On This Day...

WISHING EVERYONE A VERY, VERY
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
BLESSINGS OF THE SEASON TO ONE AND ALL!

Musical End Note #1

"So this was one of the most refreshing projects that I managed to be a part of. The songs were really catchy and the message of the entire play was really good amidst all the punchy one-liners. This was also one of the only productions that I managed to play for and watch as well! So seeing the whole thing come together from the audience perspective really was a special experience for me - one that I will remember for a long time. Hope to see it again!"

- Kevin Theseira, Bassist II

End Scene

Aaaand it's a wrap! 19 shows, finished. It's been such an exciting, exhausting, exhilarating ride - a huge thank you to everyone involved, to everyone who came and supported our show! Fingers crossed, we'll be updating this blog shortly with some parting notes... until then, thank you once again!!! Merry Christmas, everyone!!

Another Promo!

Here's a new clip comprising performance pics, LIVE audio recording and media quotes! We're in our final week, so if you haven't bought your tickets yet... what are you waiting for? ;)

Acknowledgement

Special thanks to Pat Fong for the new background image of Mary (Juwita Suwito) and Joe (Aaron Khaled)! :D

Extra, Extra! Read All About It! (Updated)

The reviews have come in, and so far it's been very positive, with some constructive criticism thrown in for our benefit. Here are the highlights; check out the Press Coverage section in the links bar above to read the full articles, updated with new review featured in The Edge Financial Daily!

"The strength of the script lays in the struggles of Mary (Juwita Suwito) and Joe (Aaron Khaled), with having an unexpected baby. How it affects them as a couple is also explored, as well as their individual struggles. It is very real, and you feel for them and empathise with their confusion, frustration and anger."

"The music and singing is what you remember most and take with you. The sheer variety and number of songs, from gospel and ballad to rock and rap, keeps you riveted. There are touching solos and lovely duets, intricate harmonies and soaring choruses, which make for a musical that is never boring. And the singing was pretty much faultless."

"... a delight... incredible musical numbers"

"The talented cast ... delivered commendable performances,
shining on group numbers such as Bethlehem and Three Gifts."

"Highlights of the show were [Juwita] Suwito’s beautiful, tear-jerking
renditions of Be It Unto Me and Beautiful Child, as well as Follow The Light,
a delightfully catchy tune that will stick in your head long after the musical is over."

"...just the thing to watch to inject some cheer as the Christmas season approaches."

"Professional singer Suwito shines as Mary in the production -
her maiden effort in musical theatre - as it is with [Aaron] Khaled,
who plays a dim-witted yet lovable Joe with zest. Their combined voices
are mesmerising while their acting is authentic."

"The stars of the show, though, are the highly entertaining
songs and lyrics, including Follow The Light and Something Big,
created by Choo and brought to life by the performers, Kir­ton and the band."

"Most songs are fun and memorable and the characters are a riot.
Don't expect the traditional characters from the Bible -
these ones are unconventional and uproari­ous."

Discounted rush tickets now available!!

LATEST NEWS!

GREAT SAVINGS!!
DISCOUNTED RUSH TICKETS 2 HOURS BEFORE SHOWTIME!!

TWO hours before showtime, all remaining unsold tickets will be available for sale at flat rates of:

RM55 for adults
RM35 for children/students/seniors/disabled

Rush tickets can only be purchased via phone or walk-in, not via online booking.

Now everyone can afford it!!

Medley, Medley, Medley, Medley, Life Is But A Dream

Here's what you're missing out on if you don't come and see Follow The Light! Click on the audio player below for a sneak-peek at the songs from the show, as performed live by our cast and musicians! This is two and a half minutes out of a two-hour show! So there's lot of song and dance in store!! Don't delay - get your tickets today!

FTL Medley
Live recording featuring the FTL cast and band

And here it is with a photo slideshow:

Special Family Package!

With purchase of 2 adult tickets at RM75 each, you are entitled to purchase up to 4 children's tickets (children must be under 18) at a specially discounted price of only RM35 each - a saving of RM20 per child! Spread the word!

