The story of Singapore’s fight for independence has oft been repeated and retold, but not yet with the personal and emotional angle that Singapura: The Musical is about to embark on. Masterminded by the prolific composer and president of The 4th Wall Theatre Company, Ed Gatchalian, the original musical takes up the tale of a pre-independence Singapore through the eyes of the average man: a bus driver and his family, who are made to deal with the fall-out of the Hock Lee bus riots in 1955. The result is not just a history lesson, but also, an exploration of the spirit, passion and dreams of everyday people who – through political and social upheavals – built themselves a home.
The musical’s has just had its world premiere at the newly refurbished Capitol Theatre, and will enjoy a further six-week run. Here, we gather up its creative team – composer Ed Gatchalian, librettist Joel Trinidad, and cast members Julien Mendoza, Maybel T, Marian Delgado, David Bianco and Reb Atadero – for a chat about how yesterday’s Singapore shaped up today’s.
A SINGAPOREAN STORY
Ed: Here’s how it went: a couple of Singaporean businessmen asked me if I wanted to do a musical on Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, so I read up on his two-volume memoirs and right away, saw that it’s a good basis for a musical. However, I felt that everyone in the world knew what happened to Singapore from history books and news clippings, and what I really wanted to find out was how the average faceless, nameless people who lived during that time were affected by the political events. So I ended up interviewing 16 70 to 90-year-old Singaporeans and three foreigners, and I discovered that their stories were very interesting and in a way, more interesting than the political leaders’. You wouldn’t expect heroism on the part of an average Singaporean. What made me pursue this was because the story of Singapore is so colourful and inspiring that the whole world should know about it.
BACKGROUND CHECK
Ed: We wanted to be very accurate, but we didn’t want to be a political musical or a historical musical documentary. Instead, we just wanted that historical backdrop, because we want to show how these events affected people during that time.
ON SINGAPURA
Ed: In 1955, there was the Hock Lee strike, and our protagonist, Mr. Tan, a bus driver, refuses to participate in this strike for fear of his family’s safety. But his daughter, Lee May, is being asked by her classmates to join the strike. You know what happened: there were four deaths, which affects Mr. Tan so much that he wants to get out of Singapore, and conversely, it affects Lee May in a way that makes her want to stay in Singapore. That’s their journey.
Julien: I play the role of Mr Tan Kok Yang, the father of the family, the central character in the musical, or one of them anyway… the other one is larger than life! I’m a Hock Lee bus driver in 1955.
Maybel: I play the wife of Tan and the mother of Lee May. We own a kopitiam together but she’s the one who runs things there while Mr Tan has his job at Hock Lee.
Marian: Lee May loves to study, very smart and independent and she believes as long as she’s true to her heart, she can never go wrong because her heart never lies. She has big hopes and dreams for her country.
David: I play Lieutenant Flynn, a Brit. I fall in love with Lee May after a good friend of mine, a professor, invited me to share my perspective on this whole conflict. That’s when I meet her and our story takes off.
Joel: I feel very privileged to be part of the musical, because it’s such a huge project and an enormous responsibility to tell the story of a country’s fight for independence. And as Ed said, you have to get things right, because no matter how good the show is, if it doesn’t ring true, it won’t resound in people’s hearts and minds. It’s been a great process too. Our director Greg [Ganakas] is a genius; everyday at rehearsal, I see something new I’ve never seen before.
Julien: As Ed told you, the musical was initially about Lee Kuan Yew, but when he remodified it, it became more universal. And I appreciated that because you can play around with the relationships. Family is family, no matter what nationality you are, and I’m sure that will resonate with audiences anywhere.
DIVERSITY PLUS
Joel: This is the actually the first time I’ve worked with different cultures, within such a small country. Our cast consists of Indians, Chinese and Malays, and each culture has different nuances that we’ve learnt. It’s been very educational for us to learn how these different cultures coexisted with each other.
Maybel: This is all new to me too. My favourite part of this whole process is to actually see how all of us who come from different cultures still share the same universal feelings towards family, love and all of that. And it’s amazing to see how these themes resonate with different cultures.
AN EDUCATION
Ed: What really got me was how much Mr. Lee Kuan Yew felt that unification was essential to Singapore’s survival, because it had no territorial borders or natural resources. So when Singapore was finally expelled from the Federation of Malaya, I can’t imagine how he felt and how the people around him felt. But what really amazed me was how, after August 1965, your leaders just rolled up their sleeves and said, “Let’s clean the rivers, the triads and the kampungs. Let’s give everyone a home and an education.” I don’t know if the modern-day Singaporean truly appreciates that. So when you find out the stories about your founding fathers and grandfathers, you’d be prouder that you’re a Singaporean and appreciate what you’ve got right now. These are priceless lessons I’ve learned.
Joel: I’d like to think it’s a story about the whole world, because every country has gone through hardship and poverty and strife. Very few have gotten out of it but Singapore is one. And if you can do it, then we all can do it. It’s inspiring for all us, no matter what country you’re from.
Singapura: The Musical is running from now until 7 June at the Capitol Theatre. Tickets: $65 to $175, available at singapurathemusical.com
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