Auditioning for Paper Crane

And so, last night wifey & I went to the closed audition for Paper Crane, another klpac production. 

There were a couple of firsts for us: 1st time doing a cantonese monologue, 1st time singing cantonese song in an audition(wifey did mandarin), and 1st time we both didn't have to go through the choreography segment of a musical audition because they know what we are capable of.

Whatever it is, the most important thing is of course whether we would get a place in the musical. Joe talked to the both of us before we started the audition(separately of course) and it appears that we would have to wait for another production to hope for any chance of playing lead roles together.

For wifey, Joe & Faridah informed her that there are 3 female roles in the musical made it clear that she was either too young or too old any of the roles. He therefore is auditioning her to be a featured ensemble.

For me, they told me there are 4 male roles and they may cast me as one of the 2 roles whose age are closer to mine(that, or I can pass as someone younger, I dunno). Joe was correct to say that I would not settle for just an ensemble. So if I am not cast as one of the leads, I would also be offered  the featured ensemble thingy.

So what is a featured ensemble?

I googled it and found this on Yahoo! Answers:

"If you weren't called back for a lead, named role, chances are you're probably going to be put in the ensemble. It sucks, but that's theatre. If you end up getting a role as a part of the "Featured Ensemble", as opposed to a regular "Ensemble", then you're probably, but not for sure, going to be given a one-line solo or a couple speaking lines in the show. So to answer your question, if you're CAST as "Featured Ensemble", you'll probably be a more prominent ensemble member." 
~ CourneysGoingToBroadway

And so, here lies our dilemma. It is for certain that we will be getting a call from Faridah, but do we want to do another musical as ensemble again? While it will be nice to be working with the likes of Joe, Mervyn & Lex again, wifey & I are looking for more challenge(or career development) and to be a featured ensemble, it is very similar to being just a regular ensemble. I want the challenge for performing in an english/cantonese fusion musical and I am sure she is too. Therefore, we will need to discuss this next week whether we will be doing this or not. If both of us are offered featured ensemble, I reckon at least 1 of us will not be accepting the offer.

If we say no to this, it is not because we are too proud to be an ensemble - ensemble can be fun too, but it's because we have just made career changes and we are still in the process of sorting things out in our work life. If there be another interruption in the form of a musical, then it must be worth the EXTRA effort we both would have to put in...

Decision, decision, decision....

Fri night thoughts: Death of a BODYCOMBAT DVD presenter & Amazing Grace heard on American Idol

Tonight I went to see a comedy court production at PJLA by Allan & Indi. While waiting for the show to start, I check my FB and was surprised to discover that a fantastic BODYCOMBAT presenter Hernan Lopez just passed away.

Another harsh reminder to all that our days are numbered. So don't waste your time & energy on things that you don't have the passion for. Cherish what you have and learn to live life to the fullest. Nothing official has been mentioned about what happened, though someone said something about a fatal car accident. Regardless, I will remember him for his signature "Colgate" smile and his deliberate OTT presentation of BC40 Track 2 "I Know Kung Fu". Thanks Hernan for the memories & RIP. You will be missed.

Anyhow, coming back from the show(which I think it's a good way to relax be entertained), I almost wanted to skip tonight's American Idol repeat because it was showing at 11.45pm. Anyhow, I am so glad I didn't miss it. The highlight of tonight's show was definitely Ramiro Garcia, worship leader of Lakewood Church.

Ramiro was born missing one ear and the other one was only partially formed with just and ear lobe. His parents were told that he would grow up deaf and mute. Yet after going through numerous surgeries, Ramiro managed to woo the judges with his rendition of  "Amazing Grace(My Chains Are Gone)". What a talent! He was born to sing & lead worship in spite of his "handicap".

It makes me think about church ministries. I firmly believe that if God calls you to do something, He will surely equip you with the tools to do the job. For example, if He calls you to be an usher, you will generally be patient and very warm. Same thing for worship ministry, where we are to "Sing a new song of praise to him; play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy"(Psalms 33.3). Imagine a drummer who keeps playing out of time or a guitarist who can't strum the chords properly. While spirituality is an area we need to look at, there has to be a certain level of competency when in comes to the technical aspect. 

I like what my pastor in Penang Christian Centre say: We give God our best, and that means serving with EXCELLENCE. Why must church music be second-rated compared to secular music, right?

Where do we go from here?

"Today is the beginning of a new era, the end of the Malaysian Girls pageant..."

How true it was for the cast on 15 January 2012. After spending 4 months together, it was time to say goodbye and move on to other things. So what has been happening since? Well, a few girls are getting themselves busy preparing for other shows!

BB(JJ Adams), Alexis(Tracy Starr), Anrie(Lin Lin), Sandee(Cassandra Lee), basically dived into another production. BB is currently rehearsing for "Boom" which will debut on 17 Feb, whille the other 3 are rehearsing for "Dead Man's Cell Phone", premiering  on 14 Mar, both at klpac. Interestingly, Sandee is also perparing for the restaging of "Shakespeare Demystified: The Merchant of Venice" at penangpac on 8 Mar. How she can rehearse for 2 plays at the same time is beyond me...

