{"id":34071,"date":"2015-11-01T17:12:00","date_gmt":"2015-11-01T09:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/?p=34071"},"modified":"2021-04-30T17:22:11","modified_gmt":"2021-04-30T09:22:11","slug":"taking-the-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/taking-the-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking the Stage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tell us about your character.<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I play Khairul No-Surname, an orphan who was abandoned at birth. He has developed a brotherly relationship with another orphan named Nathan, played by Benjamin Kheng. We find solace in each other because we don\u2019t have anybody else. These guys are closer than family. Because of the way they grew up, everything the tailors do is \u2018do or die\u2019. We\u2019re the sort of people who don\u2019t have the luxury of second chances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What sets the two tailors apart from each other?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Khai is more of a hothead, while Nate tries to keep him in check. That\u2019s what\u2019s great about their relationship: Khai will be pushing Nate to do something crazy and get out of his comfort zone, while Nate makes sure they don\u2019t go overboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Emperor\u2019s New Clothes<\/em> marks your stage debut. Why take that leap?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been getting audition calls for the past few years, but I really wanted to focus on my music. I have always thought about taking up drama more seriously, though. Earlier this year, I finally took on a movie role in 1965<\/em> \u2013 doing that gave me the confidence to audition for The Emperor\u2019s New Clothes<\/em>, which I really, really wanted to do!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s it been like working on a theatrical production for the first time?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a really nice working environment, and everyone has been very patient with me. They\u2019re not pressurising me to do anything that I can\u2019t do. The push really comes from within myself \u2013 from seeing all these veteran performers at work and really wanting to be at their level. Like Lim Kay Siu, who has been acting on stage for thirty years. He\u2019ll come up to me and give me positive reinforcement, telling me that a scene went well, and that really goes a long way towards boosting my confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/
Sezairi takes a bow with Benjamin Kheng and Lim Kay Siu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Has working on this pantomime surprised you in any way?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s quite insane to think about the scale of it. I didn\u2019t realise it was going to be this big. I ask everyone, \u2018Is every theatre production like this?\u2019, because everyone\u2019s so super freaking efficient! When I do rehearsals or shows, I\u2019m used to working at my own pace and in my own time. Here, there are tens of people working as a machine. According to everyone working on the show, not all productions are like this, and I\u2019m actually quite spoilt. I\u2019m glad to have such a great cast and team for my first theatre show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this role, you\u2019ll be acting, singing, dancing and<\/em> playing an instrument, often at the same time. Which aspect was toughest for you?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I had no idea I could dance! It\u2019s really funny. The first time we worked on choreography for Make It Rain<\/em>, Pam was praying to every god there was. She was saying, \u2018I didn\u2019t audition you to dance! How ah?\u2019 But, luckily, I discovered that I could<\/em> dance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a musician yourself, what do you think about the music in the show?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The music is amazing<\/em>. \u2018Privilege\u2019 is a very heavy word to use, but I would say it\u2019s a privilege to be on stage with this music. It\u2019s just mindblowing, and it does, like, 60% of the work for us. You\u2019re saying and meaning your lines because they\u2019ve been written in a way that\u2019s just so synonymous with the music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us about working with your director, Pam Oei.<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve never told her this, but I see so much of myself in Pam \u2013 in the way she tells stories, and the way she explains things. When I listen to her talk, I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh, that\u2019s how I sound like!\u2019 It\u2019s like sudden self-actualisation. [laughs] She\u2019s such an actor\u2019s director as well, which I think is really important. She empathises with what we are going through. She understands an actor\u2019s thought process. Thank goodness I got Pam as my first director, because I\u2019ve heard some horror stories from other people!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a professional singer, you\u2019ve performed for thousands of people in concerts. What\u2019s the biggest difference for you when it comes to performing in musical theatre?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, you\u2019ve sung your own songs so many times that it becomes muscle memory. Something else is going on in your head when you\u2019re singing. But doing musical theatre is different, because the story is in the words of the songs. The song carries you into the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, being an artist is so much about trying to let people know who you really are, which is really difficult as it is. But acting is a completely different thing, because it\u2019s the reverse of that: you try not<\/em> to be yourself. [laughs] I\u2019m still getting used to it. But it\u2019s a fantastic challenge. I love it so much!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How would you sum up your first experience in the theatre?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I understand now why people get addicted to the theatre. It\u2019s really something else. There\u2019s just something about musical theatre: doing a show live, with music. Having to go on stage and make music, without a camera filming it, is a totally different experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also think it\u2019s really good to get people who are new to theatre to come and watch a pantomime first. Not everybody can walk into the theatre for the first time and expect to understand what they see. If they don\u2019t like it, they might be put off from going to the theatre for good. But the pantomime is such a great introduction to theatre, because it\u2019s funny and local and cute.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After winning Singapore Idol in 2009, Sezairi has grown accustomed to performing his music in front of thousands of people. But he’s had to step out of his comfort zone for The Emperor\u2019s New Clothes, in which he has been entertaining audiences by singing, acting, dancing and playing the guitar \u2013 all at the same time! Sezairi chats with us about making his stage debut and getting addicted to theatre.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":34072,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[51,359],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34071"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34071"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34071\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}