High Class – where reality television meets the tai-tai lifestyle!
PUBLISHED June 28th, 2013 09:04 am | UPDATED January 21st, 2016 06:58 am
Michael Chiang, one of Singapore’s popular playwrights, has made a comeback with his first play in fourteen years, High Class. Chiang, who is best known for the comedy, Army Daze, has combined comedy and music in his latest creation, which focuses on little known, exclusive group – tai tais!
The word ‘tai-tai’ is local parlance for ‘ladies who lunch’ or ‘socialites’. These icons of material wealth are (usually) the wives of successful businessmen and tycoons (and more often than not, are the real power behind the men). They grace the pages of the Tatler and Peak magazines; have a penchant for designer handbags and ‘no-limit’ credit cards. An unlikely subject for a playwright, you might think. However, Michael Chiang has decided to focus ‘High Class’ around these ladies and their enviable lifestyle. His heroine is Alexis, a glamorous and glitzy creature, played by TV host and Fly entertainment artiste, Nikki Mueller, in her stage debut.
Chiang says his inspiration for ‘High Class’ was the ‘innocent’ romantic comedies of the 1950s and ’60s from both Hollywood and the East, comedies such as How To Marry A Millionaire (1953), starring Marilyn Monroe. These were tales from a bygone age, where the pinnacle of achievement for young girls was snaring a rich husband. But Chiang adds the addictive, voyeuristic 21st century phenomenon of reality TV to his comedic mix. The result, well, you will have to judge for yourselves!
High Class may just turn out to be Michael Chiang’s biggest hit in two decades. Chiang’s last play My Lonely Tarts (1999) was not regarded as his best work. But the plays before that, such as Beauty World and Private Parts, were hits and have been restaged several times. His biggest hit, Army Daze, a play about five national service recruits bonding over the course of their basic military training, is the quintessential Singaporean comedy and a perennial favourite.
But back to the plot of High Class: Alexis, who considers herself a paragon of ‘tai-tai-dom’ decides to groom aspiring tai tai-wannabes on a reality TV show. She sets out to find suitable candidates of the right pedigree. However, her spiteful ex-husband, Draycott (Andrew Lua) and his aesthetician girlfriend Siobhan (Kimberly Chan) plot against her and throw a spanner in the works. Instead of a group of sleek, sophisticated debutantes, Alexis ends up with a motley crew of clueless, badly dressed mis-fits. The candidates include a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner (Audrey Luo), a dengue-control inspector (Elizabeth Lazan), a beauty-pageant entrant (Mina Kaye) and an oddball teacher (Siti Khalijah Zainal). Watch the drama unfold and witness Alexis’s unpredictable reality TV journey. The stellar cast also includes personalities such as Shane Mardjuki (as hairdresser, Mac) and Ebi Shankara (as Samson, head of the TV studio).
But is the tai tai lifestyle an ideal that young women strive towards in 21st century Singapore, when there are so many opportunities out there for them to carve their own niche? Are there latter-day Cinderallas, who are looking to be whisked away into a life of luxurious living by a multi-millionaire Prince Charming? And why are we so addicted to reality television? For the answers to these questions, watch ‘High Class’ and decide for yourself.
But to entice you further, let’s hear from the playwright himself, Michael Chiang and also Elizabeth Lazan (who plays the dengue-control inspector, Sunitha) and Mina Kaye (who plays the beauty-pageant entrant, Janine):
Michael Chiang- Playwright :
It is great that you have made a comeback after 14 years with a new play! What was the inspiration behind ‘High Class’?
Honestly, there wasn’t any real inspiration. When I decided to work on a new comedy, I just looked around for an “interesting” subject, and my mind kinda latched onto the possibility of spinning something around socialites. That was the starting point, and the storyline and characters fell into place soon after.
What are the aspects of ‘High Class’ that will appeal to the audience?
Every single aspect? Haha. Ok, let’s hope the audience finds the plot engaging, the characters likeable, the lines funny, the acting brilliant, the songs catchy, the production top-notch, and the show wildly enjoyable! (Or is that too much to wish for?)
You have set this play in modern day Singapore. Do you think that girls / women nowadays are looking to snare a rich husband and become ‘tai-tais’ like in the ’50’s and ’60’s? Or is it a different game nowadays and do women still want to be ‘tai tais’?
It’s really just a little twist on the reality-show format. We’ve had hit TV shows looking for the best singers, cooks, dancers, models, business talents, etc. What if someone set out to look for the perfect ‘tai tai’ candidate? Would there be loads of young Singapore girls out there who would apply? That is essentially the premise of the play. Do women today still want to be ‘tai tais’? I don’t think it’s an agenda, but if the opportunity presented itself, I am certain many people would consider the upsides of the ‘tai tai’ lifestyle!
What about men looking for rich wives? Do you think ‘High Class’ would work if the gender roles were reversed?
I don’t think it would be half as interesting if the roles were reversed! “Tai tais” have the advantage of being able to dress up to the hilt: play up the hair, the nails, the clothes, the bag, the shoes, the accessories. If the ‘contenders’ were guys, they would be super boring!
