Magical Musicals

Watching musicals is mesmerising. Seeing the actors sing and act 'live' on stage just reinforces how talented some artistes are. The Bees had learned to be as fascinated and captivated by musicals as Hubby and I are. We always look forward to new musicals in town, and never failed to make each outing a special occasion to celebrate talent, art and expression in life. It is such a pity that really good musicals are few and far between in Singapore. I dream of the day that I can bring the Bees to the West End or Broadway and indulge in incessant excellent musicals!

I had previously written about our experiences with The Lion King and Wicked. These 2 years, we had watched Annie The Musical, and more recently, Phantom of The Opera. 

Annie The Musical, while really fun and entertaining, was a little disappointing in terms of sound quality from the lead child actress. Perhaps she had been singing for a full season in Singapore already. Perhaps she was having a sore throat, as what the Bees justified. But, nevertheless, the musical still engaged the Bees wholeheartedly with its touching storyline.

The highlight came after the show though. As we ambled out into the stunning vista of the Marina Bay, we saw a few of the child cast from Annie, with 3 Golden Retrievers (which were the dog featured in the musical). How thrilling! The girls walked up to them, and patted the retrievers, although they were a little shy to make much conversation with the gregarious cast.

2 weeks ago, we went to watch Phantom Of The Opera. This had always been one of my favourite musicals, and I love the themes of love, longing, desire, beauty, insecurity, and ambition. Some people told me that it might be a little profound for the Bees, and they did express a little confusion when the Phantom released Christine, even though she reluctantly promised she would be his. However, after a little explanation, they grasped the meaning of insecurity and hopeless love.

As always, I love its haunting tunes, the Phantom's feelings of futility and despair, as well as the gorgeous sets. It was a little spine-chilling for the Bees though. As Big Bee said, "The musical was very scary, but the storyline was very meaningful and thrilling. My favourite moment was when the chandelier moved to the stage because it looked so majestic!"

I am now awaiting the next great musical to hit town! Maybe we might end up watching Hairspray?

The Real Oz

Our family loves musicals, so we headed out to Wicked the musical last Sunday with much anticipation. And we were not disappointed!

The Bees were bewitched right from the beginning with the excellent cast and their enthralling, crystal-clear singing voices. Big Bee especially loved the story line and plot, which I found very meaningful too - about friendship, looking beyond the surface, being different yet getting accepted. These are values that resonate very well with a tween like her. As for Little Bee, well, little naive her still loved sparkling Glinda versus emerald Elphaba!

Big Bee told me she prefers Wicked to The Lion King because the plot is a lot more substantial, whereas Little Bee - being in a completely different age group - still prefers The Lion King because she found parts of Wicked a wee bit scary, according to her.

Both Hubby and I prefer Wicked to The Lion King as well - due mainly to the sterling performance and singing by the lead actresses (although Phantom of the Opera remains as both our all-time favourite!).

We came out of the musical into the ethereal, golden sunshine of a brilliant sunset - what a perfect ending to a wonderful afternoon!

The Bees now have a renewed interest in the Wizard of Oz story - so I guess it is time to read that to them!

Chilling Out In Marina Bay Sands

We watched the Mickey's Music Festival in the theatres of Marina Bay Sands on 11 September, but Hubby and I were not very impressed, largely because we felt disillusioned by the mix of current pop songs in the musical repertoire. We prefer the magical old songs of Disney, but those were jarringly mixed with rock beats this time. 

However, Little Bee loved it, and watched the entire performance captivated with rapture. There were also a lot of other kids who were bopping and dancing away to the fast-paced rhythms, so I guess it could be a generational divide that only Hubby and I did not enjoy it! Big Bee was utterly blase and nonchalant about this, solely because Miss Tween thought it highly uncool to be watching Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Disney Princesses in a show, haha. 

What Hubby and I enjoyed most was the relaxing lunch beside the Rain Oculus of Marina Bay Sands, where the kids were enchanted by the gushing water and incessant sampan rides drifting past us. We also particularly loved the ArtScience Museum, when we visited the Van Gogh art exhibition. 

It was indeed a fulfilling day - another instance where we need not travel out of Singapore to be truly entertained!

Here is Little Bee's super short diary entry on the musical show, and what she drew to depict it.

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Today, I went to the Mickey Mouse Musical. I dressed up as Cinderella. I like the show because I like Little Mermaid. 

When 2 Flower Girls Meet A Lion

Last weekend was an exciting and busy one for our little family. The Bees were flower girls for Hubby's cousin's wedding on Saturday, and we went to watch The Lion King musical on Sunday!

The entire wedding day was truly beautiful, and the wedding ceremony in a resplendent Catholic church was solemn but sacred. Shy Big Bee was rather nervous the night before about her role as a flower girl, and Little Bee was so eager to doll up as usual. Both of them were hopping about with zeal and anticipation when the time came in the morning to dress both of them up. Girls indeed!


The girls walking calmly into the church for the ceremony, just before the bride

True enough, I think they looked exquisite. I deliberately sourced for 2 identical dresses, and I beamed with pride and joy whenever they ambled gracefully in the church. They were joined by their young aunt Brianna, and the 3 girls were so eagerly catching up with each other - just like snowy white angels.


With young Aunt Brianna, who is only a year older than Big Bee

The ceremony rekindled the sacrosanct meaning of marriage to Hubby and I again. Years ago, before we were married, we underwent a marriage preparation course together, and even then, we were still bewildered by the many challenges of marriage and the adjustments in different stages of our relationship and life. We had undergone many upheavals and had vowed many times not to take our special relationship for granted. And as all married couples know, it is very much easier said than done, and a lot of mental and communication work is needed to seal the foundation of a happy life-long marriage.


A very precious photo with the Bees' great-grandmother!

The wedding dinner was one of the more enjoyable ones I had ever attended, with plenty of friends coming on stage to perform and sing for the couple - what a night! Even the Bees' great-grandmother sang a wonderful Cantonese hymn to the couple, bringing tears to the bride and her mum. During several moments, even the typical cynical me had tears brimming just below the surface of my usually dry eyes. Weddings never fail to strum a few strings at our hearts indeed!


Feeling a little fatigued but still dolled up for the wedding dinner :)

The Bees enjoyed themselves thoroughly - being dolled up like angels in the morning and evening, gorging on yummy food incessantly, being fussed upon by doting grandparents and other relatives, catching up with their young aunt Brianna (who is more of a friend than aunt!) and staying up way past their bedtime!


Snuggling cosily in their white furry shrugs that they love!


Big Bee spent the entire night chatting mirthfully with Brianna, who was such a great companion for her

The following day was their much-awaited The Lion King musical. Throughout the entire musical, they were entranced by the captivating songs and brilliant cast. They particularly loved the opening scene and were mesmerised by the talented younger actors. Throughout the show, they were glued to their seats, eyes wide, mouths agape, much to the amusement of Hubby and I who were busy sneaking glances at them.


With the stage backdrop of The Lion King behind them during the intermission

The end of mid-year exams. The start of carefree fun and activities. Life is looking good this part of the year indeed :)

The Lion Roars Tonight

Hubby and I were enraptured by serenading lions and prancing antelopes on the opening night of the Lion King musical tonight. For almost 3 hours, we sat in our seats and gazed into a fantasy land, as an excellent cast, talented crew and remarkable orchestra performed miracles on stage. 

Hubby and I both enjoy musicals tremendously, and we agreed that tonight's show was truly world-class. Perhaps not as gloriously dazzling as those in the West End, but just give it a little notch, and it would be equivalent. 

We will be back for an encore with the Bees very soon :)