Friday, February 6, 2009
More! More! Please, Casts of Broadway Parodies!
§ Best Performance by an Ensemble
§ Best Original Music (Brian McIntyre)
§ Best Choreographer (Farah Sulaiman)
§ Best Musical Direction (Brian McIntyre)
§ Best Director (Brian McIntyre)
§ Best Sound Design (John Siew)
§ Best Performance in a Leading Role (Tria Aziz)
Thursday, January 29, 2009
7TH ANNUAL BOH CAMERONIAN ARTS AWARDS: Audience Choice Award
The Boh Cameronian Kakiseni Audience Choice Award is open for voting. If you have watched us in action, love us and cheered for us for more, come and vote for us
Just go to Kakiseni Website for voting!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Miss us? Catch some of us in DTB2!
Venue: Auditorium Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur
A geeky and somewhat timid Karim meets Grey for an interview. Grey, a theatre producer who is looking for a personal assistant, is appalled with Karim’s lacklustre demeanour: no wonder the boy has not found work, just look at him! He tells Karim the story of “Hello Dolly” where Cornelius and Barnaby present themselves as millionaires to attract their dream girls; thus, our journey through Broadway begins. Featuring hit songs from musicals “Hello Dolly”, Miss Saigon, Annie, A Chorus Line and many, many more; “DanSing Thru Broadway” promises to be entertainment and fun for the whole family. Monday, November 3, 2008
The Land Below The Wind: Final Stop for BPLL National Tour 2008
Now, should anyone ask if I have had any local speciality food, I will say, I only manage to try the local "Kon Lau Mehn" (Dry Wonton Noodles) at Lintas, KK. Other than that, good seafood at the Gardens nearby KKIA.
We were staying in Best Western Courtyard, One Borneo, huge shopping complex. I can safely say in my personal opinion, it feels like equivalent walking in any major shopping complexes in the Klang Valley. It has the feel of the 1-Utama new wing.
UMS' Recital Hall was very challenging to us. Having to perform with minimal sets, last minute feedback monitors and slippery floors, I must say we have done quite a decent job. The organizers were very hospitable too. They feed us with really good food particularly the homecooked seafood at Datuk Adeline Leong's residence. Thank you Datuk Adeline, whom has been very kind to me when I was ill. I mean, over all, she really make sure that everything has been taken care off, our lodging, and all sorts. My profound and deepest appreciation to Datuk and her team for such a wonderful stay in KK.
I really missed those kids from IEC that attended our 2.5 hours Musical Theatre workshop. All of them are so bright and full with energy. They watched our matinee show and stayed back to meet us. We miss them dearly. Now some of us are connected via Facebook too! Yay! Probably in a swift of a blink of an eye, those kids turns out to be real performer on stage, larger than life and successful if they want to be.
Thank you all for watching the show. We hope you have a blast and time of your life enjoying our little nonsense on stage.
Thank you for supporting Malaysian Theatre.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
GET WELL SOON!!!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Workshop @ IEC, KK, Sabah
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Review: Musical A Runaway Success
Musical a runaway successs
Story and photos by ANTHONY LAW
THE musical, Broadway Parodies Lagi Lah, staged by the Actors Studio at Taman Budaya in Ipoh was a runaway success.
The performers, who presented a series of hilarious songs, kept the audience entertained with their two-hour non-stop performance.
The event provided a good opportunity for Ipoh folk to meet talented personalities like Farah Sulaiman, Ho Soon Yoon, Glamorique Arshad, Keith Yew, Mia Palencia, Shahila Johan, Tabitha Kong, Janet Lee, Sham Sunder Binwani, Sarah Low, Zeqthy Nattrah Ramli, Lim Ang Swee, John Siew, Loi Chin Yu and Edna Tan.
Sham Sunder, who virtually stole the show with his hugely versatile role, said it was a great experience to perform in front of a receptive audience.
“It gives us encouragement to perform even better,” Sham Sunder said after the performance recently.
He added that he and his group practised for seven weeks for the musical which was organised by the Perak Society of Performing Arts (PSPA).
Production designer Edna Tan said while it was a challenging experience to perform before the Ipoh audience, the wonderful response was really an “ego booster” for her.
“It was a sort of ego trip for me to perform as I was just stepping in to take the place of another member who was not available,” said Tan who took on the role of a rich Datin going on a shopping spree in the musical.
She added that she did not find any difficulty following the group throughout the performance.
Palencia, who was a lead performer, said it was very challenging to perform in front of an entirely different audience.