What is the take home message for the audience that comes to watch ‘High Class’?
I never plan on having a message for audiences to take home, lah! If anything, it’s just a simple reminder that underneath it all, everyone is essentially the same.
Elizabeth Lazan – ‘Sunitha’, the dengue-control inspector:
What do you think about the play, ‘High Class’?
I think this show is about debunking stereotypes of the word ‘tai tai’ and what it means to be one. I love that whilst romance and comedy are used to shake the notion of what it sometimes means to live in this ‘other’ world, it also brings everyone together to discover what’s really important.
How did you go about preparing for your role in ‘High Class’ – as a dengue inspector? And can you relate to her?
Personally, I’m mosquito bait. When I’m outdoors with my friends, I’m always the first to get bitten! So I channeled that inner desire to conquer that bane into my role as an inspector!
But to prepare for my role after hearing I got cast, I first learned the accent by having some vocal training and hung around Little India to observe the everyday life of the culture. I also decided to watch Indian movies all the way back on a flight home from Europe, just to get into that ‘space’.
What have been your greatest challenges when working in this production?
To make sure I’m authentic in my transformation for ‘Sunitha’. And by not getting influenced by Audrey’s (character Ye Feng) accent in the show. It’s hilarious and addictive!
This play is set in Singapore in 2013 – do you think that girls / women still aspire to find a rich husband and become a ‘tai tai’?
I think a lot of women, not just in Singapore, aspire to find a good husband, rich or not! Having money of course is the icing on the cake. It allows for the flexibility of a leisurely life, especially if you want to live it up in this expensive city.
Do you think that High Class would work if the gender roles were reversed i.e. men looking for rich wives?
I could have a whole ‘women vs. men’ thesis written in response to that question. But that should be the sequel. I’ll speak to Michael about it!
What can the audience look forward to?
It’s going to be one of the most entertaining plays you’ll see; amazing sets, wonderful costumes, catchy songs and dancing. And with a powerhouse duo like Beatrice and Michael working on it, a definite ride once you step into the theatre. Oh, and the loud screaming ‘wannabe tai-tais’ who are all so different. You wouldn’t want to (and probably can’t) miss that!
Mina Kaye – ‘Janine’, the beauty pageant entrant:
What do you think about the play, ‘High Class’?
It’s such a fun, zany and hilarious play to be part of! The script is very clever, I think Michael captured the essence of the whole Tai Tai phenomena.
How did you go about preparing for your role in ‘High Class’ – as a pageant queen? And can you relate to her?
I tend to parody princesses/princess-type characters a lot, so playing a pageant queen just gives me another opportunity to play around with the idea of your typical pink-fluffy-ditzy-girly-girl. Only this time I have to be sincere!
I’ve seen a few episodes of TLC’s Toddlers and Tiaras, and I do have friends back in the States who have competed in pageants, so I do have idea of how the pageant circuits work from the extreme glitz pageant to just healthy regular natural pageants.
Researching and preparing for this character was a little challenging as Janine is not exactly your typical pageant queen, she’s never actually won a crown, but she goes all out and tries so hard. She truly believes that she has what it takes.
What have been your greatest challenges when working in this production?
My biggest challenge for the play is the accent work. My first impression of Janine was that she was your typical Valley girl. We struggled to find an accent for Janine, who is in actual fact, a Eurasian. So we needed to find a balance between the ditzy Valley girl accent and the Eurasian accent.
This play is set in Singapore in 2013 – do you think that girls / women still aspire to find a rich husband and become a ‘tai tai’?
I’m pretty sure at one point in every girl’s life, you’d have heard, “Someday, I will marry a rich man!” The idea of marrying someone rich, not having to work, and looking glamorous all the time, is very similar to the idea of the life of a princess. And I think this idea is very appealing especially to young girls, and women of all ages!
Do you think that High Class would work if the gender roles were reversed i.e. men looking for rich wives?
That would be interesting but definitely not surprising! In fact, we’ve already seen this happen in the Disney version of Aladdin! Aladdin eventually marries Princess Jasmine and thus, marries into royalty! In this day and age, anything is possible! I don’t think gender really matters!
What can the audience look forward to?
I think the audience can look forward to a night of good quality comedy that will leave them in stitches! The best part is, people of every race can relate to it because High Class is also a very multicultural play!
High Class is directed by Beatrice Chia-Richmond and will feature original new songs by talented producer-songwriter Don Richmond. The play will run in the first half of July, followed by a 10-day run of Chiang’s classic comedy about National Service, Army Daze.
High Class plays at the Drama Centre Theatre from July 5-14. 8pm (Tuesdays to Fridays), 3pm and 8pm (Saturdays), 5pm (Sundays). No shows on Mondays. Tickets from $42 from SISTIC. The Drama Centre Theatre is located at the National Library Building, 100 Victoria Street.
You can also follow the production on twitter here: http://twitter.com/elizabethlazan and their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Michaelchiangshighclass
Photographs courtesy of Michael Chiang and Mark Teo.
