Life for the past three weeks have been lived intensively at the Esplanade's Rehearsal Studio on the 6th Floor...

Above: Setting for our first scene at the Esplanade Rehearsal Studio

But starting tomorrow, we'll be moving on and "bumping in" to the actual Esplanade Theatre stage. Yayness!!!

Our last few days at the studio included a "Sitzprobe" (which means a rehearsal with the actors performed seated in chairs while an orchestra plays) and full run throughs with the orchestra as conducted by Dr Sydney Tan...

I called it a "Syd's Probe"... LOL

Behind the two Empresses - Sheila Francisco (left) and Kit Chan (right)

Tomorrow onwards, we'll be busy getting our new positions and blockings on stage, endure lighting and other technical adjustments and long waits designed to make all of us look and sound good, and also try out our costumes as well as hair and make-up...

For now, I shall leave you with one of the show's props...

Above: Throne of the Dragon Lady

comments

It's our first day at the Esplanade Theatre stage itself, and we started by finding our own spaces at the dressing rooms, followed by all the technical stuff...

It's my very first time standing on this stage, and I got goosebumps the very moment I stood there facing the classy rows of red audience seats occupying four storeys of the hall...

And finally, I've had some time to take photos!

Enjoy...

Check out where you'll be seated!

Stylised set of Forbidden City

(Many More Photos Within This Link...)

Tomorrow is going to be a super long day indeed, with our call times around 9am and our finishing hour at 11pm...

Will try to take more photos!

comments

Yesterday, we got to try out our costumes and test our quick changes in between scenes...

Here are some shots I captured while waiting for the technical stuff to be settled...

(Many More Photos Within This Link...)

Above: Kit Chan and her best friend Yong Siew Fern's new book: "The Princess And The Flea"

It was a thoroughly slow and exhausting day, and today wasn't much easier. But we finally managed to get the technicalities and staging confirmed and plotted down. From what I've seen so far, it's going to be pretty impressive...

Will post new photos taken today shortly...

comments

Gotta rush, here are some pics of our first time wearing full make up, wigs and costumes for the technical rehearsal...

Enjoy...

(More Pics Within This Link...)

Tonight we'll perform our first show with an audience, and although it's actually a preview of our first dress rehearsal, we're all excited and ready for it! Those coming tonight, hope you'll like it! :D

1 angel(s) visited

Hurray, we've had our very first performance last night with an actual audience (full house, no less!)...

Although it was just a preview of the show, and despite minor boo boos here and there, the feedback has been great!

Here are the pics...

(More Photos Within This Link...)

Can't wait for the Opening Night tonight!!!

comments

It was a truly wonderful opening night of "Forbidden City - Portrait of an Empress" and at the curtain call we received standing ovations from the audience in the Stalls all the way to Circle 3!

We've come a long way in the frentic past three weeks, rehearsing endlessly and getting everything in the right places. And with almost five years of absence from big scale productions like this, and age not on my side, I've to put in extra effort to keep up with the energetic choreography...

Even up to the final afternoon before opening night, the director Stephen Dexter and choreographer Nick Winston had us together to tidy up our steps and also work in an additional feature in the story (arrival of British soldiers) and changed some set designs to make the show even tighter...

And apart from almost losing a shoe resulting in a slightly wrong position for a scene, I don't think I've made any major boo-boos...

Here are the photos I snapped throughout the evening...

(Enter This Link For Many More Photos...)

After the show ended and we've all showered and changed etc, all of us made it to one of the bars in the Esplanade for a post show party!

More pics of the party coming up next!

2 angel(s) visited

The past few shows have gone very well and the audience were pleased enough to give us standing ovations in several shows...

Firstly, thank all of you for your concern about my injuries. The wounds on my face have almost healed and started to peel off already, while my shoulder is still aching from a deeper cut. My knee is still heavily bruised but no more open wounds...

It's a blessing indeed, I tell you!

Here are the shots I took of the make up I did in the past few shows, done by Leonora (11 Sep) and Belinda (12-14 Sep) from Make Up For Ever Professionals...

I've heaps of photos to edit and post, but here are some of the ones I took of the cast in costumes...

(Click Here To See The Costumed Cast...)

Celine Rosa Tan as the alternate Yehenara (on Wednesday matinee shows)...

Hope you like the pics... more to come!

2 angel(s) visited

THE BANQUET

The first thing I asked when I came out from watching the above show last Sunday, was...

WHERE's THE FOOD???

For a movie with such a promising title, the only thing consumed, other than poisoned drinks, is a single grape... :S

Anyway, the show is mostly a theatrical piece loosely based on Shakespeare's "Hamlet", with meticulous attention to the costumes, sets and production design. It moved like a slowly choreographed Noh performance, and almost as abstract too...

Everything and everyone looked beautifully lit. But everytime someone in the cast spoke, members of the audience break out into giggles of laughter!

Must be the overly serious dialogue, which often came out sounding corny and maudlin...

Ziyi Zhang plays a kind of budding dragon lady who's caught between past loves and present obligations. I think Kit Chan would fit this role rather well, but I am kinda biased...

Anyway, the whole show feels like a very long dance performance in slow-motion. There was more than one person snoring audibly throughout the whole movie. One woman slept and snored so many times despite being woken up by her embarrassed and amused companions..

Okay, another good thing about this show is the music by Tan Dun, and the closing credit song by a Winne Hsin sound-alike...

That's all...

comments

Here's what happens when I get some spare time and a camera on my hands...

More to come, more to come...

comments

Finally, here are the photos you've been waiting for... an almost complete cast, production team, hair, make-up, costume dressers, lights, sound, orchestra... and Kit Chan!

Edric Hsu & Kit Chan

 More to come, more to come...

comments

SRT organised a high tea dining session at Equinox at Swissotel The Stamford on 22nd Sep 2006, and the food in the buffet spread was yummy!

Not everyone was there, and half of those present were from the SRT team (the hands that feed us), but finally we get a chance to sit back, relax and chit chat among the cast...

As usual, I took heaps of photos, so please click the link below to see them all...

(Click Here For More Updated Pics...)

And thanks to all who've asked... I am already much better right after my previous post, so everything's all good...

3 angel(s) visited

Today marks the final day of this season of "Forbidden City - Portrait of an Empress" at the Esplanade Theatre...

Thank you, all of you who've made the journey with us, either as part of the cast, production, or member of the audience...

It's been a really great experience, and will forever remain in my memory (and for as long as this blog exist)...

I have GIGABYTES of photos to share but have yet to find the time. Perhaps when this show is over tonight, I'll be able to catch up on those...

And then I'll go take a nice holiday break, perhaps to Bangkok...

Meantime, there's two more final shows to go, and a post-show party to enjoy!

Be right back!

8 angel(s) visited