Press Gang review: I heard a rumour

So I went to see to the Saturday matinee performance of Press Gang at Lasalle College of the Arts yesterday. Lim Kay Siu (Frankie Foo) was sitting in a row in front of me.

It wasn't cheap — $144.50 to book two tickets for my wife and me from Sistic and that's after a 10 per cent discount with my POSB debit card.

But I wanted to support the playwright, Tan Tarn How, whom I consider a friend, though we haven't seen each other for maybe 20 years. I knew him at Mediacorp in the 90s when he was the head writer of Growing Up and, of course, VR Man.

I had never seen any of his plays before, but I wanted to see the Ivan Heng-directed Press Gang because it's about working in a Singapore newspaper, something I have been doing for the past 10 years.

The play is set mostly in the newsroom of Singapore Times, a sort of fictionalised version of The Straits Times where Tarn How used to work.

At the start of the play, I grinned in recognition when I heard the word "offstone" and the line about subs screwing up headlines and captions, although actor Shane Mardjuki said "offstone" with an odd emphasis like the word was alien to him.

Actually, I found that the whole cast spoke with a mishmash of distracting accents like in a Channel 5 drama. I don't know. Maybe local English plays are supposed to be like this, but the often stilted dialogue didn't help.

I was also distracted by how much actor Benjamin Chow resembled US actor John Cho (Sulu in the new Star Trek movies) without sounding anything like John Cho. But that could just be me.

The thing that really took me out of the play was the central dilemma that drove the plot: Should the paper report the rumour that the prime minister's son slapped the deputy PM?



The problem is, there's no dilemma at all. Newspapers, in Singapore or anywhere else, aren't supposed to report rumours, regardless of who the rumours are about.

And it's not because we're afraid of the big bad Government. It's because we know rumours may not be true. That’s why they’re called rumours.

And despite lapses, journalists generally still care about stuff like that. Don’t wanna be accused of fake news. Or sued for libel.

If the paper wanted to pursue the story, it would just try to get someone to confirm on record that the incident happened and report that. Otherwise, no story.



But is the slapping story even worth pursuing in the first place? This was where the play felt a little outdated despite references to Facebook and Hardware Zone.

We're living in a time where our real-life Prime Minister's sister has outright accused the PM of abuse of power on Facebook for all to see. The play’s slapping rumour seems rather quaint in comparison.

I should explain here that in the alternate universe of the play, even though Facebook and Hardware Zone exist, Lee Hsien Loong doesn't. The PM in Press Gang is an unseen fictional character who may or may not have a resentful fictional sister.

So it's weird that in this alternate universe, there's also mention of an earlier fictional slapping incident similar to the one brought up by real-life then PM Goh Chok Tong in his 2003 National Day Rally speech:

"You may also have heard this old story about Loong. In case you have not, I'll tell you now. Back in 1990, Loong had a quarrel with Richard Hu. S. Dhanabalan sided with Richard. Loong lost his temper. He reached across the table and gave Dhanabalan a tight slap. The whole Cabinet was thrown into commotion. I then forced Loong to apologise. I must be suffering from amnesia. I just cannot remember this incident. Now you know how creative Singaporeans are."

It can get a bit confusing trying to distinguish what in the play is real, based on something real or totally made-up. But that's part of the fun.

For instance, the columnist played by Amanda Tee is obviously based on Sumiko Tan in a surprisingly self-aware portrayal.

My wife believes that the Malay character played by Oniatta Effendi is based on Zuraidah Ibrahim, an ex-Straits Times editor who moved to Hong Kong with her husband, Cherian George, who also got (half) name-checked in the play.

The veteran reporter played by T. Sasitharan, who got the best lines, reminded me of former New Paper (now back at Straits Times) editor Dominic Nathan physically if not character-wise.

I have never worked at The Straits Times, so I can't comment on how accurate the office politics or politics politics depicted in the play are.

From my perspective at The New Paper, which is at best Straits Times-adjacent literally, figuratively and organisationally, parts of Press Gang rang true, but much of it sounded like Tarn How straining too hard to make a point, however valid that point may be.

But the whole "Should we print a rumour?" thing just didn't work for me.

In an early scene, there was mention of the paper previously reporting someone having an affair (safe to say, based on real life).

I might have enjoyed the play more if it were about that instead.

Press Gang ends its run tonight.

Art, sports & dollars: Award-winning artist Sonny Liew & gold medal-winning athlete Soh Rui Yong put the money where their mouth is

Both had highly publicised money-related issues with authorities.

One involving a state grant. The other, sponsorships.

Both overcame those issues to win in their respective fields.

And last week, both used money to make a statement about how the arts and sports are run by the state.


ILLUSTRATOR SONNY LIEW, 42



In 2015, the National Arts Council (NAC) withdrew its $8,000 grant for Liew's graphic novel The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye due to “sensitive content”.

Boosted by the resulting publicity, the book became a local publishing phenomenon and went on to win three Eisner awards in July.

Last Friday, it was revealed that Liew had returned a $19,000 Creation Grant he received from NAC last year for his follow-up book.

While he explained it was "partly about scheduling", Today newspaper also got this stunning quote from Liew:

Bureaucracy can be a good thing in trying to ensure there are regulations and institutions in place to try to ensure transparency, accountability and fairness. But my sense (is) that it is also often a shield for the opposite - to obscure motives, to rationalise weak positions.

In response, NAC wished him all the best.


MARATHONER SOH RUI YONG, 26



Last month, before the SEA Games, Soh was given a formal warning by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) for failing to comply with Team Singapore's membership agreement on the personal sponsorship blackout period.