She said the Taman Budaya theatre was an excellent venue for her to get intimate with the audience because of its small size which meant that the spectators sat nearer to the stage.
“I enjoy every moment of the show and obviously I could see they are hanging on to the words I said and sang. They were laughing throughout the show,” Palencia said.
Kong, who kept the audience entertained with her humorous role by singing Good Morning Towels to the tune of Good Morning Starshine, said it was a wonderful feeling to be performing before an enthusiastic crowd.
Kong had been singing gospel for eight years and her great love for musical theatre attracted her to turn full time in performing arts. Prior to this, she worked as a brand manager in an advertising company.
“Wow! It is wonderful to appear in Ipoh which is such a close community and a good neighbourhood to be in,” Kong said.
PSPA president Datin Rosalina Ooi said the society decided to bring the show to Ipoh to expose the local folk to the performing arts.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Contact Details for Tickets in KK
Matinee Show : 03:00 PM
Evening Show : 08:30 PM
Venue : Universiti Malaysia Sabah's Recital Hall
For tickets please contact
1) Thomas Ho (016-8101787)
2) Dr Kheng (088-267000)
3) SPArKS (088-222939)
4) Margaret Lau (012-8026282)
5) Glenda Liew (016-8307366)
BPLL National Tour (Sabah) is proudly sponsored by The Lions Club Kota Kinabalu Sutera
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Thank You JB!
The food in JB is not too bad either. I heard that there are good choices around at the Taman Pelangi side! Our JB trip was a short one. Hence, could not explore more but just to get ourselves ready for the performances.
JOTIC was quite interesting. Halfway through the play, we were greeted by the JOTIC Youth Orchestra. We were on our way to the main door for the 2nd half and they were playing "Love Story". Pretty amazing, I must say considering most of them are still in their teens.
Our next stop is Kota Kinabalu (KK), Sabah, Negeri Di Bawah Bayu.
We will be conducting workshop a day before the show. So, do watch out for information from your local contact person.
Friday, October 17, 2008
JB Roadshow: City Plaza @ 3.00pm 17-10-2008
Our show in JB will be at JOTIC (Johor Tourism Information Ctr), Jalan Air Molek, JB on the same day at 8.30pm. You may book your ticket through our dedicated ticketing master Ms Eva Wong at telephone no. 017-3385388.
Do come!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Thank You Ipoh, Thank You Penang!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Curtain Call
Anyway, glad you have enjoyed watching the show!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
the journey ahead....

The Unsung Heroes
Okay, this may NOT be true 'cause we've booked the venue so we die-die-we-must-stay throughout the entire duration. But we must confess: every night before the show opened we did peeped at the backstage monitor to see the crowd, worried that audience might:
a) gave up driving in a jam
b) police road blocks along Jalan Ipoh
c) early Raya out-of-town holidays
d) fong-fei-kei
e) all of the above
f) other (please specify) ____________________________ reason(s).
An empty theatre is a taboo: so you get the message, sincerely from us – your presence at the audience seat, a silent smile in your heart; or even the lightest dutiful applause, have motivated all us to keep the show going every night.
In one of a few chain emails circulated amongst the cast members lately, one message from Soon Yoon gave me a harsh reminder: We tend to always thank the directors, playwrights, producers or choreographers, very often enough we steal the light away from the production crew. So the next half of the entry is for them: the Unsung Heroes of Broadway Parodies Lagi Lah!
Lim Ang Swee lighting designer
John Siew sound engineer
Loi Chin Yu set builder
Dominique Divorsine costume designer
Shalini Kalimuthu stage manager, publicist
Jasmine Tham production manager
Ian Chow theatre manager
Michael Thomas production manager
Mohd. Nazri Osman lighting operator
Ooi Yit Boon sound operator
Seshadri Kalimuthu PA to executive producer
Eva Wong assistant stage manager
Ramon Matthew Singho front-of-house manager
Shangari Subramaniam administrator
Suresh Rasammanikam (TAS) Farah Diana (KLPac) box office supervisors
...feeling more guilty now as I'm quoting the names shamelessly out from the programme, I hardly know half of them!
My personal thanks would be to Shalini Kalimuthu 'Shalu' & Eva for handling almost everything backstage yet constantly got yelled at when props didn't come on stage on cue. Hats off to both of them as I had underestimated how heavy those panels were until I had to haul one all by myself! Cheers to girl power.
Also to Boon who constantly shines the light on our faces, literally, every time before we went on stage to check that our microphones were in place. Especially for those whose microphones hate their owners - namely Shahila and myself, we owe you a big thank you and this one is for you!
