Running till 4 June at SOTA Drama Centre
Active promoter of French culture in Singapore, Sing'Theatre's latest production is a musical revue of the songs of Jacques Brel. It was first debuted off-Broadway in 1968 and was revived numerous times in NYC and other parts of the world.
This local production is directed, choreographed and performed by George Chan with Frances Lee, Stephanie von Driesen and Matt Jasper as his cast mates. It is a good example of how to fill up a relatively large stage with simple sets and costumes. Flies that also function as screen projections hide music director Joel Nah's four piece band behind only to reveal them at key moments, while giving the stage a sense of spaciousness. For sets, the performers carry four large suitcases of varying sizes that also function as theatre cubes.
The collective ensemble presented 28 songs without intermission. Each song was presented as a mini-play, with no discernible storyline throughout. Certainly Brel's way of lyrical storytelling, with themes of anti-establishment, personal struggles and the occasional torch song provide meaty challenges for the cast of singing actors.