He explained on Facebook:



He told Mothership.sg:

I took down my posts because SNOC had repeatedly stated that the comments on the posts were damaging their reputation even after the posts were edited. It was an ultimatum they were giving.

This is something that I believe in fighting for, but it is not worth the risk of being bumped off the team because the pride of Singapore is at stake. I will go to Kuala Lumpur, win a medal, then come back and continue this debate. That is how I believe I can best represent my country.

And win a medal he did - a gold, no less - in the marathon for the second time running.

On Saturday, Soh sent an e-mail to SNOC and Singapore Sports Institute to protest giving 20 per cent of his $10,000 reward for winning a SEA Games gold medal to Singapore Athletics (SA) in accordance to SNOC rules.

He explained on Facebook:

The reason I'm doing so is because I believe that the 20% of gold medal prize money that every athlete requires to give back to the NSA should not be taken for granted.

Common sense dictates that this 20% is meant as a gesture of goodwill to the NSA (National Sports Association) for helping the athlete achieve the success at the SEA Games, while also acting as a future investment in development.

For the 2017 SEA Games, SA has not only failed to adequately help our athletes, but they have also hindered the performance of several athletes with continued infighting, turmoil, and poor administration.

The lack of concrete development plans for the future also cast serious doubts over the future of the sport. As such, I believe that Singapore Athletics is underdeserving of the $2000 (20% of $10000) that SNOC takes out of my MAP (Multi-Million Dollar Award Programme) award money to give to them.

Perhaps once SA has figured out their development plans, they can submit their receipts to me to seek reimbursement. Please allow for 2-4 months for the processing of claims.

So two Singaporeans from different fields, Sonny Liew and Soh Rui Yong, share the common experience of getting shafted by the state.

But both succeeded in spite of poor support from the state.

And within days of each other, both pretty much used their success to basically tell the state: "Up yours!"

That's double the butthurt.

Flagged: Even if you're not Catholic, you should boycott Madonna for this reason

I am not going to the Madonna concert tonight.

And neither should you.

Even if you’re not Catholic.

Yes, the Catholic Church is condemning Madonna again.

In 1989, it was because of the Like A Prayer music video, which features burning crosses and the singer getting stigmata-like wounds on her hand.



In 2006, it was because of her Confessions tour, which featured the singer hanging on a cross with a crown of thorns on her head and singing Live To Tell.



I see a pattern here.

Her current Rebel Heart tour features the song Holy Water, which is performed with pole dancers on cross-shaped poles wearing nun costumes minus the bottom half.



But the Media Development Authority (MDA) is not allowing Madonna to perform the song at her M18-rated concert here because the segment contains “religiously-sensitive content which breach our guidelines”.

I’m guessing MDA is referring to the cross-shaped poles and pole dancers in nun costumes minus the bottom half.

But apparently, to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore, MDA censorship no enough.

The Archdiocesan Communications Office released a statement:

“Many have expressed their concern and even outrage at the performer’s disrespectful use of Catholic and other Christian symbols during her performances.”

In the Philippines, where Madonna performed last week presumably without MDA interference, Catholic bishops called her concert the devil’s work and wanted a boycott.

After all these years and the various controversies, you would think by now, someone in the Catholic Church would have come to the realisation: “Hey, this Madonna could just be trolling us.”

All I am saying is Madonna is the Amos Yee of popular music.

Except she has better hair and is old enough to be his mother.

Or grandmother.

Madonna is 57 years old. If she were Singaporean, she could withdraw her CPF. Well, partially at least.

But despite her CPF eligibility, she can still provoke the church like she’s 31.

In the Archdiocese’s statement, Archbishop of Singapore William Goh “reminds all Catholics that it is our moral obligation not to support those who denigrate and insult religions”.

In other words, if you’re Catholic, abstain from the Madonna concert. Is it still Lent?

Hey, you could go to the Kool & The Gang concert at Marina Bay Sands instead.



Unless the Archdiocese has something against having a celebration to last throughout the years.

The band even had a hit song in the 80s called Cherish — just like Madonna.





Both acts also recorded songs titled Celebration.





So Kool & The Gang are practically the same as Madonna but without the crucifixion fixation.

And the tickets are cheaper too.

No, wait — the Kool & The Gang concert was last night. Aiyah, just missed it.

Did anyone go?

If only MDA had banned Kool & The Gang from playing their hit Ladies’ Night for promoting lesbian parties, they could’ve have had more publicity for their show.



Unlike Kool & The Gang, Madonna doesn’t need extra publicity.

More than 22,000 are expected at the National Stadium tonight. Who knows how many of them will be Catholic?

It has been suggested that in response to Archbishop Goh, Madonna’s opening song should be Papa Don’t Preach.



But this won’t work because the archbishop is only a year older than Madonna. So he’s a bit too young to be her papa.

Like the archbishop, I want people to skip the concert too — but for a different reason.

In every country on her tour, Madonna has ended the concert with a performance of her 1983 hit Holiday draped in the country’s flag.

This part of her show has caused a flap, so to speak, in Taiwan and most recently, the Philippines.



I expect Madonna will wear the Singapore flag tonight as well.

Our law says no person shall use the flag as part of a costume except during the National Day celebration period between July 1 and Sept 30.

It’s February now.

I remind all Singaporeans that it is our moral obligation not to support those foreigners who break our laws.

There is no neutrality in law. One is either for or against. Being present (at these events) in itself is a counter witness. Obeying the law must come before the arts.