Not to forget Ann Chung, the wardrobe assistant, whose one of the name didn't make it to the program. She picks up everybody's sweaty, dirty, smelly laundry... ahem, to word it nicely – she ensures we have clean, crisp costume before every show. She stations to ensure there's no room for wardrobe mulfuction, especially for Sham's oh-so-fabulous Sari. I sincerely wish to appologise on behalf of Glamo for asking her to wash his (smelly) socks. Eek. Please don't do that to Ann anymore, okay? Be nice or she'll make a Janet-Jackson's-halftime-show-at-the-Super-Bowl out of you. *Bomoh's evil laugh*
Also there are lots of other names did not even make it to the booklet, like the team at the souvenir booth who greeted all of us everynight as we sneak passed the crowd during intermission; those sweet girls at the door who wishes us to break another leg, eventhough after two shows we all ran out of legs to break; the gribs and best boy technicians who fanatically trailed Tria and the bomoh with follow spots; also those who worked answering phone calls from customers negotiating for more discounts over the boxoffice... the list goes on and on.
To those who will not join us for the tour, we hope to be able to work with all of you in many many projects in the future.
Sekian, terima kasih.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Shop! Shop! Shop!
Take a look at the photos below. All of the photos were taken every night during act 2 on different days. Everyday, I will take 2 shots, can you guess which is which day?
Friday, September 26, 2008
How to get tickets?
Else, if you have a credit card, buy over the phone by calling KLPAC at 03-40479000 and then collect the tickets from the KLPAC box office half an hour before the show begins, e.g 8.00pm from Tues-Sat, and 2.30pm on Sunday.
3 more shows ONLY
26 September 2008 Friday 08:30 PM Pentas 1, KLPAC
27 September 2008 Saturday 08:30 PM Pentas 1, KLPAC
28 September 2008 Sunday 03:00 PM Pentas 1, KLPAC (FINAL KL run)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Review: THE STAR - Malaysia's Got Talent
Talents on display in Broadway Parodies Lagi-Lah
By AMY DE KANTER
If you watched Broadway Parodies Lah last year, watch it again this year. If it’s new to you, you are in for a rollicking treat.
If the title of the show is not self-explanatory enough for you, it is a collection of songs about Malaysian life set to the tunes of Broadway hits and a couple of Disney movie tracks too. Hi Ho from Snow White becomes a Malaysian’s plaintive cry Aiyo! while Tomorrow from the musical Annie answers the nationally asked €“ and answered - question: When am I going to get paid?
Shows in Malaysia, even great ones, rarely show for more than a few weeks. If you don’t catch it when it’s here, that’s it. So you know there must be something special about Broadway Parodies Lagi Lah which has returned this year not only to a bigger stage and theatre, but also to a nationwide tour which will start after it finishes its run in Kuala Lumpur.
I caught and enjoyed Broadway Parodies Lah which sold out for all performances last year at the Actor’s Studio in Bangsar, KL.
While a couple of the songs fell flat, the vast majority were hits and I wondered whether this next generation of actors would be able to step into the shoes of last years’ crowd-pulling names like Douglas Lim and Joanne Kam Poh Poh.
They do. In fact, in many ways, this performance improved on last year’s.
The stage at KLPac Pentas 1 is much larger than the one in Bangsar, but the actors fill it beautifully, due largely to Farah Sulaiman’s lively choreography. Last year, numbers like I Like to Stay in Malaysia (sung to America from West Side Story) and We Must Play Golf All Night (to, of course, I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady) needed dancers. This year, they have them.
The overall feel of Broadway Parodies Lagi Lah is a lot more like the big musicals it borrows from, with costumes, lighting, sets and even slideshows.
Two of the best-received numbers of the first act were performed by relative newcomers Keith Yew and Shahila Johan. Dancer Yew showed that he also excels in singing with Marina (Maria from West Side Story) - an ode to Marina Mahathir; and Shahila played a pampered girl worrying about the prospect of being drafted into the National Service (I am Seventeen, Going on Eighteen from the almost similarly named favourite from The Sound of Music).
If there were to be one complaint about the show, it would be the same one I had last year. In some numbers with three or more singers, it is near impossible to make out the words. This year, the show makes up for it with slideshows, costumes, props and dancing to keep us entertained whereas last year, all we could do was strain hopelessly to hear what we could only assume was as funny and insightful as all the other songs.
Luckily, most songs are done as solos or duets and writer Brian McIntyre’s hilarious lyrics come across loud and clear.
