Despite garnering several less-than-stellar reviews, Singapura: The Musical is worth the watch – our entertainment writer shares why
Warning: Spoilers ahead
After watching a number of stage productions and reviewing some of them, I’m still not a fan of musicals. So it came as a surprise when I was profoundly moved by Singapura: The Musical.
Set in the tumultuous period from 1955 to 1965, Singapura focuses on the Tan family and its struggles during the waves of social and political changes in Singapore during that era. The Tans own a traditional kopitiam, a popular coffee shop where their neighbours hang out.
Meanwhile, riots and unrests are erupting in the streets. Some of the local characters from conservative families also engage in taboo affairs with British soldiers. Sparks are flying everywhere – and not just between countries.
It’s a narrative that we Singaporeans might be familiar with but Singapura brings another dimension to the story.
Personal Tales of Loss & Love
I was promised, by Singapura’s creator Ed Gatchalian himself, that the musical will show what ordinary Singaporeans were going through during this trying period. If you missed it, the show’s tag line is
“The untold stories, told.”
I was relieved when it delivered exactly as promised – portraying friends torn between alliances. After 16 years of local education, I didn’t want another Social Studies lesson about the advantages of merger, or the like.
The Tan family is good friends with its neighbours of all races. During the merger, it’s truly heartbreaking to see them yanked from their familiar community, and be caught in a vicious tug of war.
The Tans, in a bid to seek safety, grapple with the guilt of abandoning kopitiam and country. One character begs his stubborn, conservative family to help his friends of other races.
Hardly do we get to see controversial events such as Konfrontasi and the Hock Lee bus riots enacted on stage; Singapura manages to translate them into personal struggles without taking sides. It simply shows you how a split nation had torn the common man.
And, the musical doesn’t worship the “Man in White”. (He’s a character in the show symbolising some of our political leaders.)
The only shortcoming of this show was how much emotion there was to spill out in so little time, perhaps resulting in characters that some critics have remarked as “simplistic” and “unrelatable”.
Local Slang, Foreign Faces
Perhaps a large part of this factor is due to the foreign nationalities in the cast. Singapura was touted as a show for the world acted out by international talents. The cast largely consists of Filipino thespians, together with Canadians, Americans and Singaporeans.
As expected, their accents showed. But they made an honest, respectable effort to capture the Singlish slang and – most importantly – not make a joke of our local accents, whether Chinese, Malay, Tamil or Singlish.
Imitating an accent takes a while. Making it not sound like satire or racism takes even longer. I know I can’t even speak my own mother tongue without sounding like a parody of my own race.
I did question the occasionally oddly-used “lah” and “kiasu” but I have to give them credit for not portraying Singlish as a big cultural caricature. It wasn’t perfect but neither was it distasteful.
Moving Musical Numbers
Ultimately, what makes Singapura stand out is its original, heartfelt and enjoyable score, which was done justice by the powerful vocals of the cast. From the comical to the rousing, Gatchalian delivered a collection of poignant and pleasing songs.
The catchy number “At the Kopitiam” used our local slang affectionately to capture the boisterous kampong spirit of a coffee shop that many of us are nostalgic for.
Other hits included “Moving Forward”, a hopeful sonata about Singapore’s then-future; and the encouraging “Tomorrow Begins Today”.
Unfortunately, due to patchy audio on the day I caught the show, I was unable to catch a number of the key verses in the musical which, from the parts I could hear, were potentially some of the wittiest lines in
the show.
Nevertheless, with Singapore’s Golden Jubilee rolling in around the corner, this is a timely performance to catch to get into the celebratory mood.
If anything, Singapura shocked me with the dawning realisation that our nation has achieved so much in only 50 years – so much that our neighbours are compelled to learn and share it with the world.
That’s a sentiment behind this musical that I truly appreciate, even if the delivery doesn’t satisfy some of those who’ve seen it.
By Pamela Chow
Singapura: The Musical is now showing at the newly-refurbished Capitol Theatre, and has been extended until Jul 19. Book your tickets at singapurathemusical.com.
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