As law-abiding citizens, we should subscribe to authentic arts that don’t break the law and not support the “pseudo arts” that promote law-breaking at the expense of respecting the flag.

So if you’re a Catholic Singaporean, you now have two good excuses, I mean, reasons for not seeing Madonna.

They’re better than “I can’t afford the tickets.”

- Published in The New Paper, 28 February 2016

UPDATE: She caved! In the end, Madonna didn't don the Singapore flag at the Singapore concert. She used a blue flag with a peace symbol design instead. Could it be because of this column? More likely it was because of what happened in the Philippines. Not such a Rebel Heart after all.

Madonna performing Holiday as an encore, bringing her #RebelHeartTour concert at the National Stadium to an end. http://str.sg/ZyMt ST VIDEO: ANJALI RAGURAMAN
Posted by The Straits Times on Sunday, February 28, 2016

My SG50 dilemma: Should I watch LKY in The LKY Musical or LKY in 1965 movie?

Last week was election day for me.

I had to elect whether to watch LKY in The LKY Musical or watch LKY in the movie, 1965.





Why?

Because SG50.

A photo posted by SM Ong (@sm_ong) on Apr 21, 2015 at 10:56am PDT

As you all know - and have probably made plans to leave the country next weekend because you do - next Sunday is National Day.

Very soon (at least one hopes), our long national branding exercise that is sticking the promiscuously all-purpose SG50 logo on everything from fish cakes to Hello Kitty will be over.



By the way, I've placed my order for the McDonald’s SG50 Hello Kitty Collector's Set. Have you?



And I’ve already received my SingPost SG50 Hello Kitty Plush Collectible Set. Have you?



I plan to upload my unboxing video to YouTube shortly.

This raises the question: If I’m such a patriot that I can get both the McDonald’s and SingPost SG50 Hello Kitty set, why can’t I see both The LKY Musical and the 1965 movie?

The answer: The LKY Musical and the 1965 movie are no Hello Kitty.

If instead of Adrian Pang and Lim Kay Tong, they had cast the the mouthless Japanese cartoon cat to play Mr Lee Kuan Yew, I would’ve gone online and booked the tickets immediately.

But alas, they cast real people.

Also, watching a musical or a movie requires me to commit at least three hours of my life, commuting to and from the theatre, and actually sitting down to watch the damn thing.

Whereas with my Hello Kitty sets, I just get them and put them on the shelf where they will collect dust until the Earth dies.

So it’s either the musical or the movie. Not both.

To help make my decision, I've read the reviews of both shows and narrowed it to down to four factors:


THE COST FACTOR

Depending on where and what day of the week you want to see the movie, a ticket can cost from $8.50 to $13, maybe cheaper if you’re a Safra member or have the right credit card

But the cheapest ticket for the musical is $50 for a “restricted view” on certain days.

For 50 bucks, I could watch 1965 at least three times with enough change to buy a few SG50 fish cakes. That is, if I were a masochist.

Advantage 1965.



THE STAR FACTOR

The musical stars Pang and Sharon Au.

All the reviews are pretty much universal in their praise of Pang’s portrayal of Singapore’s first Prime Minister. They are also universal in saying that Au pretty much sucks as Mrs LKY.

The Straits Times said that Pang “carries the part with finesse and grace”, but Au is “a shadow of her character, struggling with musical segments and quickly fading into the background”.

Today newspaper said that Pang “carries the show as Lee, capturing the man’s fears, frustrations and unwavering tenacity in pushing for change”.

It added that “Au also proves to be the cast’s weakest link, with brittle delivery and pitiful singing skills”.

By the way, Today is published by MediaCorp where Au also works as an executive in the strategic development department.

“Weakest link”? “Pitiful singing skills”?

Wah lau! How bad do you have to be that even your own company doesn’t give you face?



Two other MediaCorp artists, Joanne Peh and her husband Qi Yuwu, are arguably the biggest stars in the 1965 movie.

But frankly, the only thing involving Peh and Qi I’m interested in seeing is a video of Peh, who is due to give birth soon, delivering the baby shot by Qi.

Unfortunately, Qi has said that although he plans to be in the delivery room with Peh, someone else will be holding the camera. I volunteer.

Advantage The LKY Musical because of Pang. I’m also curious to see just how much Au actually sucks.



THE FOREIGN TALENT FACTOR

The movie is produced, written and directed by Singaporeans.

The musical is directed by a Brit with a book by an American and lyrics by another Brit. That’s not very SG50. (Or is it?)

Advantage 1965.



THE LKY FACTOR

The musical is called The LKY Musical. So you know that it’s all about LKY. And that it’s a musical.

But Mr Daniel Yun, the executive producer and co-director for 1965, has made it a point to clarify that his movie is “not a biopic of Lee Kuan Yew” but “a dramatic thriller based on historical events”, presumably set in 1965.

Why does Mr Yun feel the need to make this clarification?

Because as far back as 2010, it was reported that he was planning “a political thriller based on Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew’s struggle for Singapore’s independence”.

At one point, Hong Kong star Tony Leung Chiu Wai was even cast as LKY.



So now Mr Yun is backtracking? Did Amos Yee get to him?

The Business Times said that as LKY, “Lim Kay Tong steals the show in 1965”, but appears for only a few minutes in the movie.

The review gave 1965 a C+ grade and suggests that “maybe it would have worked better as a biopic of Mr Lee instead”.

So the movie suffers from a case of LKY no enough.

Maybe LKY would have more screen time if Tony Leung were playing him.

Advantage The LKY Musical.


