Swimming with Sharks – the cast reveal all!
PUBLISHED September 19th, 2012 11:51 am | UPDATED January 21st, 2016 08:47 am
There’s not long to go before Swimming With Sharks opens at the Drama Centre! A couple of weeks ago, City Nomads caught up with Adrian Pang and George Young – aka Buddy Ackerman and Guy in the play (see here). This week, we introduce you to the rest of the stellar cast and get the low down on their characters, the play and their very own ‘Boss-from-hell’ encounters.
Meet Jack, Cyrus Miles, Rex, Dawn Lockard, Mitzy and Daniel Farouk, aka Crispian Chan, Daniel Jenkins, James Shubert, Janice Koh, Melissa Faith Yeo and Shane Mardjuki).
Tell us a little about the character you play in Swimming With Sharks?
Crispian Chan: I play Jack, George’s film school friend, who is also trying to make it into the big league in Hollywood.
Daniel Jenkins: I play Cyrus Miles, the founder and chairman of Keystone Productions, otherwise known as Numero Uno, the Grand Pooh-Bah or God! Basically I’m the Boss!
James Shubert: I play Rex, the outgoing assistant to Buddy. Basically, Guy, is coming in to take over from me. Rex feels very comfortable in the rat race of a Hollywood studio office. He looks up to his boss, Buddy, and tries to emulate him; he tries to be like a Buddy ‘Mini-Me’. He loves the money and power that are part of the life and is willing to endure Buddy’s humiliations if it will help him move up the ladder. In a way, he is the first shark the audience meets. He may be lower down in the food chain but he is at home in the shark feeding frenzy that is show business.
Janice Koh: I play Dawn, an independent filmmaker and producer who works with Keystone Productions. She’s very passionate about making good films that make a difference, but has to navigate and work her way up in a sexist, money-crazy and skirt-chasing man-eat-man world. In order to be successful, she has to be sharp, constantly be on her guard and use her feminine wiles to get what she wants.
Melissa Faith Yeo: I play Mitzy, a Valley girl who aspires to be an actress. If you know how the scene is like in L.A., she is that tight-dress-networking floozy. Also, she’s very attractive and she uses her charm to get what she wants.
Shane Mardjuki: I play Daniel Farouk, an up and coming director who believes he is God’s gift to the film-making world.
What do you think of the play?
Crispian Chan: It’s a hilarious and yet disturbing behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood. The characters are wonderfully written – the bad guys aren’t completely bad nor are the good guys completely good. It’s so much fun seeing them play off each other.
Daniel Jenkins: Swimming with Sharks is a dark, dark comedy! It has everything, rapid fire witty dialogue, love, lust and torture! With a brilliant twist to boot! What more could you want from a play?
James Shubert: If you liked the movie, you’d love the play. It has a lot of great one-liners and this production delivers them at a break-neck pace. Adrian gives Kevin Spacey a run for his money!
Janice Koh: It’s dark and funny at the same time. It is also quite thrilling and suspenseful because of the many twists and turns along the way as the different characters manipulate and out-scheme each other to get what they want. The play takes a hard look at how corporate politics and ambition can completely shatter one’s ideals and beliefs. Adrian brings a lot of the humour to the piece, and George a lot of vulnerability and poignancy to the play.
Melissa Faith Yeo: Great! It has a dark, intelligent sense of humor. A lot of witty, “acid tongue” moments, brainteasers and the like.
Shane Mardjuki: The play is great. Film scripts don’t always translate fantastically on to the stage but this one is right on the money.
Have you had real-life, close encounters with the “Boss from Hell”? What was it like and how did you cope? And has it helped you in your preparation for your role in this play?
Crispian Chan: I worked in my parent’s restaurant while I was at high school and university – some would think that having your parents as your boss would be great as you could get away with things but no, my parents treated me like anybody else. So imagine screwing up something at work and having them lecture you about it all the way home in the car. THAT was hell for me so I can relate to George’s character and his predicament.
Daniel Jenkins: Luckily not! I once had a female boss who could only be described as a ‘cougar’! Fantastic, you might think, but as a young innocent actor straight out of drama school I was terrified! After one particularly drunk evening at a company celebration, I was attacked by the ‘cougar’ and honestly, I was so scared that I quickly made my excuses and ran a mile!
