Dreamgirls

I was going to write about the show as soon as I came out, unfortunately it was 11:30 p.m., I had a 7:00 a.m. gym appointment the next day... well you know the drill.

But anyways, I thought I would drop a quick note to tell you this.
KL-ites, if you are in town you MUST watch this show. One of the best Ive seen of Malaysian musical productions... ever!

I guess before I begin I need to set expectations straight. Its a good show, but it still isnt good enough to compete with the likes of New York or London. But that being said, I still think its a really great move in the right direction for the Malaysian art scene.

When I initially checked out the show, I was a bit skeptical. The stagebill had Azura and Cheryl Samad listed - pretty well known TV show VJs. I thought it was going to be the same formula as Puteri Gunung Ledang and Cuci the Musical - well known actors and actresses who were 'ok' singers. But Azura and Cheryl pulled it off well. Azura slightly daffy and starstruck in the beginning as Lorell Robinson but becoming more independent in the second half and Cheryl Samad providing the perfect balance with her soft soulful voice as Deena Jones and coming fully into character in the second half.

Imagine my shock when I heard the first number and realized - wow, these girls can sing!
It may however take a bit of time to get with the flow of the show. The cast had been trained to have a Southern/ black accent which was a little jaring especially knowing it was a local cast. It takes a while to get used to it, but once you do, everything clicks into place and you just think to yourself, they really went all out on this.

The male cast members also didnt pale in comparison Tony Eusoff was an amazing singer and pulled off the character of Curtis Taylor Jr. splendidly. Dafi was great as the endearing younger brother and I was surprised to see that he was a contestant on Akademi Fantasia as he acted and sang really well. I had the stereotype view that most of the contestants from that show were more comfortable conversing and singing in Malay. As for the toughest male character to play, Kris Coleman did a really great job acting pretty close to what I remember Eddie Murphy doing. Again, was worried that they would have allowed for an 'ok' local singer/ actor but luckily they were willing to fly Kris in all the way from Broadway, New York

And now... the cream of the crop... introducing.... *drumroll* Dina Nadzir as Effie White!! She was amazing! simply amazing. First-off she sounded her character. She reminded me so much of Jennifer Hudson. When she sang, I had goosebumps up my skin. And secondly she was completely in character, it was not 'trained' at all. She embodied the feeling, and when I looked at the descriptions I thought I could understand how she did it.

It was life imitating art - in a way I guess. Jennifer Hudson did not win American Idol, Dina Nadzir did not win Malaysian Idol (runner up). In terms of ensemble, Jennifer Hudson and Dina ostood out as being a little fuller than their Deena Jones and Lorrell counterparts. And in terms of singing... my god that woman can sing. It was effortless - she was born to sing.

If you havent seen the show yet, I strongly strongly recommend you to go. As for further tips on making full use of your time and effort and money - buy a cheap weekday ticket. Typically the theater doesnt end up full and they try to fill in the downstairs area rather than spread everyone around, so you get to move to better seats anyways. Take note Istana Budaya, if you would like to maximize your seating you may want to have a pricing strategy that makes it cheaper on weeknights - Im pretty sure you can fill in the seats better (ala Air Asia). Celebrities also tend to come on weekdays, there was quite a few in the audience while I was there, Hans Isaac and Afdlin Shauki, so you may get to rub shoulders with them too! The downside is that if you go right after the performers break day it still takes a bit to get back in the groove again - so bear the buzzes and mic issues.

This is the second (if Im not mistaken) musical production by Broadway Academy Malaysia, and here's hoping for more performances like this one.

More details here and details on Broadway Academy here