Aladdin The Musical

Posted on December 2, 2011 by TV Smith

Travel back in time to the bustling market of Askabar, peek into the palace of the Sultan and climb into a cave where a rapper genie awaits.

The popular fable about Aladdin is retold as a captivating (and humorous) musical at the Amphitheatre @ Sunway Lagoon from 25th November 2011 till 2nd January, 2012. Starring six principal cast members from London’s famous West End and supported by an ensemble of more than 30 international dancers, Aladdin The Musical is set to mesmerize audiences young and old.

Aladdin The Musical is performed on a moving set with 3D laser effects amidst flying carpets and pyrotechnics. This dazzling show is again helmed by director Chris Colby and choreographer David Kort. Here are some pictures I photographed during the Gala Premiere…

Nikki Mae as Princess Jasmine

Joshua Tonks as Aladdin

Jess Elmer as The Slave of the Ring

Michael Morgan as Jafar and Peter Jamieson as The Sultan

Gareth Heesom as the Genie of the Lamp

Aladdin fighting the baddies

A Whole New World: Flying Carpets & Product Placements 🙂

What's a journey to Askabar without human flame throwers?

Encore: Some of the principal cast members up-close…

Aladdin

Princess Jasmine

The Sultan

Slave Of The Ring & Jafar

All pictures photographed with the Olympus E-PL2 by & © TV Smith

Tip: You can view larger versions of the images here, gallery-style. When the page finishes loading, click on any picture. Navigate via the arrows on each side of the frame.

The Spy Who Stole The Show

Posted on October 3, 2011 by TV Smith

The Secret Life Of Nora – Part 2

Nora & Mr J

I caught the second half of the musical Secret Life Of Nora on Saturday. Thanks to Azimy (Enfiniti’s MARCOM Manager), I was seated at the exact same spot as previously. The reason I requested for this was to ensure continuity for the pictures. (See pics from Act 1 here)

Lead Tiara Jacquelina’s performance shone under the direction of Steven Dexter. Her facial gestures were expansive, making her a joy to watch (and to listen). Pay attention to that military training sequence where she switches back and forth between bewilderment and enthusiasm. She stole the show!

Tiara Jacquelina as Nora

Agent Nora in training

Agent Nora & Agent Foss

Ryan Silverman is perfect as the suave, sensitive Matsalleh spy. He sings great and I particularly like the ‘firefly duet’ with Tiara. Hey, it is a love story after all. Look out also for his song and dance tribute to history’s famous honey trappers.

Agent Foss & Mata Hari

The Spy Who Loved Her

It may be hard for anyone to shake off Aznil Nawawi’s trademark swagger, but he played the role of villain Mr J very convincingly. The character is like a cross between Dr No and the Queen of Hearts. He and sidekick Aaron Khaled were hilarious taking a bow chained together. Aaron was very good too with the song and dance skit with the female ensemble.

Aznil Nawawi as Mr J

Aaron Khaled as Sidekick Sharif

A member of the female ensemble

Adibah Noor is undoubtedly the crowd favourite, drawing chuckles with every single line and expression. She sings, she dances, she vacuums and she flies! My favourite is Tony Eusoff’s understated performance of the cynical and bumbling spy with a touch of gadget man Q. Stephanie Van Drissen appeared to relish her innocent, Ugly Betty-like character, and it was a nice surprise to see her bursting out in a lavish Samba costume for the encore.

Adibah Noor as Khatijah

Tony Eusoff as Agent Farouk

Stephanie Van Driesen as Betty

The set design of the villain’s lair is brilliant. The moving elevators and multi-tiered complex is visually stunning. And like every worthy spy story, there is an exciting self-destruct sequence in the finale. Spectacular!

The Star makes a grand entrance at The Villain's Lair

All pictures photographed with the Olympus Pen E-PL2 by & © TV Smith

Tip: You can view larger versions of the images here, gallery-style. When the page finishes loading, click on any picture. Navigate via the arrows on each side of the frame.

The Secret Life Of Nora

Posted on September 29, 2011 by TV Smith

Tiara Jacquelina as Nora

I like going to a movie, a play or a musical armed with as little information as possible. It is something difficult to do when one is bombarded by a barrage of publicity material daily.

For months, I kept seeing Tiara Jacquelina tweet about her upcoming musical The Secret Life of Nora. Nevertheless, she didn’t reveal much of the actual storyline, preserving the surprise element for the audience.

I went to Tiara’s Puteri Gunung Ledang The Movie (reviewed on my blog in 2004), PGL The Musical, P Ramlee The Musical (reviewed on my blog in 2007) and tonight’s Nora, all with little inkling of the plot and cast. Yet, I found myself enjoying each show just as much.

From a photography standpoint, going to a play or musical without any advanced idea of the script means you cannot anticipate any of the moves. But I love the challenge of capturing whatever that is thrown my way. The trick is to sit back and enjoy the show. You will then know when to click, intuitively.

The Secret Life Of Nora will open tomorrow night (Thursday, 29th). Don’t worry, I am not giving away any spoiler except some pics to whet your appetite. Unfortunately, there was a backdrop malfunction and some technical hitches tonight. As a result, only Act 1 was performed. I will try to catch the second part on Saturday. (Update: 2nd Part here)

Even then, I thought one half of the show alone was worth the price of admission. This very entertaining musical will run from the 29th of September until 16th of October 2011 at Istana Budaya. Don’t miss it!