It's not just compelling Singapore stories that keep roping drama-mamas back to this local theatre company. It's the music too. After all, there's a song at the centre of everything it does. Following nearly two decades of storytelling, Checkpoint Theatre is putting together its first digital concert which features new arrangements of seven nostalgic ditties from its songbook titled The Music of Checkpoint Theatre. Directed by Huzir Sulaiman and James Khoo, the production stirs up memories, fuels the imagination, and ignites hope.
From Frago's Purple Light to the never-before-seen finale of Huzir Sulaiman’s sequel to Atomic Jaya, these numbers are reimagined by associate artist weish, with the accompaniment of a dazzling nine-piece band.
Get ready to bop to familiar songs from productions like City Night Songs (2012) to Two Songs and a Story (2020). weish – who has been involved in Checkpoint Theatre productions since 2012 – elevates beloved classics with the support of a violinist, bassist, trumpeter, pianist, drummer and three other vocalists.
You'd recognise weish's partners in crime from Two Songs and a Story, an online video series of five solo performances directed and dramaturged by Huzir Sulaiman right after the circuit breaker last year. ants chua, Rebekah Sangeetha Dorai and Jo Tan deliver a brilliant performance, their voices harmonise beautifully, lending a twist to the theatre's classics.
But let's talk about music maestro weish. It may be her first time as a music director, but one could hardly tell with how flawlessly everything came together. Her versatility is evident with the range of music genres – from Sangeeta's ballads to a surprise reggae rendition of a piece by Huzir Sulaiman. We're not going to spoil it for you, but it is a sight to behold.
The 30-minute video concert experience is available at $5.90 on Sistic – but if you want to get the full experience in a theatre full of other music-loving comrades, join its live watch party on May 5 at The Projector instead. The event will include screenings of the original songs from past productions and a post-show dialogue with music director weish.