Get your tickets today! Call PJLA Box Office at 03 7960 0439 or 012 683 2099 to book. Or click HERE!

Performance Photos Galore!

Hey all! We've uploaded a selection of pics of FTL in performance, courtesy of Timothy Cheng — click on Photos in the links bar above to check them out!! There are also some fabulous pics in this Facebook album, taken by Bernard Goh — go have a look-see!

The EDGE Options interviews Nick and Colin

Follow the light
A reinvention of the traditional Christmas story
by Elaine Lau; The EDGE Options, December 6, 2010


The celebration and tradition of Christmas exists today because of an event that took place more than 2,000 years ago — the birth of Jesus Christ. The story of this remarkable event has been repeated through the millennia, all over the world. It is one of the greatest stories ever told, and to this day, it continues to intrigue and enthral.

The story centres on Mary, Joseph and the birth of Jesus, and the struggles they went through leading to that joyous event. Other characters include the wise men of the East, who followed a star to find the baby, and the shepherds who received a heavenly announcement about the birth.

This December, Kirton Call Productions and Nick Knack Productions are staging a reinvention of this story in the musical theatre production, Follow the Light. The libretto, music and lyrics are written by Nick Choo, with actor and director Colin Kirton directing and producing the musical.

Says Choo, “The way I approached the material was with a mass appeal. There was very little effort at preaching, evangelising or trying to convert anybody... Even though the theme is religious, it isn’t a religious story. A lot of [creative] liberty has been taken with the material.”

Choo first staged the musical in 2005, while he was a student in Australia, and it won second place for best musical in Western Australia’s Finley Awards for Independent Theatre. Choo received a special adjudicators’ certificate for overall achievement (music and lyrics). Upon returning to Malaysia in 2006, he went about finding someone to work with to stage it here. He found Kirton, artistic director of touring theatre company Footstool Players, and a veteran of stage and screen.

Kirton says it was the calibre of the music and lyrics that attracted him to the musical. “A lot of musicals done here in Malaysia are relatively straightforward musically. I’ve been in some of them myself, so I know,” he says. “With all due respect, they’re great musicals, but they don’t push the limits in terms of musicality... This show has intricate harmonies woven right through it. You will hear a lot of complex harmonies, as you would in a choral production, and a lot of things happening musically at the same time. I think it says a lot for Nick’s ability to weave words and music together, even rhymes and rhymes within the rhymes. It’s just quite crazy what this guy has come up with. And that’s what particularly drew me to the piece when I first heard it. I thought, ‘Wow, this has quality’. Not to say it can’t be improved — there’s always room for improvement — but there was a base here that shows talent and quality. And that was one of the reasons I said ‘yes’ to working on the project.”

Kirton pointed out areas to Choo that needed to be reworked, such as introducing more variety in the music. The original had a lot of rock, as it was billed a rock musical, but the new version has songs that range from pop, rock and funk, R&B and hip-hop, to jazz, gospel and emotive ballads.

Another area was in developing the characters, where much creative liberty was taken to do so. The shepherds, for instance, are cast as siblings and the wise men are guys who grew up in the slums.

Choo elaborates, “One of the key things I wanted to highlight were the shepherds and wise men, as there’s not very much known about them. There were some back stories created just for these characters in the original 2005 version but I never explored their relationships and characterisation further. A lot of development that has taken place in the rewriting has been to flesh out these characters — give them more storyline and juicier subplots to work on. In doing that, the music also changed.

“That’s the key — it’s not just about the Christmas story anymore, it’s about relationships. The young couple, in love and preparing to get married, and suddenly there’s a baby in the mix and it’s not even his baby — how do they deal with that? The shepherds — we’ve got sibling rivalry, a younger sibling craving the respect of an older sibling.”

Adds Kirton, “Another theme is ambition and significance. Mary has her dreams and suddenly she has a baby on the way. Joseph, who has his plans for this child, and Mary reminding him that God has other plans. There’s the downtrodden shepherd boy who wants respect. We have the wise men, cast as three guys from the slums looking for their glory in life, who think the star will lead them to their significance.”

