In.HarmoNY 2010 Concert – Beauty and the Beast: An Adaptation

“Tale as old as time
True as it can be
Barely even friends
Then somebody bends
Unexpectedly”

Sound familiar? The strains of the classical Disney favourite, ‘Tale as Old as Time”, filled the Victoria Concert Hall on Saturday, 22 May 2010, courtesy of NYJC’s own 80-strong choir. Christened “In.HarmoNY 2010 Beauty and the Beast: An Adaptation”, the Choir mesmerised the audience which was made up of family, teachers and friends. The concert comprised a 2-part performance; a series of choral pieces performed in the first half, separated by an intermission from the highlight of the evening which was the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ musical.

The choral pieces performed included: Iddem-Dem Mallida (by composer Elmo Q. Makil), Lok Sui Ten (Zechariah Goh Toh Chai), Sik sik si Batu Manikam (Budi Susanto Yohanes), O Magnum Mysterium (Francis Poulenc), Mamayog Akun (Fabian Obispo) and Sleep (Eric Whitacre). During the musical, 9 songs were performed: Belle, No Matter What, Home, How Long Must This Go On, Be our Guest, If I Can’t Love Her, Something Here, Human Again and of course, Beauty and the Beast.

The interesting mix of Asian and Western numbers in the first component (performed to resounding applause from an appreciative audience) was artfully arranged. The harsher and more colorful tones from Asian pieces such as Iddem-Dem Mallida, Lok Sui Ten, Siks sik si Batu Manikam and Mamayog Akun contrasted with the slower more elegant Western pieces such as Sleep and  the haunting O Magnum Mysterium - a responsorial chant from the Matins of Christmas. The overall effect was an exciting blend of sounds and the clever use of sounds like stamping feet (in Mamayog Akun) gave the performance a dramatic, almost tribal feel.

As the audience filed back into the concert hall after the intermission, I noticed a palpable sense of excitement and expectation. Well, I must say they were certainly not let down by the grand opening: the song Belle and the sight of friends and classmates dressed in costumes of varying hues and colours drew loud whispers and even whistles of admiration as the lead actress emerged dressed in a stunning white gown during her waltz with the Beast. Throughout the performance, the scenes were narrated by Olivia Djawoto with Gabriel Chew Wen De accompanying her on the piano.

The main cast did not disappoint and played their roles well. The audience laughed at the carousing of the castle’s cutlery in Be Our Guest and wistful sighs could be heard during Belle’s (Ng Jin) and the Beast’s (Asaph Leh Hao Yi) slow waltz in Tale As Old As Time. The villains in the show also took centrestage with Gaston’s (Zeng Zhuohong), Monsieur D’Arque’s (Brandon Pua) and Le Fou’s (Koh Jinyang) plotting to place Belle’s father in the sanatorium. There were a few moments when the singing was not too clear but overall, there is no doubt in this reviewer’s mind that the concert was a roaring success and deserved the plaudits it dutifully received.

For now, the Choir will be heading further a field as they head towards Olomouc in the Czech Republic to compete in the International Festival of Songs. Well, after watching their performance tonight, I daresay they’re more than up for the challenge … Bon Voyage and do NYJC proud!