MY DECISION

To celebrate SG50, I elected to see the show that best represents how Singapore achieved the impossible after being forced out of Malaysia in 1965 to be its own nation led by LKY. At least in the title.

That’s right. I went to see Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation.

Cue Lalo Schifrin’s theme song.

To SM Ong

I'm glad to know that I'm not alone - feeling this way - overwhelmed by the string of events planned for Singapore's Jubilee Celebration

Long story short

For the past few years, I've spent a considerable sum of money to support local productions, be it Musicals, Dramas etc. I would buy the best tickets, which is usually the most costly since some of these productions are at the Esplanade or Marina Bay Sands and invite my family or friends to watch these productions with me. It was my way of showing support to the local Arts, theater practitioners and even local singers eg Dick Lee, Kit Chan and Xinyao

Yet, this year, 2015, I find it hard to continue or should I say, I'm just put off by some of these productions

And you said it best in your article

Coincidentally, I've also given up trying to choose or decide which production to catch

I went and saw Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation on Friday. It was a simple movie but it gave me what I badly needed - a break from work and all that's on-going

For your info - I'm a primary school teacher and I suppose all the celebration and possible up-coming election talk was really getting to me since I'm also the teacher in-charge of our school's celebration program this week

Living in little red dot is stressful enough with increasing cost of living and other challenges

Sometimes, what we really need is some quiet moments to give thanks for what we have

Best regards
Stone



Hello :)

In your column yesterday, you wrote that you have both the Singpost and MCD Hello Kitties, but you forgot that Singtel has them too.

Just a quick thank you for all the laughter your column has given me throughout the years. I do hope you continue writing columns with your unique sense of humour.

Don't worry for making it to the 50th year mark so your couldn't enjoy all the perks or going AWOL in your camp, and outside the reporting area, you are still a Singapore icon. Very much so like the trishaw uncle and samsui woman hello kitties you see at MCD. Just that you have a further reach since your are in print.

Sincerely
Nicole

EARLIER: Twisted ankle? Racist incident? Nothing will stop Sharon Au from playing Mrs LKY

Rounding up The LKY Musical reviews: Adrian Pang good, Sharon Au sucks

Since The LKY Musical opened on Friday (after three nights of previews), all the reviews pretty much say same four things:

• Adrian Pang can practically do no wrong
• Sharon Au kinda sucks (but we all know that already)
• Benjamin Chow is surprisingly good (surprising because no one has heard of him before)
• Dick Lee's music is forgettable

The Straits Times

This character of Singapore's first Prime Minister rests squarely on the shoulders of an excellent Adrian Pang - and he carries the part with finesse and grace, and a deep, moving pathos that supporters will cherish and detractors will be quick to critique.

...the musical's designated anti-hero, Lim Chin Siong, is thankfully not relegated to the ranks of villainy and one-note declarations. Recent Lasalle College of the Arts graduate Benjamin Chow does an incredible job in portraying the charismatic left-wing leader, with his compelling oratory and rapport with the common man.

He and Pang share a chemistry sadly not shared by Pang and onstage wife Sharon Au, playing a mild, entreating Madam Kwa Geok Choo.

The thick dialogue, so lithe and easy in the mouths of Chow and Pang, feels clumsy and unwieldy in hers. She is a shadow of her character, struggling with musical segments and quickly fading into the background.

The musical score by Dick Lee was charming but largely vanilla, with no particularly memorable tunes that might, as Madam Kwa tells Mr Lee about their war-time glue-making efforts, "stick fast".

Today

Adrian Pang carries the show as Lee, capturing the man’s fears, frustrations and unwavering tenacity in pushing for change. While Pang catches Lee’s distinctive inflections and gait, there is a sense that he is dutifully performing a role rather than truly inhabiting it; this is a good performance but perhaps not a great one.

It is a shame that Lee’s wife, the formidable Kwa Geok Choo (Sharon Au), is but a footnote in the narrative instead of being central to the story; she is mostly huddled by a table listening to the radio. Au also proves to be the cast’s weakest link, with brittle delivery and pitiful singing skills.

There are standout performances by newcomer Benjamin Chow as charismatic trade unionist Lim Chin Siong...

Dick Lee disappoints with a score that is vast and varied but ultimately vapid; one would be hard pressed to recall a single distinctive refrain. The melodies in the second half almost blur into a mix.

inSing

Ever the consummate performer, like Lee, Pang cuts a commanding presence on stage, and yet also evincing love, fear, frustation and other qualities we don’t normally associate with him.

Sadly, Au does not impress. Although she tries to act the hell out of the role, she falls flat when it comes to singing and delivery.

What was impressive though, were the other male leads, namely Benjamin Chow playing antogonist Lim Chin Siong. It takes chutzpah to step into those shoes, and Chow has it to spare. The recent Lasalle College of the Arts graduate nails the role of the the charismatic politician and orator...

Dick Lee's music is so forgettable that this review forgot to mention it.


The Online Citizen

Adrian Pang flawlessly performs each scene involving Lee, but there’s simply too little time to get immersed in the place and time or examine events and choices with any depth.

Sharon Au, who plays Mrs Lee (affectionately referred to as “Choo” throughout the show), is somewhat miscast: her singing is often drowned out by the orchestra or other characters, her dialogue clunky.

Benjamin Chow’s portrayal of Lim is so charged with passion and zeal that Lim often becomes the most interesting character onstage...

The LKY Musical provides an entertaining night with a solid cast, beautiful production design and pleasant-although-forgettable music.

