Potted Potter: Irreverent Fun for Fans

As a fringe theatre performance, Potted Potter was good entertainment for 70 minutes.  Squeezing seven Harry Potter books into that time period, creators Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner succeeded in retelling the story, albeit in an alternative way.  

The first 5 minutes was slightly draggy, but things picked up from Book Two onwards.
Audience participation was a highlight of the show, and we got to play Quidditch in the Jubilee Hall.  On Thursday evening, we had a volunteer who came on stage as a wizard.  Good for her, and of course she won!

Clarkson and Turner were engaging and held audience’s attention with their ridiculous and cheapo props, silly songs and all the wrong references to the book.  While it may not be necessary to be a fan of Harry Potter books, it did help.
A classic it may not be, but definitely good fun for all.

Beatlemania: A Good Survey of the Fab's Music

Beatlemania is a chronological survey of Beatles music, starting from the members' stint in Hamburg (Germany), to their final days together.  This musical-concert was presented in few segments: Hamburg period (with Pete Best), Liverpool, the BBC Sessions, Ed Sulliven Show in the USA, and their subsequent events such as the movie A Hard Day's Night, Sergeant Pepper's period etc.

As a musical staging, it could be monotonous as there was not much dramatic elements into it.  The stage set was simple, with simple projection screen acting as backdrops and indicating the period they were in.  As a performance, however, the 4 actors put up a good show.  Most of them did have some resemblance to the original members and they sounded like them too.  The band was tight and their playing and singing were definitely the highlight of the show.

This is the 50th anniversary of Beatles conquering the United States music scene.  It was thus timely that we were treated to an enjoyable performance by this tribute band.  It just reminded us how great the music of the Beatles are, and how Paul, John, George and Ringo would continue to win new fans over the next 50 years and more.

Cavalia: Experiencing the performance by feel and touch

On 27 Aug, some visually impaired children were invited to experience hands-on Cavalia, a production currently staging at the gigantic white tent next to the Marina Bay Sands.  Cavalia is a multi-disciplinary show which feature riders, aerialists, acrobats, musicians and of courses, the horses.  

It was a good initiative by the Presenter and the Cavalia team to create a special experience for these children.  To begin the journey, the children, teachers and parents were first brought to the farrier's station where they had the chance to touch and feel the tools of making a horse shoe.  Most children were able to overcome their initial shyness and participate in the activities.


At one corner, the children smelt and touched the hay, grains and fruits fed to the horses, thereby understanding the diet of these stallions.   A few students from the Lighthouse School were game enough to ride on the saddle.

Beatlemania On Tour

While the original band may have disbanded decades ago, their music and image still live on through the tribute band Beatlemania.   Beatlemania is coming to perform in Singapore at the MasterCard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands from 5-6 September 2014.  Tickets are available at SISTIC.

The concert would take audiences on a journey through the main years of the ‘Fab Four’ with a fascinating musical story that explores the band’s humble beginning in Liverpool, its rise to fame, cultural change and the Beatlemania phenomenon that changed music forever.

Employing authentic ‘Beatle instruments’, amplifiers and costumes, coupled with musically perfect renditions of your favourite Beatles classics, Beatlemania – On Tour recreates the spirit of The Beatles in ways that have audiences raving about them for weeks.  The Singapore performance will feature UK’s Joe Kane (Paul McCartney), Clark Gilmour (John Lennon), Craig McGown (George Harrison) and Grahame Critcher (Ringo Starr), selected for the show in 2013.  New moments have been added, including new musical tracks that will have audiences out of their seats the whole night long.  

While we cannot have the real thing, we still have Beatlemania.