Show business is tough; just ask Ah Kit, main character of The Actors Studio Seni Teater Rakyat’s latest production ‘Paper Crane’. Ah Kit, who aspires to be a famous Chinese opera sensation in the mould of Mei Lanfang, has the support of his love interest Fei Mui and best friend Siu Ngau, but he draws ire from rival Fui Koh, who is the Chinese opera troupe’s incumbent star. In an unexpected turn of events, Ah Kit replaces Fui Koh as the troupe’s leading man, but to his despair, the business eventually declines and he decides to borrow money in order to produce one final show.
The highlight of ‘Paper Crane’, which reunites the creative team behind past musicals such as ‘Broken Bridges’, ‘Malaysian Girls’ and ‘Tunku’, is the casting of Patrick Teoh as the troupe manager and Fei Mui’s father in the prolific social commentator’s first ever role in a musical. Teoh is joined onstage in this Cantonese and English language production (with subtitles projected throughout) by Roax Tan, Lee Elaine, Ho Soon Yoon and Colin Kirton. Theatre goers can also look forward to 17 original Broadwayesque numbers, which are brought to life by an 18-men singing and dancing ensemble as well as a seven-piece live band. Wong Boon Ken