The musical is made up of a varied cast of both established performers and theatre practitioners as well as newcomers. AIM award-winning singer Juwita Suwito plays the role of Mary, singer-musician Aaron Khaled is Joseph, and American stage director and performer Tim Howe is the angel Gabe. The shepherds comprise singer, vocal coach and musical theatre performer Zalina Lee, former Malaysian Idol finalist Rydee Anna Abdul, and talented newcomer Adrien Zaffri. The wise men are AIM award-winning R&B recording artiste Liang, stage and television actor Xavier Fong, and up-and-coming singer-songwriter Tony Leo Selvaraj. And the angels, who serve as storytellers uniting these ragtag characters, are established musical theatre performers Suzan Manen, Annie Too, Song-fan Seah and Nicole Ann Thomas.

At turns poignant and dramatic and at others self-deprecatingly humorous, Follow the Light is a show for everyone. Says Choo, “At the end of the day, going back to the whole reason I did this, it’s not about [beliefs]. It’s really a story and this is our take on the story. And like all theatre, you want to be moved, you want to laugh and also just be entertained. It’s the Christmas period and it’s just something to commemorate the season, to add more to the celebration of the season regardless of what you believe in.”

Kirton adds, “This is very much a landmark production for our country. We live in a time where unfortunately our country is very divided religiously and racially. There are so many sensitivities associated with the whole area of religion. We’ve encountered them even as we tried to mount this production. I’m thankful we have a multi-religious, multi-racial cast that really reflects the variety of who we are as Malaysians coming together to put on this show. I hope the audiences who come will leave with a sense of the fact that we have individual stories that may seem separate, but really we have a shared humanity. I hope it will make a powerful statement in modern-day Malaysia, where we’re at now on our own journey as a country, that we can come together, enjoy and celebrate and identify with the themes that come up in the story.”

Follow the Light runs until Dec 19 at PJ Live Arts, 2A-3, Block K, Jaya One, Section 13, No 72A, Jalan Universiti, PJ. Tickets are priced at RM75 and RM55. Call the box office at (03) 7960 0439.

Bump-In, Tech Run and Dress Rehearsal!

Here are pics of the past couple of days in the theatre! Click on the images for bigger views, yea? More pics to come!

The venue - PJ Live Arts @ Jaya One

Setting up - trying to figure out how to squeeze the band into the boundaries of their wooden playpen • Guitarist Isaac, pondering the prospect of squeezing the band into the boundaries of their wooden playpen

Bassist Joe, who's a fine ambitious guy • Set design by Fang Chyi

Blue behind • Rydee (Zemira) headbangs • Feelin' blue on stage

More views of the stage, from different vantage points:

The band, looking cool as always • A scene right out of Rent • Hey, Mr Producer/MD!

Cast in costumes by Dominique Devorsine (Pics by Aaron Khaled): Nicole, as one heaven of a sexy angel; Anrie, as another sexy angel, with the rugged Joe (Aaron Khaled); Marvin the Shepherd boy (Adrien Zaffri) with Joe; Joe and Wise Man Bart (Liang)

(Pics by Tony Leo Selvaraj and Nick Choo*) The Wise Men; Zemira*; Wise Man Gasper; Tim Howe as the suave Angel Gabe

Good Times and The Bigger Picture

Here's more media preview coverage of the show: an article on Good Times, as well as this interview with yours truly, the composer/musical director, as featured on BFM 89.9's The Bigger Picture, which was broadcast on Wednesday afternoon. Click below to listen! :D

Don't forget to check out the articles in The Star and New Straits Times, as well as behind-the-scenes glimpses of our photo shoot!

