Paper Crane (尾聲)

Paper Crane or 尾聲, the latest musical in town (ok, not so 'latest' but still, the first show was on 27th July), is one musical that impressed me greatly! I mean usually, I am entertained by shows and performances but Paper Crane bought me to new heights. I experienced a real emotional roller-coaster ride during the whole performance!

Before going further, perhaps the story line needs to be known. Basically, Paper Crane chronicles the rise and fall of a Chinese Opera star, Ah Kit. In this chronicle, I saw how he started out as a stagehand, grabbing the opportunity to step onto the stage when chance presented itself, the changed person he became due to arrogance and fame, the love story between him and Fei Mui (trust me, she is one cute lass) and how he came crashing down.
Of course, you can get a better synopsis and show details at : http://theactorsstudio.com.my/papercrane/
Side note : All pictures in this post were taken by Kelab Shashin Fotografi KL

Fui Koh (the original lead opera star) and Ah Kit (main character of  Paper Crane)

Aside from the storyline, the next thing that captured my attention was the costumes. Being the huge-ass Japanese fan I am, upon knowing the costume designer is none other than Shingo Tokihiro, it will definitely be my loss if I did not appreciate the costumes. From the start of the musical, I realised the hakama structure of the pants that the dancers wore throughout the musical, the samurai armour form on the opera singer's costume with intricate details and colours and on some head gear, the kabuto influence. Also, if you are perceptive enough, it seems that some costumes does carry the Japanese 'feel' and was modified and weaved in nicely with Chinese garments of yesteryears. Needless to say, there were other forms and designs to identify but I am leaving that up to you. XD Perhaps you can share what else you saw or noticed?

Get to see more cast members but main focus here is, I want to illustrate some of the costume designs.

After feasting my eyes, its time to treat my auditory senses! Initially I thought the tracks were pre-recorded as the timing and loudness were really spot-on but when I further read the programme booklet ( RM10, reasonably priced, honestly!), turns out that the melody/music was played by 7 musicians. I was damn surprised and impressed because to me, the music and songs were near to perfect (or maybe my ears are easily satisfied) andddd I heard traditional chinese instruments like the guzheng. Turns out, none of them played any such instruments, instead only keyboards, guitar, bass and drums were used. Yeah, I was totally in awe.

In terms of the actors, storyline and the language used during the musical, I only have one word. Diversity. This play was performed in a well-balanced mixture of Cantonese and English, be it during conversations or singing. I did have some issues keeping up with the languages during the singing when the singers switched the language from Cantonese to English and vice versa, but on the other hand, I give my full respect to them. I mean, it is by no means, an easy feat yet it was performed flawlessly, effortlessly and naturally. Not to forget, they had to dance too! Talking about the dancing, I would say this casts is one of the most interesting I had ever seen! Reason being, the dancers came in all shapes and sizes, but one thing for sure, they certainly looked like they enjoyed themselves immensely! For the storyline (if you had read the above link), there was friendship, rivalry, love and all things 'life' involved. Personally, I went through a lifetime while watching the musical and was a real emotional see-saw. In one scene, I would be laughing my guts out, along with the light-hearted moment and the next, goosebumps and teary eyes! Oh, how the musical affects me!

Due to size changes, the picture looks a little distorted >.<
More importantly, can you see Fei Mui's cuteness? XD Also, the dude at the most left is Siu Ngau, who is a character which is worth paying attention to! XD

I still had not covered a few aspects in detailed but I suppose this will do. For now (hint! hint!). Again, if you want to catch Paper Crane, it will run from Wednesday to Sunday only ( do give them a break, Monday and Tuesday not too much to ask for, right?), up to 19th August 2012. Or, if you are nearer up north, you can catch them at PenangPAC, starting on 25th August. For further details and purchase of tickets, do head over to http://www.klpac.org/?p=7017 and http://www.ilassotickets.com/event/view/225 respectively.

Do enjoy the musical and have a great time! Hau wooi yau kei!! (PS. To be pronounced in Cantonese)