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Presented by Dream Academy, Crazy Christmas is a mix of songs and comedy skits that will run at the Esplanade from the 28th of November to the 9th of December 2012.
With a bevy of theatre actors such as Selena Tan, Adrian Pang, Judee Tan, Karen Tan, and Hossan Leong, Crazy Christmas presents vignettes of song and comedy in a one-and-a-half-hour show.
One of the standout comedic vignettes features Adrian Pang dressed in drag in the localized version of The Wizard of Oz, where Pang plays the “Dorothy” character but in this case he’s a girl who’s returned to Singapore after studying abroad – and acquiring a “weird accent” (in Pang’s words) – only to find Singapore unrecognizable. Pang’s “Dorothy” is then helped by three hawker centre helpers in the form of the cowardly beer lady (Selena Tan), heartless coffee-tea lady (Karen Tan), and brainless bubble tea girl (Judee Tan).
Most of the other comedy segments are hit and miss. They include Judee Tan appearing as her infamous Teo Chew Muay character, the Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner; Hossan Leong dressed as Charlie Chaplin and doing a standup routine; and Selena Tan appearing as Marilyn Monroe talking about her experiences in Singapore.
What stand out in this show are the musical numbers. Selena Tan has a sweet melodious voice, and singing as Monroe she does a perfect breathy version of the star’s signature “Happy Birthday” to then-President Kennedy.
George Chan, better known as a choreographer (Lao Jiu, Company), also sports smooth vocals that melt like butter as he effortlessly sings his musical pieces. Likewise, Robin Goh possesses a clear voice as he concisely sings each note in pitch.
Songstress Michaela Therese lends her superb vocals to a romantic duet with Goh in which they bring out the pathos of the song easily with their mellifluous voices.
Vocaluptuous also appears, and this popular a capella group does not disappoint. With rhapsodic harmonies and an impressive vocal range, the group sings some classic numbers.
A surprising element comes when the children of Karen Tan and Adrian Pang appear in a musical number. Rachel Quek (Tan’s daughter) and Xander and Zack (Pang’s sons) sing a Christmas song together, harmonizing very well. Quek also performs a solo number later which impressively showcases her crystal-clear voice and dulcet tone. It is indeed heartening to know that there is so much talent in the next generation of performers.
As a group, Selena Tan, Adrian Pang, George Chan, Robin Goh, Karen Tan, Judee Tan, and Michaela Therese sing, harmonise, and beatbox a medley of tunes from the silver screen that range from Titanic‘s “My Heart Will Go On” to the themes from Jaws and Rocky.
The annual Crazy Christmas may not have struck as much of a comedy chord this time around, but its musical segments have a lot of sparkle to keep you entertained.
