Yin Kwok

Puppets                                              Lisa Kelly

Lighting Designer                           Gabriel Chan

Flower Costumes                            Nakupelle

Costume Realization                     Joanne Ng Mui Huang

PRODUCTION TEAM

Production Manager                     Hatta Sulaiman

Stage Manager                                Alycia Finley

Asst Stage Managers                     Nadia Noordin, Nureen Raidah, Delia Oh Kheng Yee

Crew (intern)                                    Nur Atikah

Sound Engineer/Operator           Sharizal Hamid

Lighting Ops                                     Justina Khoo

[Performed at the Drama Centre Singapore from 27 October to 12 November 2016]

The Girl With The Red Balloon: the musical

A Raffles Hall Musical Production

Book by Aidan Woodford, Music by Liew Nam Yang and Ding Jian Han

Directed by Yong Hwee Jun, Tay Yu Rong, and Pang Wei Han

Producers: Poh Yu Tong, Yan Yilong, and Gavin Prasetyo Raharjo

I have been invited by Hall Master Prof Ho Chee Kong, to help out with Raffles Hall’s annual musicals since its inception in 2011 with the production of Happealy Ever After. Every year I have seen these productions evolve into ever complex  products. This year is no exception.

Ostensibly The Girl With the Red Balloon is a love triangle set in an old public housing estate due for demolition. What makes this musical so compelling is the in-depth development of the main characters. Kudos goes to bookwriter Aidan Woodford. Each character has a complex psychological make-up with a compelling back story. As an aside, if Aidan keeps up with this profound multi-layered writing, he will be a major creative force in Singapore’s literary scene.

The male protagonist, Josh is brilliantly played by Jasper Lee. Josh defies convention by chosing to become an artist, but even his art is unconventional, as he is a graffiti artist who paints on the walls of public areas.  Although Josh has garnered considerable acclaim, he remains unknown because he is hiding behind the pseudonym, GD.  We feel sorry for him because we sense that his attempts to prevent the redevelopment of the old block of flats, and to salvage the broken relationship with his childhood girlfriend, are doomed to failure. His subtle and convincing character development is key to the success of this musical.

Josh’s childhood girlfriend, Indigo, is sensitively played by Chan Shiyin. She has gone to New York for an extended internship, and has come back to Singapore only for a short visit. Josh’s initial delight in seeing Indigo is quickly dashed when she introduces Howard, her fiancé, whose arrogant and condescending personality is played to a tee by Chua Song Yu.

The other cast members support the protagonists very well. The hot-tempered gangster-like Archie is played by Clement Tan. The buffoonish Don is played by Caleb Ho, who brings on the most laughs in this production.  Indigo’s childhood friend Carrie, is a rather sweet innocent girl who likes to hang out with her female friends, and Rachel Wong carries (apologies for the unfunny pun) the role very well. The third member of the female is Beth, humorously played by Wong Yushan. Adding even more hilarity to the show is the Kopi auntie, who Vanessa Ng Zi Yan portrays with much aplomb, complete with proletariat Singlish. Jerome Wong plays Indigo’s father so convincingly that you can believe that he is indeed her real father.

Music is an important, if not the most important, component of a musical. It was most enjoyable listening to the varied moods and rhythms composed by Liew Nam Yang and Ding Jian Han. One must not forget the music arrangers who enhance the emotional effects of the music, and they were created by Hew Kai Ling and Jesline Tang Chia Ling. The choral directors Lim Hoe King, Sebastian Tan, and Raphael Quek made the cast sing harmoniously.

 Dance formed a significant element of The Girl with the Red Balloon. The choreographers Png Rou Jing, Tan Shi Bei, Tristan Teo, and Ng Yiling, must be congratulated for their varied dance movements.

Often forgotten are the directors Yong Hwee Jun, Tay Yu Rong, and Pang Wei Han. They really extracted every ounce of profundity, subtlety, and character development from the main cast. Hidden, and yet absolutely essential to a successful production, are the producers: Poh Yu Tong, Yan Yilong, and Gavin Prasetyo Raharjo. Overseeing the entire production with delicate mastery is Prof Ho Han Kiat.

In a large production like this, it is inevitable that many names will be omitted, inadvertently. All must be congratulated.

In short, The Girl With the Red Balloon is another important landmark in the history of Raffles Hall Musical Productions. It is funny, yet serious. It is frivolous, yet profound. It is entertaining, yet philosophical. And oh yes, the music is wonderful.

Congratulations!

Reviewed by Kenneth Lyen

23 Oct 2016