Raffles Hall Musical 4 November 2023
Reviewed by Kenneth Lyen
I was genuinely moved by the Raffles Hall original musical “Oil”. It is about the morality of cheating the public by selling fake famous paintings, and how this can profoundly affect the relationships between friends and family. The title “Oil” can refer to oil paintings but there are also canny meanings like “grease” and “lubricate”. Oil is highly flammable and once lit, it can burn everything in its path.
“Oil” the musical is produced by Xavier Chong, Qian Yi-An and Valerie Oh, and it is directed by Mohammad Afiq Ihsan, Sherise Tan and Teo Tze Yang. The brilliant script is written by Victoria Wong and Goh Zhen Kang, and contains laugh-out-loud humour as well as heart-wrenching scenes. The 10 songs are written by 13 composers, and the music directed by Tan Jun Kiat, the head of music is Ea Hao Wei, and the choral director is Wong Jun Ho. The choreographers Bernice Lee Xin Yi, Ye Huaguan and Ryann Lim created electrifying dance moves and the dancers lifts the scenes with their dynamism.
Based on an art gallery that cheated buyers by selling them fake paintings, it delves into the shady dealings of a husband and wife duo that owns this art gallery but when their illegal dealings were about to be exposed, they placed all the blame on their co-conspirator art forger so they can get off scott free. Unfortunately the art forger dies in prison. His daughter Vesuvia decides to take revenge on the art gallery family that caused the death of her father, by becoming an art forger herself and selling her counterfeit paintings back to these gallery owners. Vesuvia is played by Srividya and she steals the show through her magnificent singing voice and acting. Her mother Bernice is played by Alicia Foo and they have several emotional scenes with each other. Vesuvia’s childhood friend is Amber, played by Clare Madeline, who is unaware of the illicit business of her parents; her father Max is played by Lau Heng Yi and her mother Cecilia is played by Lumiere Chew. The clever investigator who uncovers the shady dealings is played by Nigel Teo, who also steals the show through his convulsive humour.
There is a humorous scene where the gallery owner Max is auctioning a painting by Kazimir Malevich (1879-1935) of a famous black square. Bids are made over $80 millions: incredibly absurd but based on real life. Unfortunately the investigator and his team are at the auction ready to pounce on the art gallery duo owners, and they are arrested. Their daughter Amber is shocked because she has been totally ignorant of her parents’ misdeeds. When she discovers that her friend Vesuvia was the one responsible for her parents’ arrest, she becomes even more devastated. The investigator finds out that Vesuvia was the art forger and goes to arrest her. But her mother protects Vesuvia by falselsy confessing that she is the art forger, thereby taking her daughter’s place in the arrest. Later, when Amber meets up with Vesuvia they quarrel and they break up their friendship.
In the end Vesuvia admits that she is the art forger, thus releasing her mother from prison. After serving their sentence, the husband and wife art gallery owners are also released. The reunions of the mother Bernice and daughter Vesuvia, and the parents Max and Cecilia with their daughter Amber are very emotional. The art gallery owner Max tells Vesuvia that since she is incredibly gifted, she should no longer do any more forgery, but devote her artistic talents by creating her own original paintings, and that their art gallery will support her fully. The finale song and dance is an emotional celebration showing that honesty and friendship are more important in life than making money illegally.
Raffles Hall should be congratulated for promoting this musical that espouses principled ethics in a way that touches one deeply. We applaud the JCRC President Lim Choon Wei and the Vice-President Xavier Thng. The Raffles Hall Musical advisor Nguyen Tri Tin spent an enormous amount of time helping every aspect of the musical and his involvement is invaluable. Last but not least, kudos for the success of the Raffles Hall musical “Oil”, must go to the Hall Master, A/Professor Stella Tan. It should go on record that without the Hall Master’s strong involvement and total commitment, there would be no musical.
Congratulations!
Kenneth Lyen
4 November 2023
Ken's Reflections 
You must be logged in to post a comment.