{"id":26203,"date":"2017-03-01T12:00:22","date_gmt":"2017-03-01T04:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/?p=26203"},"modified":"2021-04-09T11:20:17","modified_gmt":"2021-04-09T03:20:17","slug":"living-the-dream-with-sean-ghazi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/living-the-dream-with-sean-ghazi\/","title":{"rendered":"Living the Dream with Sean Ghazi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You\u2019d be forgiven for thinking that show business is in Sean Ghazi\u2019s blood. One of the brightest stars in Malaysia\u2019s performing arts industry, Sean has dazzled audiences with his singing voice and his acting chops for over four decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, as is often the case, achieving one\u2019s dreams only looks<\/em> easy. In truth, Sean has worked incredibly hard to get to where he is today, and has suffered his share of disappointments and heartbreak along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing in this business is hard,\u201d he says frankly after dancing the morning away in choreography rehearsals for La Cage Aux Folles<\/em>. \u201cYou get so used to rejection \u2013 it becomes like your friend, or your middle name. And you can get really down on yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest disappointments of his career took place at the very first Fame Awards in Singapore. In 1995, he competed as a singer and a host, impressed the panel of judges, and won the top prize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had moved my life back from Germany to Southeast Asia for this opportunity,\u201d he remembers, with a trace of sadness in his voice. \u201cI thought that the Fame Awards would help me get more exposure in the region \u2013 that I could get more theatre work and make a name here for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It didn\u2019t work out, to say the least. \u201cThey had no plan for me, and they weren\u2019t interested in developing anything new with me,\u201d reveals Sean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, he was given a litany of excuses: he was a Malaysian, he didn\u2019t have a degree, he hadn\u2019t served National Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was traumatising \u2013 I really should have had therapy about it!\u201d he says, with a wry laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Painful though the experience was, Sean has come to realise that it\u2019s just as much a part of his career as his biggest successes \u2013 which include sharing the screen with Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat in Anna and the King<\/em> and performing at the Hollywood Bowl with pop orchestra Pink Martini.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou start to see your whole career as a jigsaw puzzle,\u201d he explains. \u201cNo piece is insignificant. The highs, the lows \u2013 the days that you cannot afford to eat are balanced by the days you get a standing ovation in London.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chasing the Dream<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Today 4 U, Tomorrow 4 Me!<\/em>
Sean as Angel in RENT<\/em>!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no doubt that Sean knows a great deal about \u201cthe peaks and valleys\u201d that make up a career. He\u2019s learnt and honed his craft as a performer on stages all over the world, working his way up from swing to understudy to lead actor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was such a great training ground,\u201d he recalls of his time as a swing in the West End production of Miss Saigon<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had to create my own \u2018show bible\u2019 to track the movements of every single actor I covered. By the end of my two-year stint, I was covering 23 roles and I was the dance captain! I even stepped into a girl\u2019s role once, in full wig, tights and heels!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sean has also had to pull off a last-minute \u2018RENT<\/em> Rescue\u2019. While covering the lead role of Angel in Berlin, Germany, he received a call from a producer in New York. Due to a bout of flu hitting the London company of RENT<\/em>, they were out of actors who could play the role of Angel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey asked me if I knew the role of Angel in English \u2013 and I didn\u2019t!\u201d he confesses. \u201cBut we were always taught in our training to just say yes. Even if you don\u2019t know, you go with the flow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within a day, he had packed his costumes and taken two flights to get to London. He had to learn the role in English overnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI knew all the big songs, but I had to have all the other dialogue and lyrics written on my props,\u201d he laughs. \u201cWhen it came to Angel\u2019s solo, Today 4 U<\/em>, everyone backstage came to the wings. The ushers were sitting on the steps. And I thought \u2013 I have no choice but to nail this!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He did, winning rapturous applause from everyone in the theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, proving that there really is no business like show business, Sean barely had time to reflect on his performance before the rug was pulled out from under him again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs soon as I did the first night, which was pretty triumphant, all the sick people in the cast got better!\u201d he laughs. \u201cSo, instead of performing for the whole week, they sub-contracted me for five shows and cut my pay!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Dream<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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