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| Went and watched HK3AMI's "The Pajama Game" yesterday. It's hard to believe that "Othello - The Rock Show" was only two years ago... so much has happened since then, it feels like that was another life.
The fundamental flaw in this production of a 1950s musical is the translation into Cantonese. The songs are quite fast-paced, not many ballads, and fitting Cantonese lyrics into them means that there are too many words (2-3 times that of English) for the listener to absorb; it doesn't matter how clearly the singers pronounce the lyrics, the sheer quantity of words was overwhelming. It makes me wonder if it would be so bad to do the whole thing in the original English... or maybe I'm just biased. Still, I wonder if a Cantonese adaptation of an American musical really does appeal to more HK viewers than an English one.
Another problem is the multi-arts requirement of musicals. It's hard enough to do one thing (sing/act/dance), but here you're required to be equally strong in all three things, sometimes doing all three simultaneously. I remember finding it so difficult to act and be in context while standing in the background during "Othello"... Honestly, not many can successfully pull off all three in this city (and if one could, wouldn't they find better markets to work in?). I struggle with only one (singing) and it's more than enough for me.
Despite all this, they've come a long way and improved a lot; the "Racing With The Clock" sewing machine scenes were good, and a lot of the comedy was spot-on. Congrats! | | |
| In Taipei at the moment. So, the 2009 Taiwan International Contemporary Acappella Festival competition is over. We didn't get any awards, but then it was a long shot if you seriously think about it because there were twelve groups (six professional/semipro and six amateur). Results as follows: 1: Tonalrausch (they're really good but also really cold in person... culture gap?)
2. Soundstage / Suade (a tie)
3. MayTree In the local competition category, 'Oops' won first place (they're coming to HK in mid-Nov) followed by MSG in second and a tied Pop Phone / Sirens in third. Ummm... the results... umm.... Still, our audience feedback was quite good. I think we got a good idea of what's happening for acappella in the region - hopefully HK can do even better in future, there's a long road ahead. First time in Taipei, didn't really see much though. What we did do a lot was EAT. Beef noodles, shaved ice (we all melted after eating this... soooo gooooood), sukiyaki, coffee houses, japanese snacks, strange-flavored ice cream (sesame chicken, anyone?), pork chop rice... Lots of great food, and cheaper than HK as well. The place we're living in is quite interesting/strange - it's called the Taipei Hero House, which serves army officials but has opened to the public these past few years. It's very conveniently located in the Saimen shopping region, tons of stuff in walking distance of the guesthouse. Also went to the Taipei Fine Arts Museum to see an exhibition about "Pixar: 20 Years of Animation". Lots of storyboards, color scripts, 3D models and animations about the various Pixar movies. Well, one thing is sure... Taiwan is a strange place. | | |
| What do you do with the rest of your life if it's going to be spent in prison?
My first-ever prison visit at Stanley today, for a music sharing session with Christian fellowship convicts with Ms. Nancy Loo.
Stanley Prison is one of the few maximum security prisons for male convicts (I know of only one other, Shek Pik). Of course there was a lot of security; we probably had to walk through at least seven locked/monitored gates in order to get to the activity room.
We went into one of the Category A (ie. the most dangerous) prisoner blocks, where the convicts live in single cells. I got to see bars, bars and more bars. Basketball courts with bars. Bars and locked doors. Loss of freedom, loss of possessions, loss of choice. Even the brands of shavers and notebooks and mosquito patches are regulated. How do you live the rest of life like that?
The first thing I realized upon seeing them - they're real people! They're not monsters that you only see bound and covered on the TV screen. Granted, they were convicted of the most ghastly of crimes, but people tend to forget that they're living persons with physiological needs and psychological struggles and dreams and aspirations as well... but really, what use are those in a prison?
These people have stayed for ten, twenty years, with little hope of being set free. The phases of anger, denial, depression, hope, acceptance, calm, meaninglessness and more have all been experienced several times already. Many know that their parents will pass away before they're allowed out of prison. I'm lost... What's the meaning of living in such a place?
I understand why these prisoners hold onto their faith - it's one of the few things can remain constant in such a harsh environment.
Once you realize that the power to choose can be taken away from you...
Cherish what you have, and take responsibility for the choices that you can make. | | |
| The HKFYG 2009 a cappella Festival Music Contest was held today in Typhoon Signal Number 3 weather.
Being MC of a competition is HARD! First of all, we only got the script on the morning of the competition, so preparation time was very limited. We also didn't know what each group was going to sing. Furthermore, there were many non-planned events that required quick thinking (such as dragging out the intermission time between two competition groups; time-filling in the looooong break while the judges were deliberating the results; last-minute changes in rundown etc). In addition, it seems that you have to be very careful not to say anything that could be construed as favorable to any particular group. Then you have to pay attention to diction and fluidity, and watch your language... Anyway, I still think we did quite well under these circumstances, regardless of what others might say.
As for the competition, it was a pleasant surprise. Thirteen groups competed today (it was supposed to be nineteen, but a few dropped out after their school was hit by H1N1 Influenza A), and there were good things to see. Of course some were not good, but a lot of the groups were impressive. It's very exciting to see the sheer number of high school students that are enthusiastic about a cappella singing. I was quite impressed by a high school girl's statement: "We'll definitely be back next year." Perhaps this will start a new wave of secondary school vocal groups, who knows?
The Open Division competitors were also good. Some have improved vastly compared to a few months ago (when they had attended masterclasses), and there's a lot to admire: simple/effective staging, a really young vocal percussionist, and interesting arrangements.
This competition shows that there's a lot of untapped talent and potential out there. It also means that other groups are catching up fast... we'd better work harder.
See you next year! | | |
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