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This November, get into the true ‘spirit’ of Christmas with a brand-new musical extravaganza, A $ingapore Carol. For the 16th edition of its must-see holiday pantomime, W!LD RICE puts a hilarious, heart-warming spin on a Charles Dickens classic. All about love, redemption and the true meaning of Christmas, A $ingapore Carol promises to be the perfect family entertainment of the season.
“For over 175 years, A Christmas Carol has been the hallmark story for the holidays, inspiring countless artists and fascinating audiences from all walks of life” explains Ivan Heng, Founding Artistic Director of W!LD RICE. “With our annual pantomime being such a beloved tradition for family audiences in Singapore, we had to put our own W!LD and cheeky twist on the world’s most enduring tale about Christmas.”
Written by Jonathan Lim, the creator of Singapore’s longest-running parody show Chestnuts, the musical centres on the story of multi-millionaire miserly S.K. Loo. Determined to spend his Christmas holed up in his penthouse, the Singaporean Scrooge receives a special surprise when three very unexpected spirits appear to thaw his frozen heart. #BAHHUMBUG!
Sharing his inspiration for the play, Lim elaborates: “It’s been much too long since we’ve seen a version of the Christmas classic here, let alone one that speaks uniquely to us as Singaporeans. I went searching for the new Scrooge – and found S. K. Loo, the modern entrepreneur living the high life in the public eye, with the world at his feet but his heart locked away. This gave the story a new pulse, suiting a new economy and the society it has shaped. That brought it very close to SG indeed!”
Directing his first W!LD RICE pantomime in almost a decade, ‘Singapore Boy’ Hossan Leong, enthuses: “Though we’ve modernised the play to include prevalent themes of social media and technology, we’ve also stayed true to the underlying message of the original tale. If there’s one thing I hope audience members, as with cast and crew, takeaway then it is a message of kindness and compassion, which is not articulated enough in current day Singapore.”
A $ingapore Carol showcases a star-studded cast of the nation’s finest talents. ‘Broadway Beng’ Sebastian Tan takes on the lead role of ‘S.K. Loo’ alongside Siti Khalijah Zainal, Audrey Luo, Candice de Rozario, Terence Tay and Dwayne Lau.
In addition to a heart-warming story filled with laugh-out-loud moments, audiences can also expect to be wowed by a spectacular soundtrack of original music. Award-winning composer, Elaine Chan, comments: “With music being such a vital part of the play – it is after all based on A Christmas Carol, we came up with a great spread of holiday songs and festive jingles. While some of the carols will be sung traditionally, others have been jazzed up with a unique blend of Singaporean flavours, 1940s Andrew-Sisters harmonies and modern K-Pop dance music. There’s something for everyone to sing along to!”
Featuring an ensemble cast of Rachel Chin, Farhan Hassan and Andrew Lua, the musical will also showcase 18 young talents from the FIRST STAGE!, W!LD RICE’s programme that provides theatre training and performance opportunities for children from as young as five years old.
This year, W!LD RICE also welcomes established international brand OKI as a new headline sponsor for A $ingapore Carol. Mr Lua Eng Jee, General Manager of Local Sales & Manufacturing at OKI Singapore, explains: “As a Singapore brand that sells in over 80 countries, OKI has always believed in giving back to the local community, especially in the form of supporting and nurturing creative local talent. We hope with OKI Oil’s contribution, this production will be even more slick!”
Heng adds: “Over the years, the W!LD RICE pantomime has allowed us to showcase new talents and introduce new audiences to the magic of theatre. We’re honoured to have OKI join our theatre that’s very much created about, for and by Singaporeans.”
In the spirit of giving, W!LD RICE will also be hosting their “Gift Of Theatre” programme, which will see 500 free tickets given to local charities. Also believing that everyone should share the experience of theatre, the company will also be presenting one show performed in Singapore Sign Language on 9 December.
Tickets for A $ingapore Carol is on sales now! For more information, visit www.wildrice.com.sg/productions/311-a-singapore-carol.
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