“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.

“Buckets of tears“

Reviewer: Gloria Ho
Performance: 29 August 2015

December Rains is melodramatic, and then some. Hopeless romantic Chen Li Qing gets together with charismatic and popular student Zhou Ying Xiong (yes, his name literally means ‘hero’), with the help of her best friend – who also happens to be her secret admirer – Zhang Ming Li. Naturally, Li Qing and Ying Xiong are driven apart by Li Qing’s disapproving parents. Ming Li then withholds Li Qing’s letter disclosing that she is *dramatic pause* pregnant with Ying Xiong’s child as Ying Xiong sails off to China to pursue his ambitions.

Adding to this unoriginal and hackneyed plot are the acutely impoverished characters. The reason behind why Korean dramas continue to enjoy high viewership, despite their tacky storyline, is because of the characterizations. These television soaps present fleshed out characters with complex psychological landscapes, dynamic chemistry and believable relationships with one another. Unfortunately, none of the listed factors are present in this musical. The characters’ motives and motivations remain shallow; their actions mostly emotional reactions to the event-driven plot and meaningful communications snuffed out for a poorly constructed series of misunderstandings.

The musical numbers are catchy tunes but they cannot save this trite and corny plot. The strong 18-member supporting cast is also woefully underused. More often than not, their presence appears to be scene-fillers, creating a mini, visually-pleasing spectacle (hint: think wedding ballroom, school, shipping port and airport).

December Rains totters between a television soap and a pop concert, but having the entertainment value of neither. This reviewer’s word of advice is to purchase the CD soundtrack instead – not only it is more economic, it also encapsulates the experience comme il faut.