A Post-Preview Performance Post

Hey all! Well, it's been a crazy week — "hell" week, as we in the theatre industry like to say, though in our case it's probably more appropriate to say "heaven" week, BWAA HAAA — but we're finally there: performances! Last night we had our very first preview (which, really, is our only preview) — and apart from some tech stuff that needs to be ironed out, I think the show went really, really well!! From my limited vantage point in the band area, we could see and hear the audience really responding to what was going on (perhaps a bit apprehensive and uncertain in the first 20 minutes or so of the show; like, "Ummm are we supposed to laugh? I think we're supposed to laugh. Um. Okay then. Let's laugh. BWAAA HAAAA HAAA.") — and it was really awesome to see/hear some of the funny moments receiving such uproarious response!

Unfortunately as of time of blogging I haven't been able to officially obtain better feedback from the crowd (I'd left the theatre after audiences had dispersed.. and I just woke up ten minutes ago, arf arf)... but I say with some apprehensive excitement that people loved it. Well, if not loved, then they really, really liked it. And if not that, well, then, they enjoyed it enough. And if not that, well, then, they liked it enough to stay for the whole show. At least, it didn't look like anyone left during intermission and didn't come back. Or maybe some of them did, I don't know, it's really hard to tell with the stage lights in our eyes. Um. Yeah. Cough. **foot in mouth syndrome**

But in all seriousness, boys and girls, please do spread the word about the show! If you came last night and liked what you saw and heard (tech issues notwithstanding), please, please recommend it to all your friends, families, acquaintances and complete strangers! If you came last night and didn't like what you saw and heard, please, please recommend it to all your friends, families, acquaintances and complete strangers!! We promise we'll iron out the stuff that needs to be ironed out... that's precisely why last night was a preview performance, arf arf!! So come one, come all — we're performing until the 19th!!

I'll be back with some photos of pre-performance (haven't got any performance pics on hand yet), as well as updates on media coverage of the show. Check back real soon!!

All That Glitters...! ;)

Heya, boys and girls, ladies and germs! Last Friday, Colin and I did a photo shoot, organised by our publicists Grace and Liyana. Here are some behind-the-scenes glimpses of the gals making us look all angelic, arf arf. The pics have already begun to appear in the media — check out this article, and this one! More media coverage will be linked to this blog shortly, so check back in soon, ok? ;)

Follow The Drama!!!

Hiyee!

It's, like, ME again!! :D

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Oh-kay, so... like, I didn't get to gozz you on the, well, gozz! Remember this post? Well, I did say I had some juicy stuff to share, but things've been happening... and.. and.. aaaaand... happening!! *cackle*

So, we've all been working at varying degrees of hardness *kaff!* and Nick's music is like. So. HARD! (It's also beautiful on top of being complex, but don't tell him I said that... then he'd be impossible to live with, tsk!)

Aaaaanyways, some of us had some problems keeping up, and wow. Nick. Had. A. COW! It was awesome! I was impressed! It was a masterful display of... well, whatever you call what maestros display masterfully :D

In productions, there's a lot of drama going on off-stage as well as on. Believe me when I say that the drama is part of the thrill of performing and putting up a show. Not all drama can be bad. Sadly, the opposite can also be true (although that wasn't the case this time).

In this case, I think poor Nick was stressed about us not getting things perfectly right at the eleventh hour! But you know what? We needed that display of whatchamawhatsits. And we've only gotten better and betterer since. Yeah :) Well, I think we've gotten betterer and bettererer! The band is awesome, and the past week has been spent in PJLA's Studio on level 2 bashing out notes, and basically getting everything together. The beats are so catchy, and the orchestration is fun and upbeat.

It's been such an AWESOME journey so far, with Nick's great way of story-telling making the whole thing enjoyable for the cast and crew.

There's an awesome (there's that word again...hmmm..) rap section that the Wise Guys have, and that portion has only gotten better and more entertaining since they first started performing it 2 months ago.

Oh!!

Oh oh oh oh oh oh ohhhhh!

OHHHHHH!!!! *bounces excitedly!!*

Today, I did a ba-a-a-a-a-a-aaaaad thing! Well, not just today. But today I was worse than usual! I whipped out my hipstamatic and took pictures of the cast and band and production team while Colin was giving us our notes. Here's a teaser! You can find the rest here!

