Sunday, July 23, 2006
RI Band concert and Cabaret -vvv vvz

Two shows in a weekend.

On Friday, I attended the RI band's Prometheum XI concert at the Victoria Concert Hall. It seems so long since I was last there. The band played alright. Their "choice piece" was a little abstract but not as much as what we played back then - Saga of the Clouds. I never did find out why there was a female player among the french horns. The most obvious guess would be that the horns were too weak so they needed the foreign import. At least there weren't any particularly exposed part for them. The last time there was, which was in Songs of Sailor and Sea back in 1999 I think, it sounded terrible.

I take back what I said about that male emcee at the NJCSB concert. The ones at this concert were worse. They were bored AND boring.

Today I watched Cabaret at the Esplanade. The emcee was the exact opposite of boring. It was entertaining watching Fei Xiang as the emcee although it is strange that while the emcee has quite a significant role in the show, he isn't an important part of the plot.

Usually when I watch a musical for the first time, there will be one song I particularly like (or can remember anyway). For Cabaret, that song is Cabaret, sung by Emma Yong as Sally Bowles. Yeah, her singing's not bad. And here I leave you with the lyrics.

-- Cabaret --
What good is sitting alone in your room?
Come hear the music play.
Life is a Cabaret, old chum,
Come to the Cabaret.

Put down the knitting,
The book and the broom.
Time for a holiday.
Life is Cabaret, old chum,
Come to the Cabaret.

Come taste the wine,
Come hear the band.
Come blow your horn,
Start celebrating;
Right this way,
Your table's waiting

No use permitting
some prophet of doom
To wipe every smile away.
Come hear the music play.
Life is a Cabaret, old chum,
Come to the Cabaret!

I used to have a girlfriend
known as Elsie
With whom I shared
Four sordid rooms in Chelsea

She wasn't what you'd call
A blushing flower...
As a matter of fact
She rented by the hour.

The day she died the neighbours
came to snicker:
"Well, thats what comes
from to much pills and liquor."

But when I saw her laid out like a Queen
She was the happiest...corpse...
I'd ever seen.

I think of Elsie to this very day.
I'd remember how'd she turn to me and say:
"What good is sitting alone in your room?
Come hear the music play.
Life is a Cabaret, old chum,
Come to the Cabaret."

And as for me,
I made up my mind back in Chelsea,
When I go, I'm going like Elsie.

Start by admitting
From cradle to tomb
Isn't that long a stay.
Life is a Cabaret, old chum,
Only a Cabaret, old chum,
And I love a Cabaret!

-- permalink --
Yiheng made 10:24 PM

2 Comments:

you went and watch it yourself... woa never tell mi... was it nice??
By  Anonymous, at 9:03 PM  

I watched it with Len Chow and Shuquan. I actually first suggested to you after Pamdemonium but you didn't seem too keen. You had the I-just-spent-thirty-bucks-on-a-show-and-I'm-broke look. Shuquan wasn't that interested either but changed his mind after Len Chow decided to watch it. Don't worry man, there will always be new shows to catch.
By  Anonymous, at 10:00 PM  

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