Six-Six News

If we didn’t have the original to compare with, Pang’s would have been a strong performance. And well matched by newcomer Benjamin Chow’s interpretation of Lim Chin Siong. As not much is known about the latter, Chow had free rein to project the part with fervour.

The music, while effective at following the plot and adding mood to the drama unfolding onstage, didn’t quite stick around after its work was done. It evaporated as soon as you left the hall, which is a bit unfortunate.

Something else that will be remembered would be Sharon Au’s performance as the girl who won over Lee Kuan Yew. While trying to bravely keep up with the pace of the play on her strapped ankle (injured after a fall), she was always limping to keep up. As the only woman of significance in the cast, and someone who influenced the pivotal decision making of the LKY character, it was a role that required passion, confidence and the ability to convince the audience that she had what was needed to quietly change the course of history. None of that surfaced during the play, and begged the question: Are we that lacking in female talent?

EARLIER: Twisted ankle? Racist incident? Nothing will stop Sharon Au from playing Mrs LKY

Twisted ankle? Racist incident? Nothing will stop Sharon Au from playing Mrs LKY

What is Au?

That’s the name of the actress starring as Mrs Lee Kuan Yew in The LKY Musical.

It was also probably what she said when she twisted her ankle backstage during the musical’s first preview performance on Tuesday night.

“Au! I twisted my ankle!”

That’s so convenient, to have a name you can shout out whenever you’re in pain. Jeanette Aw can do the same too.



But Aw isn’t in The LKY Musical. It’s Au, as in Sharon Au.

She told The New Paper what happened:

“A technical glitch caused a delay so we were all rushing backstage to change our clothes, which we only had three or four minutes to do.

“Let me tell you the irony: As I have a big fear of heights, (co-star) Adrian (Pang) has always carried me down those three flights of stairs that lead to our backstage changing rooms.

“Last night, adrenaline took over and I just ran ahead of him. He was shocked when I missed my step... and I twisted my right ankle.”

And that was how she ended up in a wheelchair after the show being pushed by Pang.

A photo posted by Sharon Au (@negitateno13) on Jul 21, 2015 at 8:22am PDT

By all accounts, a prince among men, Pang plays the late former Prime Minister whose name is in the title of the musical, Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

This, of course, is not the first time Pang has acted as a great ruler. In 2004, he was the title character in the TV sitcom, Durian King.



So in 11 years, Pang has gone from playing the king of the king of fruit to playing a leader whose death was cheered by a teenager who went to court eating a banana.

What a fruitful career.

Now at the Sands Theatre in Marina Bay Sands until Aug 16, The LKY Musical is the second musical in three months about “the tumultuous times of pre-independence Singapore”.

Actually, it’s more like “the tumultuous times of pre-Singapore getting kicked out of Malaysia”, but hey, you say tomato, I say ang mo kio.



The first musical was Singapura: The Musical, which was reportedly shut down “abruptly” earlier this month after announcing that it would extend its run.

Cast and crew members told The Straits Times that attendance was dismal with the actors performing at times to an almost-empty Capitol Theatre.

I suspect there was some resistance to a musical about Singapore directed by an American and written by a Filipino.



But The LKY Musical should do better because it’s a musical about Singapore directed by a Brit with a book by an American and lyrics by another Brit.

Wait, what? You mean even The LKY Musical must rely on foreign talent too?

Relak lah. It's not all FT. The music is by a Singaporean, Dick Lee. He composed the “This is home, truly” song that everyone loves so much that any new National Day song he writes after that sucks in comparison.



And the actors in The LKY Musical are Singaporean, so there should be no danger of “Singaporeans” speaking with a Filipino accent.

Although there could be a danger of Au lapsing into an Indian accent.

Last month, she co-hosted the SEA Games opening ceremony and someone complained on Facebook that Au spoke to an Indian girl in the stands and put on an Indian accent. The post went viral and Au was accused of being racist.

Before that, she was accused of just being an annoying host with a shrieking voice that made your ears vomit.

Sharon Au... SHUT THE F**K UP! You're shrieking is annoying! #SEAGames2015

— Ernie Teng (@ernest71) June 5, 2015

Sharon Au needs to stop. My ears are vomiting.

— Kyle (@kyleriiiil) June 5, 2015

Au quickly apologised on Facebook, but not for making people’s ears vomit.

She wrote:

“Some of you may have watched the pre-show and heard my attempt at mimicking an Indian accent. It was intended to be comic, but in hindsight, I realise how insensitive it was. I sincerely apologise to those whom I’ve inadvertently offended.”

Which was all well and good until she revealed to The Business Times later the real reason she apologised:

“It was a painful incident, an unintended joke, and I was very, very concerned about what impact it might have on The LKY Musical. I didn’t want anything to tarnish this because it is such a special project, and it was foremost on my mind when I made that online apology.”

So it seems she cared less about whether she was being racist than about protecting her precious musical.

Hence it was little surprise that after twisting her ankle last week, Au insisted on carrying on with the show.

If she won’t let a racist incident stop her, what’s a minor ankle injury?

She’s such a trooper.

After all, the show must go on.

Just nobody say, “Break a leg.”

- Published in The New Paper, 26 July 2015




UPDATE: Should I watch LKY in The LKY Musical or LKY in 1965 movie?

History on repeat: The Government and The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye

Someone once said: “Learn from history or you're doomed to repeat it.”

I think it was George Santayana, the late Spanish writer and philosopher.

Or Jesse Ventura, the American former professional wrestler, star of the original Predator movie and philosopher.



I always get the two men confused.

I must be a pretty slow learner because history appears to be on auto-rewind.

