A Filipino-made Singaporean musical

Photos by Pepper Teehankee and Dan Gil

My childhood friend Joel Trinidad and I came up with an idea of writing our own musical in the late ‘80s when we found it very hard to score tickets to Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera both in the West End and Broadway. So we started writing a draft of that Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve movie Somewhere in Time, which we hoped would be a smash musical. We thought it would be easy enough to come up with a musical. We gave up after a week.

Flash forward to this year and I got a call from Joel asking me if I wanted to attend the Singapore preview of some songs from his musical, which is about Singapore’s struggle for independence. Singapura: The Musical, which will run from April to July 2015, will be staged as the first presentation in the iconic Capitol Theatre in Singapore when it reopens its reconstructed theater. I recently flew to Singapore to hear six songs that were previewed to the Singaporean press.

Joel and Ed Gatchalian (whom everyone calls Tito Ed) are part of The 4th Wall Theatre Company (Manila), a theater production company registered in Manila for the purpose of creating, producing and mounting original musicals written by Filipino playwrights and composers. It is affiliated with The 4th Wall Theatre Company Pte. Ltd. (Singapore) with the Singapore company being the distribution and marketing arm of the Manila company.

Joel and Ed co-wrote a musical called Rivalry: Ateneo-La Salle The Musical (which won for Tito Ed the Best Music for a Filipino Musical Award in the 2012 Broadway World Philippines Awards). When Rivalry was being performed at the Meralco Theater in the early 2012, two Singaporean businessmen went to the backstage after the performance wanting to meet Tito Ed. One asked, “Have you ever thought of writing a musical about Mr. Lee Kuan Yew?” He replied, “No, I haven’t, but it sounds like a good idea.” The next thing Tito Ed knew he was on a plane to Singapore to start his research. He read page after page of The Singapore Story and got to know more about Lee Kuan Yew. He read more memoirs and started conceptualizing scenes on his mind. He then decided to start writing random songs about what he was reading…then, Singapura: The Musical was born. Lee Kuan Yew is the first Prime Minister of Singapore and is widely recognized as the founding partner of modern Singapore.

Pre-production for the musical has already started and the final cast will be selected next month. Workshops and rehearsals will begin September this year. Capitol Investment Holdings Pte. Ltd. has entered into a venue partnership with The 4th Wall Theatre Company Pte. Ltd. for the staging of Singapura: The Musical. Concept and music is by Ed Gatchalian, libretto is being written by Joel Trinidad, artistic director will be Loy Arcenas with assistant director Ed Lacson Jr.

Ed Gatchalian was a very active composer, arranger and musical director in the early ‘80s and was part of Celeste Music Hour (with Celeste Legaspi) and the popular Champoy. He co-wrote with Anita Gordon one of the songs for the centennial celebration of the Statue of Liberty in New York. He was composer, arranger and musical director for Coca-Cola’s 100th year celebration in Manila.

Joel Trinidad is a co-founder of the Upstart Productions and was involved in the original Off-Broadway short Crush Hour (as writer, producer and director), the one-man comedy Defending the Caveman (as co-producer and solo performer), Kaos (as writer and Aliw Award-winning featured performer) and original musical Breakups & Breakdowns (as lyricist, writer, producer, director and lead actor).

Loy Arcenas has done several theater-related work on and off Broadway. He has received (for his design work) the Obie for sustained excellence of scenic design, Drama Desk Award, Bay Area Critics Circle Awards, Jefferson Award, L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award and the Michael Merritt Award for design collaboration. He sits in the board of the Theatre Communications Group. Loy is also part of the review panel for New Dramatists, ART New York and Theatre Communications Group.

A private “listening preview” was held at The Arts House (which is the exact same building where the old Parliament was housed during Lee Kuan Yew’s time). The live preview, enjoyed by the media and the corporate community of Singapore, was directed by Ed Lacson Jr. with lighting design by Katsch Catoy and sound design by Dan Gil of Watusi Manila. The stage manager for the preview was Jerome Aytona.

The preview was performed by theatre artists of different nationalities. Filipino performers included Romano Macapagal, Gina Marie Respall, Marian Santiago, Jeremy Aguado, Jun Ofasio, Juliene Mendoza, Chino Veguillas, Jay Pangilinan, Ron Bautista, Athena Tibi, Camille Gallano, Hazel Maranan and Anna del Prado. Singaporean performers were Cheryl Kuek, Darren Guo, Sherilyn Esther Tan and Mustaffa Sulaiman. David Bianco was the sole American actor and Samantha Sewell was the sole Canadian performer in the cast (so far).

Spotted in the preview were vice president of The Straits Times Irene Ngoo, Sharinjit Leyl of the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC), Lian Pek of MediaCorp, Charles Woo and Sarah Lim of the Singapore Tourism Board, Melvin Tan of Compass, Dr. Kevin Koh and Low Jia Hua  of Metropolitan Festival Symphony Orchestra and Catherine Robert of The New Paper.