The Shepherd Sistahs, camwhoring like
they've got no shame... (it's true, they don't! :D)

Colin and Judi giving notes. Down to 1.33 pages, woot!

The REAL Juwita, not the angelic Mary ;) 
(I kid, she's disgustingly angelic off stage too :(.... )

Angels: Song-Fan, and Anrie. Disgustingly sexy ppl. Pfft!

Wise guys giving Liang a... hmm... *censored to preserve PG rating*

Some random immigrant we found....

Nick Choo giving notes. Scary!

As you can see, we're having a ton of fun putting this show together. Now, go get your tickets and come watch us, dammit!! We'll knock your socks off — that's a promise!

Okay, I'd better log off before Nick discovers I've posted this up without his OK. Eeeeehehehehe >:)

Rockin' Their Look!

Here's a sneak-peek at the cast (with director Colin) donning costumes by our award-winning designer Dominique Devorsine! Did we not say we're gonna be a fun show? We're gonna be a fun show!! Come on, who'd want to miss this lot?? Get yer tickets today, y'hear?! :P

(Thanks to Aaron Khaled, our awesome Joe, for the pic!)

A Special Gift

Here's our wonderful Mary, Juwita Suwito, performing another demo from Follow The Light: a tender love ballad to her newborn baby boy. This is a simplified version of the song with just a piano accompaniment — the stage version will be rather different. Come and watch the show to find out how it's going to sound! And please don't forget to check out the Songs link above for more demos. :)

Beautiful Child
Full demo performed by Juwita Suwito

Video Blog Attempt #1: Fail

We're closing in on our preview show on Thursday and opening night proper on Friday. What better time for an absolutely pointless video clip?? Here we go! Enjoy!

Now it's a breeze to purchase your student/seniors/disabled discounted tickets (RM55)!

After some feedback from friends, we have requested PJLA Box Office to make the following changes to their normal system, just for "Follow The Light", in order to simplify the purchase of the above discounted tickets.

1. Students/seniors/disabled now do NOT have to show proof of status when purchasing their discounted tickets. Tickets will instead be checked on entry to the performance, and discounted ticket holders may be requested to show proof of status (student card, IC, OKU card) and may be asked to pay full ticket price if unable to prove status.

2. Apart from walk-in purchases, students/seniors/disabled can also now purchase their discounted tickets via telephone and online. On PJLA's online booking system, select "FTL 55 (Child/SC/Stu/OKU Only)" as your ticket option. You will of course need to pay by credit card if purchasing by telephone or online.

Songs and Summary

Curious about what our version of the Christmas story is going to be like? Here's a list of the songs, as well as a plot summary (spoiler alert!!). Just a reminder, the show is 95% sung through - this means, lots of music, minimal dialogue! Want to know how it all falls into place?? Come and see the show! ;)

ACT ONE
The Most Curious Story / Overture
Soon You'll Have A Baby
Before I Turn Sixteen
Be It Unto Me
What Will The People Say?
Forevermore / Soon We'll Have A Baby
More To Life Than This
Lost Sheep
Bethlehem
Another Motel Down The Road
The Manger
Something New, Something Bright
Follow The Light

ACT TWO
Something Big (inc. What In Heaven Could Be Stranger?
/ No Longer A Child)
Glory
Great Denial / Follow The Light (Reprise) /
Something Big (Reprise)
Beautiful Child
Burden on Their Minds
Three Gifts
Adoration
They'll Call It Christmastime
Finale


THE STORY

ACT ONE The Angels introduce the journey that we are about to embark upon (The Most Curious Story/Overture). The suave Angel Gabe tells Mary, a pious young woman, that she is about to conceive a child through miraculous means (Soon You'll Have A Baby). Mary reacts with apprehension, worried about her own plans for the future (Before I Turn Sixteen). In the end, she decides to go ahead with the Angel's plan (Be It Unto Me).