First, a little history.

Actually, there has been a lot of history lately.

Call me crazy, but I suspect it may have something to do with SG50.



Last Sunday, I wrote about Singapura: The Musical, which retells the history of Singapore’s struggle for independence from the Filipino perspective with some Pinkerton Syndrome thrown in for romance.

Because, you know, who doesn't want to learn Singapore history from the people we just trounced 84-12 in netball in the SEA Games?



Then we have the official music video of this year’s official National Day Parade theme song called Our Singapore by Dick Lee.

At least I think it’s a music video. It looks more like a compilation of Singapore history’s greatest clips interspersed with shots of Lee lip-syncing at the piano.

Let me tell you it’s no Taylor Swift facing off with Selena Gomez as the world explodes in massive fireballs around them.



To show the passage of history, the NDP video starts in black and white, and ends in colour.

That’s all the SG50 magic you get when you hire a visionary local film-maker like Eric Khoo to direct the video.

Still not enough Singapore history for ya?

You can read local comic book artist Sonny Liew's graphic novel, The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, launched last month.

That is, if you can find a copy.

The book sold out after it was reported that the National Arts Council (NAC) is withdrawing its $8,000 grant from the publisher to fund the project because “the retelling of Singapore’s history in the work potentially undermines the authority or legitimacy of the Government and its public institutions, and thus breaches our funding guidelines”.

The publicity alone is worth more than $8,000.

It’s history repeating itself. Once again, the Government has created publicity and demand for a local work by making things difficult for the artists.

It happened with film-maker Tan Pin Pin’s To Singapore, With Love when MDA classified the documentary as “Not Allowed for All Ratings”, effectively making it illegal to be publicly screened in Singapore.

It happened in December with the Dim Sum Dollies’ The History Of Singapore Part 2 when the Media Development Authority (MDA) gave the show an Advisory 16 (Some Mature Content) rating three days before the show’s opening.



I don’t recall a time in the history of Singapore when the Government got so touchy about the history of Singapore.

But at least it generates some free publicity for the artists.

Yes, I know I’ve written about the Streisand effect before. I’m repeating myself because history is repeating itself. Someone's not learning from it.

Luckily for Liew, his graphic novel wasn’t banned. Unlike the case of To Singapore, With Love, you don’t have to brave a trip to Johor to buy a copy of The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye.

So it’s win-win for Liew and his publisher, Epigram Books. They can reap the benefits of the publicity from NAC withdrawing its grant and sell the book without any restrictions from the Government. Not even an Advisory 16 rating.

So what’s $8,000?

Heck, I can give Epigram the money.

The boss of Epigram, Mr Edmund Wee, once gave me a freelance job after I was retrenched in 2001 and desperate for income and validation. For that, I will always be grateful.

To pay him back, now that I’m a big-time columnist for The New Paper on Sunday (ahem), I believe I can afford to part with eight measly grand to help Epigram out of the poorhouse (if my wife lets me).

All I ask is a free autographed copy of the book once it’s reprinted — and a cut of the movie deal if the book is turned into a feature film.

Eric Khoo can even direct it.

He can do his black-and-white to colour thing again.

Maybe there will also be The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye: The Musical.

Just keep the Filipinos away from it.

We don’t want history to repeat itself, do we?

- Published in The New Paper, 7 June 2015

Hello Mr Ong,

Enjoyed your "$8,000" story today. Can you please do one of similar vein on childish (or farcical" if I am cruel) antics of the three MCs of the ceremony. I have seen better MC performances in my daughter's secondary school concerts.

And I am not even referring to one of them's silly imitation of an Indian accent.

While you're at it, go count the number of times the word "extraordinary" was used by the ang moh commentator, especially.

We need some improvements in the closing ceremony commentary!

Thanks.
DH

UPDATE: I got this nice little shout-out from Sonny Liew after the column was published:

From the Newpaper!During research for the book, I discovered that SM's dad was a cartoonist too! http://smong.net/2012/06/what-is-art-and-meaning-of-movie.html

Posted by Sonny Liew on Saturday, June 6, 2015

Singapura: The Musical by foreigners no worse than NDP song by Singaporean

Talk about revisionist history.

Who knew that before nationhood, Singaporeans spoke with a Filipino accent?

But then expecting Singapura: The Musical by the Philippines-based 4th Wall Theatre Company to be an accurate portrayal of Singapore’s struggle for independence is like mistaking Les Miserables for a documentary about the French Revolution with singing.



Miserable is also how you can describe the press reviews for Singapura: The Musical, which premiered at the wonderfully refurbished Capitol Theatre earlier this month and will run until June 7.

The Straits Times complained that the musical “suffers from a horrendous lack of focus”, with “thinly drawn characters” and “pleasant but ultimately forgettable” music.

Today newspaper lamented that the 2½-hour musical is “based on real events, but never at any point feels real” and is “about two hours too long”.

With my expectations sufficiently lowered, perhaps it was not surprising that I found myself well entertained when I attended the performance on Friday night.

This was despite me not being entirely sure what was going on for much of the plot.

For example, if the wife owns a “kopitiam”, why does the husband need to work as a bus driver? Just so he can be involved in the Hock Lee bus riot?

By the way, the title Singapura: The Musical is a bit of a misnomer as it suggests a wider scope than is presented. It should be called Hock Lee Bus Riot & Its Consequences: The Musical.



Anyway, the point I want to make is, if my wife is rich enough to own a “kopitiam”, I wouldn’t be driving a bus. I’d be at home shaking leg all day.

