Cabaret gold with classic oldies
COMBINING the theatre atmosphere with its pin-drop silence with the more relaxed setting of a lounge or bar with live music is what The Actors Studio Seni Teater Rakyat’s Cabaret Series is offering. “When it began in 2010 with Love Journey, featuring Joanna Bessey, it proved so popular that many other genres were covered,” says the show’s music director Ian Chow.
Past performers included Junji Delfino, Peter Ong, Lelaki 2.5, and Tria Aziz, with genres spanning jazz, musicals, and even a whole night of original compositions.
This time round, The Golden Oldies is on the billing of Yesterday Once More, currently at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPaC).
Singers include Chow, Omar Ali, Phraveen Arikiah, Rachel Liu, Serene Chng and Suk Yin, backed by three women.
Live accompaniment will be provided by a four-piece band (guitar, bass, percussion, keyboard) and a string trio (violin, viola, cello).The young musicians are Endee Ahmad, Loh Ui Li, Lee Kok Leong, Soo Choy Wah, Vivian Cheng and Ian Francis.
Arts practitioner Omar is currently a resident director at KLPaC, while Phraveen is a singer-songwriter and actor who has performed in Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Thailand. His recent performance credits include Michal Katurian in theatrethreesixty’s staging of The Pillowman.
Liu, an educator for children with learning disabilities, is a musician and singer with the Young KL Singers.
Chng has been in choirs in Singapore, the UK, and now Malaysia with the Young KL Singers.
Says Chow: “The conversation started during the TAS 30 (The Actors Studio’s 30th anniversary celebration) launch in August 2017.
“It hit a soft spot with directors Datuk Faridah Merican and Joe Hasham who grew up with music from that era. Faridah used to play a lot of the same music when she was with Radio 4, so this is like a trip down memory lane for her.
“I curated the initial song list based on fond memories of listening to my father’s playlist whenever we travelled back to Alor Star during the festive season or school holidays.
“Back then, the journey to Alor Star took nine hours so you can imagine how many Omar Ali (left) with Ian Chow. Phraveen Arikiah
cassettes and later CDS could be played.”
The show’s song list went through two more rounds of fine-tuning before choices were set for songs from the early 50s to the late 60s.
“The final list was also partly based on the singers’ vocal capabilities and their personal preferences while ensuring that there was enough variety in the programme,” she adds.
The songs include Fly Me To The Moon, popularised by Frank Sinatra; Only You by The Platters, Stupid Cupid (Connie Francis), Oh Carol (Neil Sedaka),Hey Jude (The Beatles), and He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother (The Hollies).