PUBLISHED April 23rd, 2014 01:00 am | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 03:18 pm
The latest production by Pangdemonium – The Rise and Fall of Little Voice – is the Asian premiere of a heart-warming tale about shy Little Voice or LV (Mina Kaye) who spends most of her time hidden away with her late father’s record collection, perfecting her astonishing impersonations of the great divas such as Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, Edith Piaf and Shirley Bassey. Her singing annoys her mother Mari (Denise Tan). And so, her extraordinary talent remains a secret, until she is overheard by local talent scout Ray Say (Adrian Pang), who happens to be Mari’s latest boyfriend.
Gambling everything Ray Say forces LV to appear at a local run-down, seedy night club. As preparations for the big event proceed, LV meets the equally shy Billy (Shane Mardjuki), and an oddball romance blooms. Buoyed by the success of LV’s first show, Ray is determined to hit the big time and sets about creating the show of the century with Little Voice as his star. When the big night arrives, Ray is convinced that this is his last chance for fame and fortune. But in all the excitement, has anyone asked Little Voice what she wants?
Director Tracie Pang told us more about this play:
Why did Pangdemonium decide to do The Rise & Fall of Little Voice?
This was a piece that has been on our ‘to-do’ list for a long time, it is a fabulous story with great music that everyone will love young and old. The story of a shy young girl learning to stand up for herself under a desperate situation is what stood out, plus it is not only a fabulous comedy but is a touching drama, with wonderful music!
The original play (and the film) was set in the north of England (Bolton in Lancashire, the author Jim Cartwright’s hometown) in the 1990s. Will you be setting the play in Singapore?
We wanted to pounce on the opportunity to tell this wonderful story. We decided to set it in 1974 Singapore, because this young girl’s personal story symbolizes Singapore’s own journey to find our own voice. 1974 was also during the heyday of the cabaret scene in Singapore and we felt that it is a great fit and a new challenge for us to do a show that is adapted to a Singapore setting.
How did you go about selecting the cast?
The casting started with Mina, who plays the title role of Little Voice – without finding our Little Voice, with her very unique talents, we were not going to be able to do this show, and Mina is simply AMAZING in this role! The rest of the cast were put into place around her, and we have assembled our dream cast! We wanted to work with Denise Tan again since The Full Monty, and also Siti has been on our wish list to work with for the longest time. Shane was a natural to play opposite Mina, and having seen Rishi doing his stand-up work I felt he would be absolutely perfect for his role as the nightclub owner Mr Boo. Then there is Adrian to fill in the colourful Ray Say.
Why should we see the production and what will appeal to the audience in Singapore?
I think the fact that the show in set in 1974 Singapore has a fabulous nostalgic appeal to it, and the songs that are in the show are all songs everyone knows and loves, from your Shirley Bassey numbers, Judy Garland anthems and Elvis classics – you can’t help but be sucked into this wonderful world of big characters, hilarious dialogue and ultimately a heartwarming story of hope and triumph.
Don’t miss The Rise and Fall of Little Voice! The show will be on at the Drama Centre, National Library, from the 2nd to 18th May 2014. For tickets and more information, visit www.sistic.com.sg and www.pangdemonium.com.