Saturday, July 12, 2008
MAGICBOX Opening Performance
We have invited a member of the audience to blog about her experience at the opening of MAGICBOX:
Wow! Magicbox is a feast of sight, sound, emotions and, yes, magic. I simply must give you a little taste of everything.
The Magic (of course)
That’s what MAGICBOX is about. Please don’t challenge me to rate the best acts! Is it the Puzzle Box, in which Priscilla is compressed in an implausibly tiny cube? Or the Great Escape, where Priscilla changes place with Lawrence in less time than the twinkling of an eye? Of course, Spikes of Doom is the ultimate bogeyman of magicdom –a forest of wickedly long steel spikes that makes nail beds look like Dunlopillo.
However, it’s the ‘newbie’ to magic – Priscilla -- whose death-defying Spinning Blades of Death really had me at the edge of my seat. A larger-than-life ventilator fan is electrically powered to whirring speeds and Priscilla thrusts first her arm and then her entire body through this death machine!
The small-scale magic acts were no less powerful, especially on the tear glands -- Lawrence puts up a lyrical performance when he manufactures snow flakes out of thin air – a metaphor of his love for his daughter.
The Drama
MAGICBOX is not all about magic. It’s about a father’s love, a daughter’s loyalty, an under-appreciated son and old friends that go way back… It is a tearjerker rightly billed as entertainment for the whole family. This show reminds us to treasure our families and show our appreciation while our loved ones are still around to receive it.
The Comedy
I expected the magic, I read up on the cast, but I didn’t anticipate comedy starting from the opening act. Jonathan Lim, who played theatre-owner George, drew the first chuckle when he baptised his white hair with a name, and he just keeps the audience giggling in their seats through all the scenes. If I want to learn acting, I’ll understudy Jonathan Lim!
The Costumes
Sumptuous! I love the cabaret deck-out for the guys and gals, the kawaii nurses in miniskirts, and every piece of Priscilla’s wardrobe, from the peach bolero jacket in her parasol act to a white chiffon spaghetti strap affair, gold lame empire-waisted mini and a cool black Matrix overcoat.
The dancers’ stilettos were crippling skyscrapers that would have feminists picketing the theatre lobby, but don’t they create the loveliest figures!
The Conclusion
You know, I might just take up a friend’s invite to see the show, again. See, because these blue and yellow handkerchiefs were given out with the programme booklet, and I still haven’t figured out the magic act Lawrence taught about changing a blue hanky into a yellow one. I think I missed a step somewhere…
Friday, July 11, 2008
The Perfect Brother -- Dwayne Tan
One actor you should be looking out for is Dwayne Tan who reprises the role of Charlie - Lawrence’s son and Priscilla’s brother.
With his soft-spoken ways and sweet nature, Dwayne was the perfect foil for the charismatic Lawrence and hotheaded Priscilla. In fact, when he auditioned for the role, the casters Loretta Chen and Felina Khong said something along the lines of “Eureka! This is it! You are the one!”
Although MAGICBOX is touted more as a magic show than a theatre play, Dwayne is not flustered at all by the fact that he knows not one single magic trick.
“Sure, I was fascinated by magic when I was a young boy,” he recalled, “In fact, I used to think that magicians were making the supernatural happen. Then I learned that magic is just another art form, like acting. The real magic is the people who conceptualise the magic acts.”
Unlike other boys, Dwayne never got round to dabbling with magic, he was too busy pursuing his first love – acting!
Dwayne graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. He trained with Singapore Armed Forces Music and Drama Company and Theatreworks. He starred in Singapore’s own musical, Beauty World, and worked with other theatre companies like Action Theatre, The Necessary Stage, Imaginarts, among others.
He has released an EP titled Moments Alone; deejayed on radio, voiced for various animated series, and sang on stage for Disney on Ice. Dwayne also garnered good reviews with his performance in the USA theatre scene playing Ching Ho in Merry-Go-Round-Playhouse's "Thoroughly Modern Millie".
Not one of these were grand-scale theatre illusion productions. So, how does he feel being the ‘illiterate’ one with two professional magicians on MAGICBOX?
“Well... They do the magic, I do my acting,” he quipped mildly with a smile. “But seriously, it’s a great cast. I see the two worlds, magic and drama, fusing on this stage.”
For his role, Dwayne gets to do what other boys only dream of – make magic!
“Yup! You’ll see me doing hot stuff, literally. In a Torch Box scene, I’ll be pushing flaming torches into a box with a person inside and the person will remain unscathed. In another scene, I will be disappearing and appearing magically out of nowhere.”