Meanwhile, Mary's fiance Joe has just heard the news (What Will The People Say?). With some coaxing from Gabe and Mary (Forevermore), he and Mary reconcile... for now (Soon We'll Have A Baby).

Not too far away, some Shepherds are bored of their routine of watching sheep (More To Life Than This). Pertinently, the young shepherd boy Marvin wishes that his big bully sisters would stop pushing him around (Lost Sheep). But more on this later...

Back with Mary and Joe, who make their way towards Joe's hometown (Bethlehem). But Mary goes into labour, and they desperately try to find a place to spend the night (Another Motel Down The Road). Having no choice, they settle down in a stable (The Manger). Suddenly there's a bright light from the sky...

...A light which the Shepherds see, and they react with joy for something has broken the monotony of life (Something New, Something Bright). Gabe appears and tell them not just to observe the star, but to tail it. Elsewhere, three best friends make their appearance, believing that the star is a sign of greater things to come. Guided by the star, Gabe, and the foursome of Angels, the trio and the Shepherds set off on their journey towards their mysterious destination (Follow The Light).

ACT TWO The Angels bring us back to the story, informing us that the events that are about to unfold will be Something Big. Meanwhile, each group of characters has their own definition of what "something big" will be... which leads to conflict between Mary and Joe (What In Heaven Could Be Stranger?) and the Shepherds (No Longer A Child).

The trio of best friends re-emerge, and they argue on who among them will benefit from the riches that the star surely represents (Glory). Cue the appearance of Gabe, who tells them that it's not about them (Great Denial). Chastised, the trio finally become Wise Men and set off on their way (Follow The Light Reprise / Something Big Reprise).

Back in the stable, Mary and Joe reconcile (Beautiful Child). The Shepherds and the Wise Men suddenly realise that they shouldn't go to the stable empty-handed. They debate on what to bring the child (Burden on their Minds). The Wise Men run into Gabe, who advises them (Three Gifts).

At long last, the Shepherds and the Wise Men arrive at the scene, where they are greeted by Joe, Mary and the baby (Adoration). Gabe and the Angels take this moment to remind us of what this story is about, and what it will become (They'll Call It Christmastime). The show concludes with the rousing Finale.

Integral Integration

Hey everyone! As of this week we've moved our rehearsals into the studio above the theatre in PJ Live Arts, and we've incorporated the band with the cast. Whoo-hooo! This is an exciting and challenging part of the process, where sometimes the limitations of a physical space can cause acoustic problems that hinder the fluidity of the process; but we've done full runs, integrated, and I, as musical director, am still working with the band to tighten and fine-tune the songs... so I dare say we're almost there!! And not a moment too soon - only about a week to go till opening night, and we're really excited and nervous and thrilled and stressed out and psyched and terrified to be presenting our show for all of you out there! So make sure you get your tickets and come see us in action, okay?? OKAY!!

In the meantime, here are a couple of shots of the band, taken by our official photographer Bernard Goh (cheers, Bernard!) of Creative Clicks. On a personal note, I love these shots as I think we look like the cast of a sitcom about a bunch of rocker wannabes, arf arf!! (Meanwhile, how do you make a bandstand? Take away their chairs. GROAAAN.) Okay, check these pics out, and click on 'em for bigger views! Also scroll down to check out more rehearsal pics below, okay?? OKAY!!

More Rehearsal Photos!

Here are some more rehearsal shots from last week... thanks to Timothy Cheng for the pics! Click on 'em for bigger views.

The Angels. From left: Song-fan Seah, Suzan Manen, Anrie Too
and Nicole-Ann Thomas

The Wise Men, up to their hijinks. From left: Gasper (Tony Leo Selvaraj), Mel
(Xavier Fong) and Bart (Liang)

The Angel Gabe (Tim Howe) explains to the Wise Men

Bart has a bone to pick with Gabe. Smell the tension!

Gabe in action (Who's that in the background??)

Joe (Aaron Khaled) attempts to bond with his newborn son

Rydee Anna Abdul as Zemira, one of the Shepherds,
in a soulful moment (Who's that in the background??)