I was further confused by the story because I was seated so far away from the stage in literally the Nth row of the circle seats on the third storey (which I had to take a lift to) that I could barely see the actors’ faces and had trouble identifying a few characters.



That’ll teach me for getting the cheapest ticket, which at $75 wasn’t very cheap anyway.

At that price, binoculars should be provided.

I was mad at myself for forgetting to use my Passion card to get the 10 per cent discount.



But after a while, the plot points and knowing who’s who didn’t matter. Once I let the visuals, songs and history lessons wash over me like magic rainbow dust and went with the flow, that was when I started enjoying myself.

Every time a man in white shirt and pants appeared on stage, I wanted to shout “LKY!” — although the musical strangely doesn’t mention Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s name at all.

So don’t worry, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong. No commercialisation of Mr Lee’s name or image here.

Yes, the accents are wrong, but having been conditioned by the mélange of weird accents on Channel 5 TV dramas from Masters Of The Sea to Mata Mata over the years, Singaporeans should be accustomed to foreign accents being passed off as local by now.



It’s as if the musical’s Filipino cast members are doing a reverse Amos Yee by trying to sound Singaporean whereas Yee is trying not to sound Singaporean with his American accent.



It’s more than a little ironic that a theatre company from the same country as ex-Tan Tock Seng Hospital employee Ello Ed Mundsel Bello, who once posted on Facebook that “Pinoy better and stronger than Stinkaporeans”, would mount a production celebrating the resilience of Singaporeans during the turmoil of the 50s and 60s.

Ello was charged last month with sedition and lying to the police.

So the musical could be seen as the Fililpinos making up for Ello’s transgressions — or another instance where they’re taking jobs from Singaporeans.

But would the show have been better if it were produced by Singaporeans?

Well, this year’s new official National Day Parade song Our Singapore is written by Dick Lee, a Singaporean, but it’s so generic and facile that it might as well have been outsourced to a foreigner.



In fact, Lee’s song probably wouldn’t sound too out of place in Hock Lee Bus Riot & Its Consequences: The Musical — and I don’t necessarily mean that as a bad thing.

Near the end of the show, (spoiler alert) when the “kopitiam”-owning wife dies of injuries from the MacDonald House bomb blast (end of spoiler), I almost cried.

Does that mean that instead of shaking leg, I have to run the “kopitiam” myself now?

At the end of the musical, I was so moved by the closing song that I wanted to shout “Merdeka!” because I felt somebody needed to.

And I did.

Fortunately, there was no one in the seats near me to tell me to shut up.

Vive la revolution, baby.

- Published in The New Paper, 31 May 2013



EARLIER: Dick Lee rhymes 'core' with 'Singapore' because NDP song for SG50

UPDATE: Singapura: The Musical shuts down abruptly after announcing extension

How to tell the difference between an A*Star scholar & an R21 actress

Like peas in a pod.

Sometimes two things happen around the same time and are so similar that you can get them mixed up.

For example, last week was the one-year death anniversary of two famous people, Nelson Mandela and Paul Walker. Mandela died on Dec 5 and Walker on Nov 30.

Mandela was portrayed by different actors like Idris Elba, Morgan Freeman and Terrence Howard in a number of movies.



Walker was an actor in a number of movies.

You see how easy it is to confuse the two?

Last month, Fandi Ahmad, a symbol of Singapore’s past football glory, was reported to have said in an interview that he wants to retire in Batam.



Soon after, Singapore lost 3-1 to Malaysia and was out of the Suzuki Cup after winning it the last time.

I have trouble telling the two events — Fandi’s interview and Singapore’s Suzuki Cup defeat — apart because they both resemble nails.

As in nails in the coffin holding the corpse that is Singapore football.

Hey, we may have finally found a use for the problematic field in the Sports Hub — burying that coffin.

To answer the mocking Malaysian video asking where the Singapore goalkeeper was during the Suzuki Cup match, he probably went to Batam to retire with Fandi.



Last week, two different Singapore women also made headlines for different reasons.

One is A*Star scholar and scientist Eng Kai Er, 30, who set up a mini arts grant to express her “pain of having a paid job that is not aligned with her interests”.

The other is actress and former Miss World Singapore finalist Angeline Yap, 27, who appears topless in the trailer for the R21-rated local movie Lang Tong, premiering this Saturday at the Singapore International Film Festival.



At least, I think it’s her. There are at least three different women in the trailer. The way the trailer was edited, it’s difficult to tell to whom the bare breasts belonged.



I rewatched the trailer online many times to be sure — and it’s the only reason I rewatched the trailer many times. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

So it would seem that Dr Eng and Yap couldn’t be more unlike each other.

Yet, because I read about them around the same time, they sort of blend into one person.

For one thing, both have artistic aspirations.

Besides setting up the arts grant, Dr Eng directed and performed in some theatre thing called Fish at Lasalle College of the Arts’ Creative Cube three months ago.



As for Yap, she told The Straits Times that the nudity in Lang Tong “was used to tell a story and to convey a message more clearly”.

She said: “To me, it’s a form of art.”

Like peas in a pod.

You may argue that it’s easy to tell them apart since only Yap showed her breasts.

Unfortunately, you would be wrong.

In 2009, Dr Eng was in the news after she was caught on camera showing her breasts and much more as she walked around nude in Holland Village at night with a naked Swedish male companion.

For some reason, I suddenly feel like going to Ikea for some meatballs.

According to reports, the unclothed couple were cheered by the crowd. For once, paying for the overpriced food in Holland Village seemed worth it.

