GREAT WORLD CABARET by Dream Academy

“Let’s Bo Bo Cha Cha!”

Reviewer: Sam Kee
Performance: 14 March 2015, 3pm

The live band swoops in from the right in a blink of an eye, reminding me of the Cantina band in Star Wars – smooth and lively, but looking like they belong to a different time and space. The band is the main reason I enjoyed my siesta, my first in Resorts World Theatre.

Prior to the live band’s entrance, the stage stands as a museum exhibition displaying memorabilia from the foregone era of cabaret entertainment showbiz in Singapore. Young actors posing as visitors weave in and out of the exhibition before the principal show starts.

In the tradition of a cabaret show, a Master of Ceremonies hosts the show and introduces each item for the night. Simon Tay, (Shane Mardjuki) trots into the museum as an aged security guard, before travelling back in time and transforms into a glib-tongued emcee for this afternoon’s show.

So the exhibition and memorabilia disappears – the 60’s come alive. The opening number, Let’s Bo Bo Cha Cha!, is composed by Bang Wenfu and lyrics by Alfian Sa’at. We are subsequently serenaded with several nostalgic musical numbers, featuring the three iconic divas of Flaming Flowers: Queen of A-Go-Go Sakura Teng (Joanna Dong), Queen of Keroncong Kartina Dahari (Aisyah Aziz), and Queen of Striptease Rose Chan (Seong Hui Xuan). I am mesmerised by Aisyah’s rendition of Bunga Melur in traditional Malay folksong style, and then in Chinese. Also, we are treated to an eyeful when Seong was stripped of her glitzy qipao, revealing a nude suit with playful tassels.

Although the music and dance numbers are light-hearted and entertaining enough, it seems that the headline comedian of the day always manages to steal the show. Dr. Teo Chew Moi (Judee Tan) is up today, delivering her signature dose of ‘laughter is the best (traditional Chinese) medicine [TCM punning with Teo Chew Moi]’. She receives the most laughter in the house this afternoon, although I am not particularly tickled by her many innuendos, having experienced a more polished script in another of Selena Tan’s script: Happily Ever Laughter.

I remember cabaret being a popular feature in tour packages about a decade ago. Cabaret shows are also a permanent highlight in cruises, providing family-friendly entertainment. I would say the Great World Cabaret is more akin to this. I am not put off by the inclusion of several filler acts but unfortunately, these filler acts (including the Three Drunken Sailors and J C Sum’s magic segment) are rather dull fail to sustain the energy from segment to segment. The comical antics by the Three Drunken Sailors are decidedly lacklustre next to the heart-stopping feats from the Qing Dao Acrobatic Troupe. During the grand finale, though, it is interesting and heart-warming to see these foreign participants singing along to the words of Let’s Bo Bo Cha Cha!, hokkien phrases and all.

All in all, for an integrated resort wanting to bring “non-stop entertainment” to the people, the Great World Cabaret does work.