DECEMBER RAINS by Toy Factory Productions

“December Rains The Musical“

Reviewer: Gabriel Lim
Performance: 5 September 2015, 3pm

One Last Time?

When the rain stops, will you still be waiting?

A story spanning three generations and set in the tumultuous 50s in Singapore, December Rains returns for its third restaging. This iteration comes with an all-new cast and fresh storyline. The 2011 production garnered numerous nominations and awards in the 2011 Life! Theatre Awards, hence my great expectations for this staging.

This story revolves around Zhou Ying Xiong, head of his school’s student union. and him leading his fellow schoolmates to support the workers’ protest at a bus company. Andie Chen plays Ying Xiong comfortably. This is a role that bears more than a few similarities to his TV role in Mediacorp 8’s The Journey: Tumultuous Times. Before the plot degenerates into another Singapore History lesson (re: Sg50), the play switches its attention on the star-crossed lovers: Ying Xiong and Chen Li Qing (Chriz Tong).

Zhang Ming Li (Sugie Phua), the pivotal character that drives the plot, is a stand-out. The man can act and sing. His vocal prowess is best seen in his solo (complete to dance in the background). Chen, on the other hand, is glaringly underwhelming in his duet with Tong. He can barely project his voice when he sings and it really does make one question his role as a male lead in a musical.

Set designer Eucien Chia creates a grand movable stage, with set pieces seamlessly moving across it. There were several set pieces which not only denoted the historical period, but underscored Singapore’s struggle for independence. The show that I watched, however, the stage crew can be seen draped in black, moving across the stage in the background pushing the set pieces, shattering the illusion.

The show is ponderous in the last half hour and ends on a rather cheesy and unnecessarily ambiguous note. It leaves me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, the music is excellent. Lyricist Liang Wern Fook and composer Jimmy Ye creates splendid original musical compositions not to be missed. And, on the other hand, this staging is problematic, failing to live up to its reputation in spite of the efforts of the creative team.