La Vie Boheme

The week has been quite busy since my return down under - OT list ended at 9pm on Monday, and 8:30pm on Tuesday. Guess it's the last-minute rush before the "silly season", which is what they call Christmas here. Don't ask me why though, cuz I can't give the official version. Methinks it may have something to do with the parties & the feasting & merry-making that goes on - have heard quite a few wild stories about what has happened in the past.

Anyway, today we finished at 6:30pm, as scheduled, cuz Maurie, our anaesthetist, had to go attend his daughter's 21st birthday party, which is a big event with 80 invited guests & a speech by him. Apparently that's also the tradition here, to have fantastic 21st B-day parties, with lots of food, booze & speeches and stuff.

So I found myself running off after work to catch Opera Australia's last performance of Puccini's La Boheme at the Arts Centre ! Had thought of catching it earlier but somehow did not manage to & had thought that I would most likely miss it since the list usually ends past 7pm on Wednesdays.

Things got off to a bad start as traffic was pretty bad along Flinders St ( usual rush-hour ) & I spent about half an hour just getting to St Kilda Road from East Melbourne. This is a journey that would only take like 10 minutes at the most if traffic conditions were ideal.

Then I found to my horror that the Arts Centre carpark was full, and that was right at the entrance to the carpark ! Only vehicles with prepaid valet parking could enter. So I had to make a u-turn & look for an alternative, with about 5 minutes to spare.

Was relieved to discover a carpark down in the opposite direction, which cost only $7 per entry, as compared to $12 for the night at the Arts Centre if one were to go for a performance. Yup, parking in Melbourne can be VERY expensive....

So I practically ran down the road after parking, to get to the box office to get my ticket. After getting the precious ticket, I then ran down the corridor to look for the correct entrance to the performance venue. Imagine my dismay when I heard the announcement that the doors were shut & saw the ushers closing the doors just about a few seconds before I got to the right door !!!

I was most upset when they told me that I had to wait till some other people came along before they could admit us up to the Circle seats at the back. We could then make our way to our actual seats at the interval. Meanwhile, there was a tiny monitor where we could see what was going on onstage ( rather like the ones at our Esplanade Theatres).

After what seemed like an eternity ( though it was probably more like 5 minutes ), me & another poor chap were taken into the hall & seated at the side, right in the back.
I was quite upset at first, but eventually calmed down & got into the performance.

This was a very modern interpretation of La Boheme, the cast being dressed in modern street clothes & the sets being that of low rent apartments somewhere in Paris.
The story is that of the lives & loves of artistes who struggle for their art & love.
If u think that's familiar, well, yes, it's the story that Jonathan Larson adapted in his hit musical "RENT" ( pls refer to previous post ).

The opera is in Italian even though it's set in France ( well, Puccini's Italian ! ) & although I could catch bits of it with my limited understanding of Italian, it was good to have English "surtitles" ( yup, they were projected above the stage, hence the name ) to read as well. These were "Proudly sponsored by Hilton on The Park ".

This was the first time I was watching this, so was quite an interesting experience of discovery, since I only knew the plot vaguely. It was also somewhat gratifying to recognise a couple of the songs in it & to try to compare & contrast it with its "birthchild", RENT. Of course neither AIDS nor homosexuality featured in it, & Mimi dies from what was most likely TB, and not AIDS related pneumonia, which is reflective of the time in which it was written cp. RENT.

Was pretty impressed with the cast, who all sang well, as well as the orchestra, who played very well. The sets were also very interesting, involving like cross-sections of apartments which could be moved up & down ! In the end I was very glad I made the effort to go & catch the performance, though I made a mental note to avoid parking at the Arts Centre itself next time & use the nearby carpark instead and of course, to avoid being late as far as possible.

Afterwards I decided to save money by going home to eat, so quickly went to my car & started on the drive home, which would thankfully, be short & swift ( about 10 minutes ). While waiting at the traffic light outside the carpark, I was unexpectedly taken by the sight of the Arts Centre tower, covered with its running blue lights and the lattice of twinkling golden lights below that on the roof, against the dark sky. This was further enhanced by the full moon, which appeared almost unreal, like a pasted object, casting a pale glow next to the tower.
Very picturesque ending to a lovely night at the opera...

No Day But Today

Went for RENT, the musical on Sunday - it was the last performance of the run in Singapore. It was the the 3rd time I was watching this musical - first caught it in London more than 5 years ago, then saw it again here in Singapore a few years ago with a cast made up of local singers as well as international.

My motivation this time ? Well, just curiousity about how Karen Mok would fare in this production. She was obviously the selling-point for this particular production in Singapore, as lots of people here, especially the more "chinese-speaking" crowd, would be familiar with her singing & acting capabilities from the many records she has produced & films she has been in. This time, however, she would be doing it all live, and in a different context - that of the Western Broadway musical, which would test her mettle much more.

Also, I was intrigued by the comments of a reviewer who said that RENT appeared dated because of the changes in perception towards homosexuality & AIDS & the availability of treatment for this terrible disease. The musical was written at the time where the scourge of AIDS & the hopelessness of the situation it presented was very real & immediate. So it was with much anticipation & excitement that I went to Kallang Theatre on Sunday night to watch with a good friend of mine.

My review of the performance ? It was commendable, especially considering the sound problems they had to deal with. I was reminded again of how much I dislike Kallang Theatre as a performance venue when the singing mikes went wonky & gave up during Joanne's duet with Mark ( "The Tango Maureen" ). For the uninitiated, this was a song that Joanne sings with Mark, about their experiences with Maureen, a performance artist, who used to be Mark's girlfriend but left him for Joanne, a black lawyer ( yes, female ), who stereotypically fights for human rights, etc & manages Joanne's performances on the side. The artiste who played Joanne gamely proceeded to take the SECOND extra mike ( the first one also died ! ), which was passed to her by the band leader ( the band stays on stage throughout the musical ), stuck it in her bosom so that her singing could continue to be heard while she tangoed around on the stage with Mark during the song. Talk about professionalism !

Yes, the performers were very professional, and they made the best of the poor & unreliable sound system. We were also treated to the wonderful displays of agility by many in the cast, including Karen Mok herself ( playing the druggie, Mimi ), who danced & pranced around on tables, high bars & scaffolding.

All sang well, & I was especially thrilled by the voices of Roger, Joanne & Maureen & also Tom Collins ( yes, there's an interesting name for a character !).
Karen sang pretty well, but I couldn't help comparing her with the Mimis I had seen previously, especially the first one I saw in London. I felt that Karen's voice lacked pathos & power at the crucial moments & her performance failed to bring out the vulnerability which was central to Mimi's character. Mimi's conflict between her love for Roger & her need for drugs was not as well depicted as it could have been. One thing's for sure though, Karen's a great dancer & very fit & agile, as she handled the moves on the scaffolding & high bars very well ! She also looked very good & the form-fitting costumes showed off her trim figure very well - sure made me feel like I have got to hit the gym soon...haha...;-)

Anyway, although the context of the musical did seem a bit dated, the message I got at the end is one which is ever important & relevant :

NO DAY BUT TODAY !

In other words, life is short & unpredictable, so handle each day with care & make the most of whatever time you have, to share the love you have with everyone you meet ( like Angel, the character that dies ) & let your love flow & show. In so doing, the world will be a better place for your contribution.
Like the words of the musical's most famous song , " How do you measure the life of a woman or a man ? Measure in Love....."

1 John 4:19