Six songs were performed and based from the applause that night, Singapura, I dare say, is bound to be a hit.  Admittedly, I was skeptical of how a musical can be made about Singapore and its struggle for independence. My doubts were erased with the opening number as the cast came out in modern-day Singapore setting, a melting pot of different cultures and nationalities. It then went back 50 years ago when everything was different. The songs were quite impressive and I left the preview feeling very proud that something like this was made by Filipinos for a much more advanced Singapore.

I look forward to watching Singapura: The Musical in its entirety next year in time for Singapore’s celebration of 50 years of independence. I am certainly proud of my childhood friend and schoolmate Joel Trinidad who, unlike me, did pursue his dream to write a musical, which would be performed for the world to see.

Serenity in a bustling city Certain photos by Pepper Teehankee

Where is one to stay when going to Singapore? There are countless hotels in the tiny island nation and I’ve certainly tried a lot of them but there is something special about Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore, my home for three days during my recent visit. 

Singapore is a busy city but upon arriving at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore, I left the hustle and bustle behind me. The hotel, despite being in the middle of the city not far from the noisy Orchard Road, is just a haven of serenity. It is set amidst 15 acres of lush greenery and is consistently voted as one of the best hotels in the world. 

I was warmly welcomed by the hotel’s vice president and general manager Reto Klauser and his staff upon my arrival. It was really nice to see Reto again as he had made Manila his home as general manager of Makati Shangri-La Hotel, Manila for a few years. 

During my stay at the hotel, I discovered that it has luxurious guestrooms and suites that are set in three distinctive wings in the property. 

The hotel’s contemporary Tower Wing opened in 1971 featuring a vast lobby with impressive oval marble columns and a grand sweeping staircase. It also has a floor-to-ceiling mural depicting the legendary mountains of author James Hilton’s Lost Horizon, from which the name “Shangri-La” became synonymous with “paradise.”

The hotel’s modern contemporary guestrooms are furnished in warm and natural colors with floor-to-ceiling windowed alcoves that face either the city or the famed Shangri-La swimming pool. Horizon Club rooms are available from Levels 16 to 22 for travelers looking for a higher standard of accommodation, personalized service and access to the Horizon Club Lounge. 

The Valley Wing, on the other hand, is the accommodation of choice for heads of state, captains of industries and discerning travellers. With 131 beautifully furnished guestrooms, including 26 suites, this elegant wing’s exclusivity is experienced as soon as guests arrive at the private lobby.  Guests in the Valley Wing enjoy an unparalleled level of luxurious amenities and personalized services such as complimentary breakfast in the private Summit Room, 24-hour personalized menu, bathrooms with LCD television set and choice of mood lighting, complimentary champagne and cocktails, personalized butler service for all suites, personalized stationery and private elevator and entrance for Speciality Suites among others.

Luxury is also evident at the Garden Wing, which is set amongst 15 acres of lush tropical landscaping. It is the newest urban resort in Singapore featuring 158 spacious guestrooms and suites. Following an extensive SG$68-million renovation, the Garden Wing offers a homely welcome. It has soothing sounds from the cascading waterfall, koi swimming in the ponds in green surroundings with child-friendly amenities. Three premier balcony suites are available for the ultimate weekend getaway in Singapore. Each suite has an outdoor Jacuzzi, private barbecue grills and sun loungers on a large balcony, ideal for a private party with family and friends. Personalized housekeeping services and 24-hour butlers are also available for suite guests.

I stayed at the Garden Wing, where each room features a private balcony with two armchairs and a coffee table overlooking the city, or the swimming pool. My bathroom was marble-clad with double sinks, bathtub and glass-enclosed shower. My suite had Bulgari toiletries and complimentary coffee and tea pods. Reto even sent me a giant fruit basket, wine, chocolates and other gifts! 

Breakfast at The Waterfall Café was something I looked forward to daily as well since I didn’t even have time to eat lunch or dinner in the hotel’s other outlets. The café offers healthy yet creative dishes inspired by Mediterranean flavors. The hotel also offers other dining options at award-winning restaurants ranging from international cuisine at The Line, classic Cantonese cuisine at Shang Palace, to authentic Japanese cuisine at Nadaman. There’s also high tea at The Rose Veranda.

Guests can also relax by the poolside, work out at the health club or get pampered at Singapore’s first CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La.

The service of the hotel was exceptional as expected.  It was indeed a wonderful (albeit short) stay in this beautiful and very tranquil hotel. With such hectic days of shopping, eating and going around the very busy city, going home to Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore was indeed a very wise choice I made. I vow to return.

(The Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore is located at 22 Orange Grove Road, 258350, Singapore. For more information, call (65) 6737-3644 or visit www.shangri-la.com.)

(Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)