The second act picked up the pace and was even faster and funnier than the first, eliciting constant cheers from the audience. The showstopper was the finale with Mia Palencia teaching a rapt group of tourists how to curse and scold Malaysian style. As it did last year, Bodoh Lah (Do-Re-Mi from The Sound of Music), brought down the house.
The cast of Broadway Parodies Lagi-Lah was so splendid, I could single out each and every one of them for praise. Three, however, deserve special mention:
Sham Sunder Binwani merely had to step onto the stage or open his mouth to have the audience roaring with laughter. Young Mia Palencia, whose voice is more powerful and who has more stage charisma than professional performers twice her age, took over and improved on some of the show’s best numbers. Finally, the comedic talent of Tria Aziz (of reality show Audition) got some of the night’s loudest laughs and applause with several songs as a recently minted Datin doing her best to live up to her new title €“ with the help of multiple plastic surgeries and fashion accessories (her shoes are now all from “Guacci”).
Keep your eyes open for these three, as well as Yew, Shahila, Ho Soon Yoon, Glamorique Arshad, Tabitha Kong, Janet Lee, Sarah Low and Zeqhty Nattrah Ramli. If there is anyone here you haven’t heard of or seen before, hold onto your hats. You will certainly hear of them now.
Broadway Parodies Lagi Lah will be showing in Pentas 1 at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) until Sept 28, with matinée on Sunday. Tickets are RM60, RM40 and RM20 (students) - family and group discounts are available. Its national tour kicks off in October, entertaining audiences in Ipoh, Penang, Johor Baru and Kota Kinabalu. For details, call KLPAC at 03-40479000 or visit www.klpac.com.my.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
4th Show! 6 more to go!
There are 6 more shows for the KL run before our national tour from the 6th of October onwards. We will stop at Taman Budaya Negeri Perak, Ipoh for our first touring location before heading to Penang. So, Ipoh fans, do come!
JB, and KK would be the final 2 stops.
There is also a brief history about how Broadway Parodies come about.
How to buy tickets? Well, easy lah, just call up Actors Studio (603-2094 0400) or KLPAC Box Office (603-4047 9000) for purchase over the phone using Credit Cards.
Show times are as follows:
18 September 2008 (Thu) 08:30 PM
19 September 2008 (Fri) 08:30 PM
20 September 2008 (Sat) 08:30 PM
21 September 2008 (Sun) 03:00 PM
23 September 2008 (Tue) 08:30 PM
24 September 2008 (Wed) 08:30 PM
25 September 2008 (Thu) 08:30 PM
26 September 2008 (Fri) 08:30 PM
28 September 2008 (Sun) 03:00 PM
Friday, September 19, 2008
survived!!





hey everyone....
so we survived the opening night with really really awesome audiences...eventually its not a full-house but i have to say..the laugther of the audiences and espeacially Joe Hasham covered the whole pentas 1 itself.....hheheheheeee~
well...i would love to personally thank everyone who's involves in this production......the casts, kakak Zeqhty, mummy Tria, adik Sarah, cikgu Mia, aunty Janet, queen Tabitha, papa Sham, abg Soon Yoon, King Glam and of coz the-ever-so-banyak-kali-curang-punya Keith...hehheheeeee~
love u guys so much....without u guys.....theres no BPLL la...everyone is talented in their own way..hahhaaa~
to Brian, Edna and Farah....my gosh....thanks so much for breaking our legs....get it?? hahhahahaa~anyways...without u guys...the casts will be singing and dancing all over the place lah....
kudos to the stage and technical people.....let me see who...hmm... Shalu and Eva espeacially for doing a great job on stage and for pulling those really really freakin' heavy penals.... guys rock!!!!
to Boon, for checking my mic all the time (see,i told u klpac's mic doesn't like me), Dominique for her oh-so-awesome costume and manage to make me look like a 'minah rempit' on one of the song in BPLL... to Lim...the awesome lighting...its really awesome....all of ur loved it....great job... to John....hehheeee~for forcing me to sing '17 going on 18' all the time during sound check...thank u thank u....u make my voice 3x better during show...hehheheeeee~ who else..ou yea.. chin yu...the awesome set builder....the set wouldnt look it that woithout u and ur 'anak- anak'... ou..and Naz for doing everything else for the technical...hahhahaaaa~ ou yea..cant forget Uda, who lepak at the penal with the video cam tv and chatting all the way who i-dunno-who...hehheheeee...
ou well...have to get ready for tonight's show..
will update again soon.......
cheers
Shahila Johan
<3







