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Tell us about your first pantomime with WILD RICE!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It was Cinderel-LAH!<\/em> in 2003, which was also WILD RICE\u2019s first pantomime ever. I\u2019ve been really lucky to have composed the score for and\/or music-directed every single pantomime \u2013 except one \u2013 ever since then!<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s it like to compose music for a show like A $ingapore Carol? It\u2019s a lot of fun, and a huge challenge because not many companies create a brand-new musical with the tight timeline we have. I love composing for musical theatre because the songs help to tell the story \u2013 the actors don\u2019t just sing the songs, they have to feel them and perform them. A $ingapore Carol<\/em> was especially interesting because I got to experiment with so many different genres of music. I wrote Bunga Pisang<\/em> as a pastiche of Dick Lee\u2019s Bunga Sayang, for example. One song had a K-pop vibe. And I was asked to write a number that\u2019s like Defying Gravity from Wicked, but in the style of The Fifth Element \u2013 so I got to compose something quite operatic, which is rare for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you love about working on the WILD RICE pantomime?<\/strong> I love that it\u2019s become so much of a tradition for artists and audiences here. There\u2019s just something so special about rounding off the year with the pantomime, because it\u2019s so joyous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Co-Music Director, Keyboards I & II<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many pantomimes have you done with WILD RICE?<\/strong> This is the fourth time I\u2019ve worked on a WILD RICE pantomime. The very first time was ten years ago \u2013 I was the rehearsal pianist for Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs, which was also my first time working with Hossan Leong. I also played the keyboards on Aladdin and was the music director on Hansel & Gretel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What does a music director do on a musical?<\/strong> We help to tell the story of the show through music. A music director calls the shots on the sound and feel of the music, and how it flows within a show. On A $ingapore Carol<\/em>, I\u2019m co-music-directing with Elaine because she wasn\u2019t available during tech week, when a lot of decisions and changes are still being made before the show goes live. For instance, I had to adapt Elaine\u2019s original arrangement for Christmas No Enough<\/em>, the finale number. Originally, she had arranged it as a standalone song. But that had to change once the song was incorporated into several scenes, as it is now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Drums & Percussion<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tell us about your first pantomime with WILD RICE!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It was Aladdin \u2013 WILD RICE\u2019s second pantomime, back in 2004. It was staged in the Jubilee Theatre!<\/p>\n\n\n\n How do the drums help to shape the music in a show?<\/strong> The drummer helps to outline the style of the particular song. That\u2019s especially important in a pantomime, when you can have so many genres of songs \u2013 like Malay-style, or pop, or Latin-influenced. The rhythm kept by the drummer helps to change a song\u2019s style to suit the scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s the difference between performing in the theatre and playing in concerts?<\/strong> It\u2019s a different duty we\u2019re performing in the theatre. The band as a whole is there to support everyone on stage. The directors are telling the story, and we have to be flexible \u2013 try to see what they see and hear what they hear \u2013 so that we can help to make their ideas work!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Acoustic\/Electric Guitar & Keyboard III<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tell us about your first pantomime with WILD RICE!<\/strong> It was the first version of Jack & The Bean-Sprout<\/em>! in 2006. There were only two musicians \u2013 Rizal and me. It was my first musical, and we both had to play our own organic instruments, as well as piano, keyboards and bass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you have to do for a musical that you don\u2019t usually have to as a musician?<\/strong> The real challenge comes in having to multi-task! Usually, I can focus on playing my own instruments \u2013 the acoustic and electric guitar, and some keyboard work. In a musical, I also help with soundscaping. That means incorporating sound effects, for instance, like wind and pets, with some strings. I recall times when we had to change patches while holding keyboard notes. And we also have to follow the actors very closely, because they are the ones who are giving us our cues to start playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Acoustic\/Electric Bass & Flute<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tell us about your first pantomime with WILD RICE!<\/strong> My very first show was Cinderel-LAH!<\/em> in 2003. It\u2019s been 15 years, and I\u2019ve only ever missed one pantomime \u2013 the first Jack & The Bean-Sprout!, because the bass part was pre-programmed. In terms of actual performing, I think I\u2019ve clocked the most pantos \u2013 more than even Elaine!<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you like about performing in the pantomime?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The fact that it really challenges us as musicians. We have to really stretch ourselves. For the pantomimes, I\u2019ve had to play the flute, keyboards and Chinese flute, on top of my two bass instruments. And, of course, there\u2019s a lot of discipline involved because you have to play all of these instruments live! In an orchestra, you get to warm up before you play your solo. In the theatre, you pick up your various instruments cold and you\u2019re always moving on to your next cue. It\u2019s definitely not just playing music, like you do in a concert. In a musical like A $ingapore Carol<\/em>, playing is a very situational, in-the-moment thing \u2013 we\u2019re constantly interacting with the actors and the audiences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You can\u2019t make a musical without musicians \u2013 and the live band behind A $ingapore Carol is the best in the business! 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\n\n\n\nJOEL NAH
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\n\n\n\nRIZAL SANIP
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\n\n\n\nJOSHUA TAN
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\n\n\n\nCOLIN YONG
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