A Twist of Fate

A Twist of Fate

It's an SRT collaboration with VizPro. I saw the advert on TV on day some time during the exams and told my dad that that was a great show and it was a pity that I was not able to make it for the show because of the exams. I like SRT's productions and my dad knew that, he has been acting as a cab driver for me down to the DBS Arts Theatre more than a couple of times already.

That's just part of the story.

Then one fine day before my last paper, I decided that it's time for me to face up to someone and mark the complete to the circle. So I SMSed him out for coffee or something, hoping to bridge the gap that has rifted between us. Surprisingly, he asked me out for this show, A Twist of Fate. A pretty stoic show to mark everything which has happened between us. Student priced matinee, $60 only for stall seats, quite a steal. Actually, even without the steal of a price, I'd jump for the show.

Are things back to normal?

Fast forward to two days before the show. As mentioned previously in my entry, I fell sick and had that drug allergy and went for that scope, just the day before the appointment to watch the show. I was actually contemplating on Thursday night when my eyes were dilating and my eyeballs rolling up should I message him and tell him that I was sick, but in the end I didn't cos I couldn't see my handphone, actually. When my doctor subscribed me to the scope for the next day, I was wondering if I could actually still go out of my house the day after, but cos I was stuck in the hospital without my phone and everything I didn't manage to contact him. After I got back from the hospital, my eyes were back to normal, I talked it out with my parents and they thought it would be good for me to go out and get some fresh air. I also didn't think he could actually get a replacement that immediate, so I went.

One thing about being sick is that, I get to have my personal taxi driver in my dad. I know he has always been the best, but it's times like this that I actually realise he is better than the best. yup~ He gave me a lift down to Esplanade, and that made me early for my appointment. While waiting for him, honestly I a bit regretted meeting him and having to wait for him. It does feel odd, meeting someone you are so close to yet so distanced away from. And having to wait. yes~ Joan hates waiting...

Later, we started discussing about the local theatre scene. Mainly English theatre. It seems like in Singapore, the only sell outs are English dramas, Chinese dramas don't receive that much support of the local community. It's pretty sad, in that both of us are working so hard in Chinese drama yet seeing enough to feel so disheartened and want to shift our focus to something else. I have been attached to Dramabox for a month sometime during my JC days and I feel for the kind of dramas they put up, sort of experimental, and exploring drama. In English theatre, the kind of experimental theatre and exploring drama is typified by the dramas put up by The Necessary Stage.

But he sees more future in the dramas of Singapore Repertory Theatre. I enjoy watching productions by SRT, but what I can say about their theatre is that, it's main aim is more of to make money that to do drama. But as what he says, making money is important. Take me for example, even though I might feel for experimental plays and exploring dramas, it is the conventional productions which I actually am more willing to part my money with to watch, and the economics does add up that way.

A Twist of Fate was touted as "the original murder mystery musical comedy". Someone from our Chinese Drama group once asked our tutor if it was possible to do a mystery play. Tecnically, it is very difficult to put in all the elements of suspense on a stage where the set is set and everything is on stage, but looking at the result of A Twist of Fate, I'd say, "way cool~"

Being a actress myself, I always find it commendable to act in a musical. Mainly due to the fact that I cannot sing for nuts, let alone sing and dance and act all at the same time, so I really admire the musical actors and actresses. Staging a musical has always been a dream by our drama group, but logistically, it's not very possible for us to stage it, hence I think this will remain as one of our regrets.

Since A Twist of Fate and ended its run and I think those who wants to watch it would have watched it already and those who don't want to watch it wouldn't be that interested anyway, so spoilers ahead as I give the plot of this musical away.

A Twist if Fate is set in 1937 Singapore, in a Peranakan family of the wealthy Lim Ching Boon, the title character never appears in the musical although it is casted and credited. His first wife died leaving him a daughter whom he spoiled. She grew up and ran away with an angmo, leaving a child behind and abandoned. Old Mr Lim took a second wife, previously being his maid, she bore him a daughter. Other people in the family included a servant boy, who was in love with the daughter, a nurse, who witnessed Old Mr Lim murdering his first daughter and her angmo boyfriend, a business associate who has a pretty suspicious relationship with the second wife, a lawyer whom he wanted to leave his fortune to also on pretty suspicious circumstances, and an angmo girl who came into the House of Lim searching for the truth behind her background.

Humorous with an added romantic twist coupled with the muder mystery and the mystery behind the background of the angmo girl, this musical was delightful to watch. Being the short-attention spanned girl, and just recovered from all that shit, I actually managed to sit through everything. Commendable efforts to Sheila Francisco who acted as the second wife, Ming. She was great as the matriarch and her powerful vocals illuminated the whole musical. Adrian Pang was great too. I almost couldn't recognise him. He was just as witty and funny and sprouting out one liners naturally like he was the character. Especially at the end when his secret was exposed, he was just as funny and amusing. The light-hearted romantic twist between Sebastian Tan's Ah See and Emma Yong's Alice was splendid and very very comical. In fact, he thought that Ah See was the most fun character to play with.

All the hype of bringing in Laura Michelle Kelly was pretty much over-hyped, I thought. Perhaps it was all that bringing in a professional West End actress and everything that made me expect so much more from her, but the thunder was stolen by her supporting cast with their little little antics. Anthony Drewe as the Inspector was also another disappointing character. He was more of a narrator than a sleuth which he was supposed to be. Secrets were exposed by themselves rather than him investigating it and exposing the lies and discrepancies.

Still, a fun and light-hearted musical which lit my day up.

Thanks for asking me out~ *curtseys*

Also thanks for accommodating my picky tongue and accompanying me to eat xiao long baos after the show. hahaha~ I really pushed my treshold for eating xiao long baos by downing two full baskets of it. 8 baos altogether and I still not sick and tired of them.

Suddenly I'm so looking forward to my this vacation. With a shopping trip with my cousin and sister, and Mirrormask coming up and another great movie, Perhaps Love which I can swoon over Takeshi Kaneshiro for 2 hours, and more outings with the girls, I'm really sorry I had to give Friday a pass, I was stuck in the operating theatre of East Shore Hospital.

Life is good. I must say...