Superstar: The Pop Musical by Singapore Polytechnic

Rating: 4.5/5
Singapore Polytechnic's first ever grand stage production, Superstar: The Pop Musical is a glittering, vibrant, in-your-face display of raw talent and earnest performances that put Singapore Idol to shame and left me with a strong desire to go back to school.

The plot
The story (written by Jeanine Lim) follows five caricature students (the rocker, the sweetie pie, the nerd... you get the picture!) and their adventures to become the next 'idol'. At the end of the show, you even get to vote (via SMS) for your favorite!

There's light hearted comedy, a little drama, a little action, and even a sweet love triangle thrown into the mix! The usual goody-goody themes are present: gambling is bad, friends who stand-up for each other are good, relationships shouldn't be traded-in for fame, don't give up, etc... But the true genius lies in how this search-for-the-next-superstar format makes it very natural for a variety of song and dance numbers to pop-up.

My favorite group performance
I really liked "I Didn't Make It" which is a lament of all Those Who Did Not Make It (to the contest's finals). The military-esque beat, start-and-stop marching and group choreography was a feat in itself considering that almost the whole cast (almost 40 people!) were on stage!

Best Actress
Hands down, the best actress (heck, the best performer!) is definitely Shelley, played by Natasha Genevieve Lee Han Yi (diploma in accountancy).

She got the pretty, sweetie-sweetie, demure demeanor right down pat! My favorite was "Guess It's Not For Me" because she successfully delivered the melancholy and despair. She didn't just sing that song, she was in it such that song and singer were indistinguishable!
Her 'final performance' for the 'talent show' came as a shocker to me, too! She was transformed from sweetie-sweetie, demure girl into hot, hot, muy caliente vixen dancing with wild abandon in a red mini skirt.

Now that's versatility!

Coolest choreography
"Fight!" performed by Sky The Rocker (Bao Er Cong diploma in Music and Audio Technology) had some pretty cool Wushu-inspired dance moves. Unfortunately, his singing and acting need a little more work and he had me wincing in pain all through-out. He wasn't up to par with the rest of the 'finalists'.

Weirdest choreography
Imagine two dancing wheelchairs, decorated in shiny foil surrounded by dancers (who were clad in black with the initials "SP" stuck to their chests in shiny foil) darting in and out of the stage on in-line skates... Yeah. It was pretty weird. It's a good thing that Kaylinda, The Blind Student Who Could (played by Esther Low Hui Xian, diploma in Music and Audio Technology) had the best voice of the lot. I almost got goose-bumps during the end of her performance of "If You Can See Through My Eyes" when the music suddenly stopped and she sang acapella accompanied by a gospel-inspired chorale. Good stuff.

Conclusion
Four and a half pawikan points. Bonus points for the band in the orchestra pit! From where I sat, I could see that they were really enjoying themselves. Extra, extra bonus points for Jimmy Ye who wrote the lyrics and composed the music. I really like his style of inserting various 'rests' and 'cuts' in the middle of his songs that serve as dramatic periods and exclamation points.

Extra, extra, extra bonus points for President SR Nathan who shook the hand of cookie monster during the curtain call.

There's so much more to this play than what I can write in this space-- a musical chair, dancing mannequins, the performance of the Singapore Poly lecturers, the faux-Singapore Idol logo... Watch it and you'll know what I mean when I say that it will make you want to go back to school.