Singapore, 1 July 2016 – Be transported into a bygone era with a spectacular dance, drama and music production with tales from Old Shanghai to Fragrance Bay. Aptly titled, Glitz & Glamour, this stunning example of musical theatre by Dama Asia Productions has a distinct Asian flavour, reviving the rich legacy of popular Chinese music spanning from the era of Old Shanghai, the Silver Screen of Shaw Brothers and Cathay cinemas. The production makes its Singapore debut at Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands from 11 August for a limited season.
Tickets are now on sale.
Performed in the style of a docu-tainment, the talented cast bring a spectacle of dance and musical classics such as heart-warming songs from the evergreen Golden Chinese Oldies (shi dai qu).
Glitz & Glamour weaves together two parallel stories that explore themes of celebrity, nostalgia, musical history and comedy in an entertaining display of theatrical flair. The plot is narrated in English and highlights the rise of the shi dai qu genre during the 1930s to 1960s. The life of the protagonist, Budding Rose, a sweet village girl, unfolds against this historical backdrop. The story of Budding Rose is a classic tale of a country girl leaving her home to fulfil her aspirations of stardom in the big city. Young and inexperienced, she enters Shanghai’s seedy nightclub scene, competing against stars like Lady Star, to seek her fame and fortune, and vying for attention in love.
The cast for the Singapore premiere includes singing sensation and theatre stalwart, Tan Soo Suan, who will play Budding Rose, and Liow Jun Yi as The Man. They join Evelyn Toh as the Lady Star and Dominic Luk will play the Secret Admirer.
Tan Soo Suan’s recent performances include Larger Than Life, I Have a Date with Spring and Butterfly Lovers – The Musical at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, and Evergreen (A Tribute to Barbara Streisand) at the Theatre Lounge Café in Kuala Lumpur. In 2013, Tan received the Boh Cameronian's Awards 2013 for the Best Actor in a Leading Role for her performance in Empress Wu. Her rendition of Eternally was featured in Tsai Ming-Liang’s film, I Don’t Want To Sleep Alone, premiered at the Venice International Film Festival 2006.
Liow Jun Yi is a tenor who graduated from Malaysian Institute Of Arts. He has won numerous singing awards across Malaysia including a Gold Award in 11th China-ASEAN Arts Festival, and the Festival of Asian Arts. Liow performed in the leading role of Liang Shan Bo in Butterfly Lovers, which received to rave reviews. His other theatre credits include I Have A Date With Spring (2009, 2010 & 2015), The Moon Speaks For My Heart (2011 & 2013) and In Perfect Harmony - A Malaysian Musical Journey (2011).
Evelyn Toh graduated with a BA (Hons) in Music from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. She has won numerous vocal awards including Grand Finalist in International Vocal Competition 2004 in China, Grand Champion in the Malaysia Vocal Competition (2004), Grand Champion in the Malaysia Singapore Vocal Competition 2004, 3rd Prize in Festa Canzone The Art Song Vocal Competition 2005. Toh’s stage credits include the opera Marriage of Figaro, Tunku, The Perfect Circle, The Moon Speaks for My Heart, Siddhartha and Princess Wen Cheng.
Dominic Lucien Luk studied classical music and performing arts at LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore with a focus on vocal pedagogy. He moved to Boston to pursue a Master of Arts specialising in music and gender studies, and studied singing for musical theatre with Pamela Wolfe. Luk also trained in choral conducting at Harvard University. Luk’s stage credits include: Molina (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Prior Walter (Angels In America), Oscar (A Language of Their Own), John Auyong (The Weight of Silk on Skin).
SEASON DETAILS
CALENDAR EDITOR’S NOTE: GLITZ & GLAMOUR
Season: 11-21 August 2016
Venue: Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands
Cast: Malaysian cast
PERFORMANCE TIMES:
Performances
Thursday, Friday & Saturday: 8:00pm
Matinees Saturday: 2:00pm Sunday: 1:00pm
TICKET PRICE:
Tickets for Glitz and Glamour are priced from S$78, $98, $108, $128
* Excludes the booking fee of SGD$4 per ticket
BOOKINGS: INTERNET:
PHONE: +65 6688 8826
IN PERSON AT:
Marina Bay Sands Box Offices (Museum, Theatres, SkyPark, Retail Mall and Hotel Tower 1 Lobby). For more information please log onto - www.MarinaBaySands.com/ticketing
About Dama Asia Productions
Dama Asia is a multiple award-winning music theatre company, well known for their exquisite blending of East-West harmonies in their musical performances. Since their inception in 1994, Dama’s productions have been staged to critical acclaims and full houses in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia and China. They have also showcased their works at music festivals such as Rainforest World Music Festival, WOMAD Singapore, Silk & Bamboo Music Festival, Huayi Festival of Arts and Volvo World Music Festival.
Currently, the production house has five main areas of focus: (a) Dama Music Theatre (musical), (b) Dama Playhouse (drama), (c) Dama International Opera (opera); (d) performing arts education; and (e) event. Dama also enjoyed the artistic collaboration and support from Professor Wu Yanqiu (China), Chris Grady (the UK), Kevin Alan Park (South Korea) and Hsu Wei-En (Taiwan). Dama's recording of Eternally was featured in renowned film director Tsai Ming-Liang's film, I Don't Want To Sleep Alone, which was screened at the Venice International Film Festival 2006 in Italy. For more information, please visit www.damaorchestra.com
About BASE Entertainment Asia
BASE Entertainment Asia is one of Asia Pacific’s leading presenters of live entertainment. Based at the spectacular Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort in Singapore, the company has presented many of the world’s most recognised musicals including Phantom of the Opera, Disney’s The Lion King, Wicked, Jersey Boys, CATS, My Fair Lady, Annie, Starlight Express, The Sound of Music and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Additionally BASE Entertainment Asia also presented concerts such as Michael Bolton, Thriller Live, Beatlemania, Bjorn Again, Cliff Richard, AR Rahman, and Elvis Costello. The company has also presented Disney Live on behalf of Feld Entertainment for the past 4 years plus global children’s performers Hi 5 and The Wiggles. In 2014 BASE Entertainment Asia presented the Asian premiere of the equestrian spectacular Cavalia which enjoyed a sellout season in Singapore. BASE Entertainment founders Brian Becker and Scott Zeiger, have 45 years combined experience in the live entertainment industry. The company has offices in Singapore, New York, Las Vegas, and Houston. For more information, please visit www.BASEentertainmentAsia.com