James Shubert: I worked in a PR firm on Broadway so the sound of constantly ringing phones is not new to me. When I took this role, I had a flood of memories because the life of an assistant (which I was) in a high pressure office will always be a somewhat thankless, necessary and excruciating one. But it helps you grow up.
Janice Koh: Thankfully, I’ve never had to deal with a ‘Boss from Hell’, but as a student working part-time, I have worked in a more male-dominated world before, where the bosses shameless come on to you.
Melissa Faith Yeo: This is where I laugh ironically and say “no comments”. And no, it did not help me prepare for this role as Mitzy is her own boss aka unemployed!
Shane Mardjuki: Does National Service count? ‘Cos then THE WHOLE of NS was a “Boss From Hell” kind of deal.
If you could get your own back (on the above mentioned “Boss”) – what would you do?
Crispian Chan: I don’t know. I definitely couldn’t bring myself to torture my own parents! Maybe I’ll try some reverse psychology – shower them with gifts and love so that they’ll let me get away with things at work!
Daniel Jenkins: Not run away! Of course now she’s probably a grandmother so I wouldn’t have to run, I could walk away nonchalantly, as she’d never be able to catch me anyway!
James Shubert: I am not in for torture or eye for an eye type stuff, but I do think proving people wrong and rubbing their faces in it is fun.
Janice Koh: Let’s see, I don’t have the capacity to do such things well at all! I’ll probably have to outsource it to a loan shark or something. Maybe hang pigs’ heads at front doors!
Melissa Faith Yeo: Nothing. I think, in general, the biggest slap in the face to anyone like that is to be very, very good at what you do.
Shane Mardjuki: It would be something involving poo and their front door.
In real life, do you think you are a “Buddy” or “Guy”?
Crispian Chan: I’m definitely idealistic like Guy and I love a workplace where everyone has fun and enjoy working together. Yeah, I think I’d be Guy.
Daniel Jenkins: I don’t think I’m either really. Buddy is such a bully, threatening his way to success, whereas Guy is so gullible and naïve, believing everything and bending over backwards to please. I sit somewhere in the middle, firm but fair.
James Shubert: I am a Guy that wants to be a Buddy.
Janice Koh: If I had to choose between the two, I’d probably be a Guy. I don’t think I’m half as witty or political enough to be a Buddy.
Melissa Faith Yeo: A bit of both. Like Buddy, I have no tolerance of sub-standards but like Guy, I am passionate about my job yet very naive.
Shane Mardjuki: I am a Guy. There is a lot of groveling and sucking up going on in my life.
What will attract audiences in Singapore to “Swimming With Sharks”? Why should they see the play?
Crispian Chan: I think seeing Adrian, Janice and George together again ‘post-Pupil’ will be a huge draw for Singaporeans. They’re extremely talented actors and its so wonderful to watch them duke it out on stage with their character. Anyone, who has worked at a desk job will be able to relate to Guy’s plight and maybe they will have a chance to live vicariously through Guy as he wrecks revenge back on his boss!
Daniel Jenkins: The cast, the acting, the brilliant direction, the fantastic set, script, costumes, storyline…shall I go on?
James Shubert: Because they have never heard of James Shubert and one day they will rue the fact that they missed his stellar break out performance in Swimming with Sharks. (ha, ha )!
Melissa Faith Yeo: Swimming with Sharks is fictional but it tells us how in the world of showbiz, one should never be too gullible. There is more than meets the eye behind every glamourous / successful story. Why should they see the play? For the super diverse cast we have – from theatre veterans to first-time stage performers (George and I) and then some.
Shane Mardjuki: I think if we sell out every night, George Young will take his shirt off during the curtain call.
Join the Group Night Out at the City Nomads Culture Vulture Launch at Pangdemonium’s Swimming With Sharks on Wednesday, 26 September 2012 at the Drama Centre, National Library. You will get a discount off top price tickets for the show plus two glasses of bubbly all for only $50 a ticket! Plus you get a chance to win a holiday package for two to the Maldives courtesy of Club Med. Now who says swimming with sharks is no fun??? For more information, see here.
Swimming with Sharks runs from 20th September – 7th October at at The Drama Centre Theatre. For tickets outside of the 26th September, see SISTIC here.
Images courtesy of Pangdemonium