“I can’t tell you more than that; people who get involved in magic productions have to sign a letter of No Disclosure,” he said, showing a cheeky side beneath the wholesome boy-next-door demeanour.
But it’s the acting challenges of the role that gets Dwayne really going.
“It’s a good role. There are lots of Charlies out there overlooked by their parents. They are good kids, but show some rebelliousness because they just want to be heard. Hopefully, parents who come to the show will leave with a better understanding of their children. And kids watching it will know that they are not alone.”
“I believe in doing shows with a good message. And I believe Charlie has something to tell the world.”
Looking and behaving naturally in a role is second nature for Dwayne, but he has had to work harder at it in this show.
“Magic has a presentation front which is quite artificial and yet one has to look and act naturally. Acting is simple compared to all this!” he said, shaking his head.
Dwayne says he is living every actor’s dream – being part of a new fusion of magic and drama. “I’ve played nerds, phantoms, I’ve animated puppets; I’ve played so many different roles that sometimes people don’t recognise that the actor on stage was me. And now this!” he smiles triumphantly, giving it his thumb's up.
Dwayne has lots of plans for the future – write plays, penetrate the US arts scene, direct a production… But for now, he is counting down to the opening performance of MAGICBOX at Esplanade.
And so are we!
With his soft-spoken ways and sweet nature, Dwayne was the perfect foil for the charismatic Lawrence and hotheaded Priscilla. In fact, when he auditioned for the role, the casters Loretta Chen and Felina Khong said something along the lines of “Eureka! This is it! You are the one!”
Although MAGICBOX is touted more as a magic show than a theatre play, Dwayne is not flustered at all by the fact that he knows not one single magic trick.
“Sure, I was fascinated by magic when I was a young boy,” he recalled, “In fact, I used to think that magicians were making the supernatural happen. Then I learned that magic is just another art form, like acting. The real magic is the people who conceptualise the magic acts.”
Unlike other boys, Dwayne never got round to dabbling with magic, he was too busy pursuing his first love – acting!
Dwayne graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. He trained with Singapore Armed Forces Music and Drama Company and Theatreworks. He starred in Singapore’s own musical, Beauty World, and worked with other theatre companies like Action Theatre, The Necessary Stage, Imaginarts, among others.
He has released an EP titled Moments Alone; deejayed on radio, voiced for various animated series, and sang on stage for Disney on Ice. Dwayne also garnered good reviews with his performance in the USA theatre scene playing Ching Ho in Merry-Go-Round-Playhouse's "Thoroughly Modern Millie".
Not one of these were grand-scale theatre illusion productions. So, how does he feel being the ‘illiterate’ one with two professional magicians on MAGICBOX?
“Well... They do the magic, I do my acting,” he quipped mildly with a smile. “But seriously, it’s a great cast. I see the two worlds, magic and drama, fusing on this stage.”
For his role, Dwayne gets to do what other boys only dream of – make magic!
“Yup! You’ll see me doing hot stuff, literally. In a Torch Box scene, I’ll be pushing flaming torches into a box with a person inside and the person will remain unscathed. In another scene, I will be disappearing and appearing magically out of nowhere.”
“I can’t tell you more than that; people who get involved in magic productions have to sign a letter of No Disclosure,” he said, showing a cheeky side beneath the wholesome boy-next-door demeanour.
But it’s the acting challenges of the role that gets Dwayne really going.
“It’s a good role. There are lots of Charlies out there overlooked by their parents. They are good kids, but show some rebelliousness because they just want to be heard. Hopefully, parents who come to the show will leave with a better understanding of their children. And kids watching it will know that they are not alone.”
“I believe in doing shows with a good message. And I believe Charlie has something to tell the world.”
Looking and behaving naturally in a role is second nature for Dwayne, but he has had to work harder at it in this show.
“Magic has a presentation front which is quite artificial and yet one has to look and act naturally. Acting is simple compared to all this!” he said, shaking his head.
Dwayne says he is living every actor’s dream – being part of a new fusion of magic and drama. “I’ve played nerds, phantoms, I’ve animated puppets; I’ve played so many different roles that sometimes people don’t recognise that the actor on stage was me. And now this!” he smiles triumphantly, giving it his thumb's up.
Dwayne has lots of plans for the future – write plays, penetrate the US arts scene, direct a production… But for now, he is counting down to the opening performance of MAGICBOX at Esplanade.
And so are we!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)