29 August 2014 – For the 11th edition of its annual must-see musical pantomime, W!LD RICE is looking to the East for inspiration. Monkey Goes West is based on endearing Chinese fantasy classic Journey To The West, as affectionately re-imagined and relocated to modern-day Singapore by W!LD RICE’s Resident Playwright Alfian Sa’at. Acclaimed music composer Elaine Chan will compose a brand-new score for the production.
“We’ve always prided ourselves on taking well-loved fairy-tales and giving them a distinctly local twist,” explains Ivan Heng, Artistic Director of W!LD RICE. “We felt that it was time to explore the wealth of literature and adventure available to us from sources closer to home.”
Monkey Goes West marks Broadway Beng Sebastian Tan’s directing debut with W!LD RICE. No stranger to the W!LD RICE pantomime, Tan has won great acclaim for playing the evil witch in two previous productions (Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs and Hansel & Gretel). He is thrilled to be taking on the role of director for Monkey Goes West.
“I wanted it to be based on Tripitaka’s Journey To The West because, as a kid, this epic story captured so much of my imagination,” says Tan. “We want to bring audiences on a funny, fabulous, fantastical journey!’
The elaborate costumes for the pantomime will be designed by Saksit Pisalasupongs and Phisit Jongnarangsin of Tube Gallery, an award-winning design and fashion company based in Bangkok. Singaporeans have seen their work onstage before: 881 The Musical, The Crucible and Glass Anatomy. Monkey Goes West marks the first collaboration between W!LD RICE and Tube Gallery.
“We love having Saksit and Phisit on board,” says Heng. “They have such passion and enthusiasm for telling stories through the beautiful costumes they create.”
The talented cast of Monkey Goes West features an exciting mix of veteran actors and fresh faces. Familiar faces like Chua Enlai (The Importance of Being Earnest, TV’s The Noose), Lim Kay Siu (Lao Jiu The Musical) and Siti Khalijah Zainal (Jack & the Bean-Sprout!, Best Of) will be joined onstage by Joshua Lim (Ah Boys To Men The Musical), Sugie Phua (Project Super Star, Glass Anatomy) and recent LASALLE College of the Arts graduates Frances Lee (Fat Pig) and Kimberly Chan (High Class, Hot Pants).
The production will also feature the young talents, ages 5 to 12, as part of W!LD RICE’s FIRST STAGE! Programme. As Monkey Goes West will be the first pantomime to feature Wushu as part of its onstage action and choreography. Children from Martial House – Singapore’s leading Wushu academy – will also be taking to the stage to show off their impressive martial arts skills.
Monkey Goes West will be staged from 21 Nov till 13 Dec at the brand new Victoria Theatre. This year’s pantomime will also see the introduction of a new Thursday matinee show.
Interested members of the public can purchase their tickets from any SISTIC outlet or the online ticketing site.
Priority Booking : 15 September – 28 September 2014, 20% Discount for OCBC Cardmembers only
Early Bird : 29 September – 22 October 2014, 20% Discount for OCBC Cardmembers, PAssion, SAFRA, British Club and IKEA FAMILY Card Members, 15% Discount for General Public
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