Following rumours of trouble behind the curtains and the general consensus that it's simply a substandard show, Singapura: The Musical has shut down, even though they decided to extend their run till the end of this week.
The $2.7 million musical made its debut as the first production to premiere at the newly refurbished Capitol Theatre, showcasing Singapore's formative years from 1955 to 1965 from the eyes of ordinary Singaporeans. With Broadway veteran Greg Ganakas as director and celebrated composer Ed Gatchalian tasked as musical director, the musical had a lot riding on it, with very, very high expectations. Our exclusive behind-the-scenes session with the cast showed a lot of promise too.
Thus you can see why it was surprising that Singapura: The Musical was absolutely pummelled into bloody bits in the numerous reviews that came out following its premiere.
The Straits Times mentioned that it "suffers from a horrendous lack of focus, stumbling down paths it has no time to flesh out". TODAY remarked that it "rings especially hollow", "about two hours too long" and "difficult to connect with. The Online Citizen called it an "overly simplistic depiction of Singapore history from a foreigner perspective"— especially since it was produced by Filipino company The 4th Wall and featured a Filipino-heavy cast. With such fantabulously bad reviews, no wonder so little people flocked to the show during its run, and no wonder it was rumoured to close earlier than scheduled.
Defying all expectations, the show did go on, and even extended its run. However, The Straits Times reported that Singapura: The Musical unceremoniously shut down since last week after the production folded. An anonymous crew member speaking to the paper even mentioned that his contract had been delayed, and has not even been paid.
There may be more to this yet — stay tuned for further updates.
Photos: Singapura: The Musical Facebook page
Following rumours of trouble behind the curtains and the general consensus that it's simply a substandard show, Singapura: The Musical has shut down, even though they decided to extend their run till the end of this week.
The $2.7 million musical made its debut as the first production to premiere at the newly refurbished Capitol Theatre, showcasing Singapore's formative years from 1955 to 1965 from the eyes of ordinary Singaporeans. With Broadway veteran Greg Ganakas as director and celebrated composer Ed Gatchalian tasked as musical director, the musical had a lot riding on it, with very, very high expectations. Our exclusive behind-the-scenes session with the cast showed a lot of promise too.
Thus you can see why it was surprising that Singapura: The Musical was absolutely pummelled into bloody bits in the numerous reviews that came out following its premiere.
The Straits Times mentioned that it "suffers from a horrendous lack of focus, stumbling down paths it has no time to flesh out". TODAY remarked that it "rings especially hollow", "about two hours too long" and "difficult to connect with. The Online Citizen called it an "overly simplistic depiction of Singapore history from a foreigner perspective"— especially since it was produced by Filipino company The 4th Wall and featured a Filipino-heavy cast. With such fantabulously bad reviews, no wonder so little people flocked to the show during its run, and no wonder it was rumoured to close earlier than scheduled.
Defying all expectations, the show did go on, and even extended its run. However, The Straits Times reported that Singapura: The Musical unceremoniously shut down since last week after the production folded. An anonymous crew member speaking to the paper even mentioned that his contract had been delayed, and has not even been paid.
There may be more to this yet — stay tuned for further updates.
Photos: Singapura: The Musical Facebook page