Amanda(Daphne Wong) was supposed to be in "Dead Man's Cell Phone" but somehow she dropped out - not sure what she's up to next but she was involved in "Relationship Status" which ended its run at selected TGV cinemas yesterday. If you didn't see it, it's your loss!

Freddy(Gucci Lim) has also started rehearsing for "Corporal PUNishment" as the director/writer. This should be a crazy show not to be missed. Who would want to miss Gucci Lim's first paid show as a director?

Tabitha(Serenity Billion) is probably taking a rest before starting her rehearsal for the restaging of "The Last Five Years" with Jon Chew, which should happen in June 2012. Probably the same for Aminda(Natasha B) has she has "Platform" slotted for May 2012. The same with Siti Farah(Jasmine Hibiscus), who will probably be involved in Kelvin Wong's last "Indicinelive!" in June/July.

Shiva(Rani) is in New York City auditioning for her Masters of Fine Arts. Hopefully I won't be seeing her soon. Character-wise, she was my favourite Malaysian Girl:)

Aliaa(Shakila Waheeda), the baby of the cast, is performing her umrah at the moment. Which means, I'll have to call her Hajjah Aliaa when I see her again. Hopefully she will be doing more shows and not stop here. She has much potential.

Pooja(Padma Padmavati) is in Singapore pursuing her studies and it will be a while before she steps onto stage again. Oh well, at least she is happy with her boyfriend there.

Aanantha(Ray Sanjay) is back on the airwaves with THR Raaga, Zoe(Sydney Belle) just came from Thailand celebrating her birthday, and Amelia(Charyse Devine) is probably preparing for Tapis Rouge Comedy Night : THE PLAYGROUND! which is happening on 31 Jan. Amelia was also the assistant director for "Relationship Status", by the way.

All 15 cast members accounted for... except yours truly(Bata Tan) & Mrs yours truly(Miss Lim). While I've started my new job as club manager in Gorgeous Fitness Bandar Puteri, she is in the process of handing over her job to her successor. However that doesn't mean we are not gonna be shaking our legs for 2012. More or less, we will be involved in Short + Sweet 2012, unless we have a paid production to do during the period of Sept./Oct. I sort of have 2 other projects in hand but I have not heard anything from the producer since we spoke in Dec 2011. Maybe I should give him a call....

Also, this weekend we'll be going to a closed audition for "Paper Crane", another Joe Hasham musical. While I am not particularly jumping with joy to do another Joe Hasham musical(dah basi!), I would, however, be excited if I can play a lead role for a change. It would be even better if we both can play the lead roles:)

Year 2011 has been great for both of us and hopefully 2012 will be even more interesting as we step out of our comfort zones and make some changes.

Oh, to those who are surprised, shocked, disappointed or upset that I am now working with the competitor, I only have this message for you:

 

The best pizzas....

... can be found on the island of Bali.

Man, I think I wanna go to Bali again!

"Not-really-a-review": Relationship Status

Today wifey & I finally got the chance to see this: 

We almost had to give this a miss due to Malaysian Girls run in Penang but TGV decided to extend its run til 25 Jan 2012. 

Before I give my take on the movie, let me start by saying that it is a good movie to watch with so many intertwined story lines. While some were more interesting than others, writer/producer/director Khairil M Bahar successfully connected the dots and everything makes sense, but not every story has a clear ending.

If there is a main story, then I would say that it the Gavin/Davina story. It is about 2 people who are in a relationship that is not clearly defined. Things are made complicated as Davina's Anna has a past that is stopping them from moving forward. I think both actors did well and they look good as a couple. However, I would say Tony & Daphne looked the best together as a divorced couple in this movie. I also like that their story ends with a phone conversation that indicates perhaps their marriage can have a 2nd chance.

Another story has fellow Malaysian Girls alumni Amanda Ang playing a girl whose bf just popped the big question. Unfortunately, May has a little bit of problem with the bf's bitchy sister, played by Adeline Ong, my director from Bars & Bedrooms. It's fun to see people you know acting in a movie and I find Adeline's line about how can one be successful in the film industry to be quite true for the theatre scene as well. (If I can earn a living by doing theatre, I would've quitted my job immediately!) Other stories include: a woman who found out by accident that her husband is flirting around online, a woman who is mourning the death of her husband, and a girl who realized that her bf may not be that compatible.

It is kind of cool watching 4-5 people I know acting in a movie. Khai's cameo was fun to watch and I wish I could see more of his story!

While I like the movie as a whole, some parts to me were a little draggy. Also, I don't think Pete Teo is old enough to play Adeline's dad and his character comes across like a chinese mafia when he was dealing with his family - maybe I still haven't forgotten him from Nasi Lemak 2.0, I don't know...

Do go catch it as it is currently showing in selected TGV cinemas.

Congrats to our local boys & girls!