But despite entertaining the Village people, Dr Eng and her companion, Mr Jan Philip, then 21, were later arrested.

Court documents said that a 43-year-old man walking his dog had alerted the police. Although I was 43 at the time, I never owned a dog, so it wasn’t me. But I once walked the dog with my yo-yo.



After the arrest, Dr Eng and Mr Philip explained that they went streaking (albeit very slowly) through Holland Village because they wanted to “seek thrill”. Clearly, they hadn’t tried shopping at Sim Lim Square.



Defending her in court five years ago, Dr Eng’s lawyer said that being a scholar at a top medical university, Dr Eng had the opportunity to contribute substantially in the area of anti-viral vaccines.

In the end, Dr Eng and Mr Philip were only fined $2,000 each when they could’ve been also jailed up to three months for public nudity.



Fast forward to present day.



Dr Eng writes on Tumblr to explain why she set up the No Star Arts Grant:

“My PhD project resulted in a thesis that less than five people read, and that not more than these five people actually want to read, about a very obscure virus that no normal people even know the name of, and my findings related to this obscure virus are nowhere near useful (look, I found out that the spike protein of Semliki Forest virus is responsible for the accumulation of autophagosomes in infected cells — what use is this information to you or the world, dear reader?)...”

TL;DR?

In short, what Dr Eng is saying is that her contribution in the area of anti-viral vaccines isn’t very substantial at all.

Now she tells us? After she got out of spending three months in jail?

Well, at least now there’s another way to tell the difference between Dr Eng and Angeline Yap.

One has been in trouble with the law for baring too much.

The other is an R21 actress.

- Published in The New Paper, 7 December 2014

‘Kill pretentious art groups’ flier is only satire

I saw this being shared on my imaginary Facebook the other day:

Dear Voices For Artists,

I was at the Singapore Day Festival on Monday afternoon and got hold of this flier a local anti-art group called Horizontal Helicopter was giving out.



After seeing this flier, I was enraged and approached one of group members to clarify their motive.

He said it was just “anti-art” and the message was not meant to tell people to really kill pretentious art groups.

I told him artist abuse is very real in Singapore and they should not even promote something like this – be it anti-art or be it a joke – as there will be sick people who may take this at face value and carry out this act in the name of “anti-art”.

Can I please ask that you investigate this wrong act and ensure this amateur “anti-art” group does not create any form of media of this nature in future?

Later, I saw this post on the make-believe Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Artists Not Animals (SPCANA) Facebook page:

SPCANA has just been alerted to this “Kill pretentious art groups!” flier.

We urge all members of the public to disregard the aforementioned notice’s instructions.

Under the Pretentious Artists Act, any form of cruelty to artists will render the offender liable to sentence of watching Arts On Okto every night for up to one year, a monetary fine of up to $10,000 or both.

We ask that the group responsible for this notice be mindful of how innovative art groups – a more apt term for “pretentious art groups” – are an integral part of our society ultimately.

We thank Voices For Artists for alerting us to this notice.

Then I saw this explanation on the fictitious Horizontal Helicopter anti-art group Facebook page:

This flier was one of a series of fliers conveying intentionally distressing and morally questionable messages, such as killing pretentious art groups, lying to your loved ones, and committing adultery.

As part of the exhibition at the Singapore Day Festival, the fliers and other exhibits explore the theme of pretentious art and other acts of evil.

Satirical didactics were used throughout the show with the intention to provoke reflection within the arch of the exhibition.

We do not advocate or condone the killing of pretentious art groups.

On the contrary, we are pleased that the issue of pretentious art is highlighted.

The next day, I saw this update on the make-believe SPCANA page:

SPCANA is putting this issue to rest, having heard from the relevant parties and understood the context. We urge all to keep calm, even as we remind all of the importance of upholding artist welfare.

For the record, we would like to clarify the following.

We are concerned about the messaging created by the four words, “Kill pretentious art groups!” and how it could be interpreted. Not everyone can understand how the reverse psychology, used in the performance, is supposed to work. Many will still take the phrase “Kill pretentious art groups!” at face value.

Remember pretentious artist wannabe Chris Ho’s recent “Kill Singaporeans” comment on Facebook, which he also said was satirical?



That didn’t go over very well too.

Looking at the ever-increasing number and severity of artist abuse cases rampant in Singapore today, we hope the organisers and group concerned can empathise with how we (SPCANA) – as well as many members of the public – are disturbed by how the message could be misconstrued.

Just last week, art group Vertical Submarine was subjected to online abuse for distributing fliers with the message “Kill stray cats”.



No wonder Hello Kitty didn’t want to be a cat any more.

We thank Horizontal Helicopter for their clarification on their Facebook page and in their private messages to us explaining their stand and rationale.

Finally, I saw this post on the non-existent Singapore Killjoy Movement page:

You might have heard of the growing controversy over the Singapore Day Festival exhibition after objections were made on social media to the “Kill pretentious art groups” flier in particular.

What you might not know is that the exhibition was supported by the Singapore Killjoy Movement.

The exhibition was about the pretentious art that can exist in our society like “Kill stray cats” fliers.

The intention was to ask of participants their own stand on pretentious art, whether they would participate in or reject these notions, through the use of satire and horror.

We wish to assure concerned individuals who were exposed to the edited versions of the flier circulating on social media that neither we, nor Horizontal Helicopter, in any way condone violence towards artists, or any of the other topics that were touched on during the exhibition.

If you have any other concerns or comments, please do write to us at killjoy@killjoy.sg.

- Published in The New Paper, 7 September 2014