Stepping Into The Forbidden City

Yesterday saw the very first time I ever watched something in the Esplanade since Lao Goh, the visionary for the durian building has passed away.

Quite sad really.

But anyway, Iw as there to watch Dick Lee's Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress and it was really a very good show. I have always loved to watch musicals just that I am always broke and if it's not the fact that I got a 1K payout from my insurance premiums I would have missed the show again, two years after its first opening in Singapore. The same Durian place also.

Thing was, the Wife and I watched the afternoon slot which meant no Kit Chan, but the interesting thing was the Wife's very good friend is actually acting as the Empress in the stead of Kit who has opted out of acting in noon shows so from now on the noon shows will be fronted by the Wife's chum, a good singer in the name of Celine Tan.

I was blown away by all the singing and the dramatics. Rarely was I ever left not feeling a sense of sympathy for the Empress Dowager who was really portrayed as someone who is looking for a friend she can trust in the palace where she has been fighting all her life in just to survive.

Of course, the real-life Empress could have been a monster but the one in the show was a piteous character. A mother who was torn from her son, only to see him die in her arms at a young age. A helpless ruler who is forced to do the things she thinks are right for an ailing China but turns out really bad. All the while enduring the scathing reviews and lies on her personality and character by the prevailing Western-dominated media of China at the turn of the 20th century.

Very, very good show. If you guys have not watched it yet, then please do, even if you need to buy the cheapest ticket. Simply hearing it for youself is an experience in itself. Mona was talking and raving about this show called "Rent" in her previous posts and I wonder when it's coming to Singapore or has it already?

I really don't know but I hope I can watch it.

After a jaunt in wartorn China...

The Wife and I stepped into too cool for your shit Miami where we saw Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx in Miami Vice. Didn't pay a single cent as it was a media preview which was all good considering I spent a bit on both the musical and the Wife's presents since it was her birthday yesterday.

But it was worth it la, we were happy after all.

PS: Miami Vice is really cool. I didn't watch the original TV series but in the movie, Gong Li is a hot chick even at 40+ and I like Jamie Foxx's character as Rico. Colin Farrell's hair sucks and is damn ugly imho. Gawd. There was this part where I got a side view of Gong's pair of love pillows and ya, there were quite a bit of cut scenes due to nudity. Damn, just raise the bar to R lah.

Stupid censors put it at NC-16...grr.