I definitely wanted to update my post 2 days ago. Unfortunately, my calendar was clogged up like shit. So today, I'm going to review on Melizo IV by Xinmin Choir.
First thing was the timing of the performance. The performance was performed on the night before Thursday, and definitely most do not want to come and wake up late for the day after. But that is a minor mistake. The experience was generally memorable.
The rowdy crowd outspoken the audience in the first few minutes. However, the MC's script was all in the brochure, and their speech is almost obsolete. This comes to our second point, albeit minor. The MC's were just reading off the brochures, where we could actually read for ourselves. That is, still, a minor mistake.
The position of the choir was quite good, the effects were heard almost everywhere in the Victoria Concert Hall. The songs were breathtaking, and the echos were applied at the right time. Although it is not in my place to judge the Chorale Performance (I have no idea of what choir does, or what their standards are), it is definitely good for those who do not appreciate songs as well. However, nervousness were on some faces in the choir. I saw girls tugging on the hem of their skirts, and it does not generally give quite a good impression, but the people who were nervous were few, which is commendable.
After the intermission, the story of "Beauty and the Beast" starts. Firstly, the props were placed as a big eyesore to the audience even before the play started. Next, Belle, the main character of the story, played by Jasmine Leow, was wonderfully potrayed as the beautiful bookworm. Her actions were lively and livid, and it brings out the essence of the story.
The standard of the choir was brought to the excellence during this part. The voices were powerful and brought out the essence of the feeling, whether sad, nostalgic, funny or going to war. Gaston, played by the well-built Mao Zi Yuan, portrays the admiring yet annoying character chasing after our lovable Belle. Of course, the handsome guy is thrown off. His sidekick, the forgetful, funny wise-guy played wonderfully by Stuart Siew. The Beast, the almighty, ferociously played by Samuel Lee. The other characters gave good portrayals too. But there was one problem to the whole drama: The dramatization was too weak.
Sure, the choir was well sang, but we have to look at this from a Zor Gong POV. Firstly, the script was in such a way that the whole thing could squeeze into half an hour. That means little parts were gone. But they didn't have to put off nearly 1/2 of the whole story. For example, Maurice, the eccentric father of Belle, was caged when we first saw him. And he recounts his capture within a minute and the scene ends. The drama could have been simple, such as walking through a door and meeting the Beast himself, but the lack of more meat made the skit bland.
Choir, I had no problems with them. Once again their powerful voices replaced the Disney's songs wonderfully, yet, their expression let me down again. The singing was wonderful, the dancing was okay, but the expression did not fit the drama. Another letdown.
The last, MAJOR mistake in the show was when the Beast was dying due to the hit by Gaston. The Beast and Belle was in entirely off position, nearly at the side when they should have been in the centre. Beast was telling her about somethings... when his head was nearly at the ground, but he had some more to say, and he LIFTED his head up again! It was absurd thinking the dying would have the strength to lift their head. This is thus the most major mistake, which took away nearly all the magic.
Overall, the Chorale lived up to the expectations by fine pieces and vocals, but appalled me with the bad quality of the script and drama of the skit. I hope this review may be of help to Xinmin choir members to better improve on Melizo V.
Zor Gong: A Dramatic skit is always the main course.
