SA2 is coming soon. CCAs standing down soon. So why not end off our CCA season with a concert outing!
On 13 September, the MFSS Choir, along with MF Chinese Dance, booked tickets to watch West Side Story held in Marina Bay Sands Theatre. Incidentally, 13 Sept was also its debut night!
Here are some reflections by our members.
Attending West Side Story with the choir was a very enriching experience. This was my second time attending a musical and it was different from the previous musical (Wicked) that I had watched. I find West Side Story interesting as it has a modern twist on the traditional tale of Romeo and Juliet, which was what piqued my interest in it even more.
The lights, backdrop and music were absolutely stunning, which was expected of a professional performance. The vocals were also done very well. High notes were reached perfectly and one could feel what emotions the performers were trying to evoke in the audience clearly.
The performers, prop designers, production team and the rest who have played a part in this production have certainly put in a huge amount of effort to make this musical a success. From the dazzling costumes to the beautiful music, all were made sure that they reached the standard of perfection.
Overall, the aesthetics and performance were excellent and I enjoyed the musical very much. I hope the choir will be able to attend more musicals/outings in future as this has been an extremely wonderful experience for us. As not everyone attended it, watching another would be delightful for those who did not make it this evening.
– Cara Wong
I walked into the theatre of Marina Bay Sands, not expecting much from the group performing the original Broadway musical, West Side Story. However, my thoughts perished as I watched the unfolding of the beautiful love story, the wonderful voices and orchestra, and the mesmerising dances.
There were many moments that flooded me with warmth in the music. One of it being the entry of ‘Maria’ sang by the character Tony (performed by Mark Koeck). My soul felt captured by the slow and moving melody, the touching accompaniment from the string instruments. Whenever he did a vibrato in his long-held high notes, I could feel my heart vibrating, as if I was playing a cello, pulling on notes.
My favourite work was ‘One Hand, One Heart’ performed by the characters Tony and Maria (performed by Jenna Burns) It started off with the flutes and violins, but when he started singing, I felt my heart being tugged, and its lyrics were so meaningful, I really wanted to cry.
Other jazzy works such as ‘I feel pretty’ and ‘something’s coming’ almost had me dancing on the spot, also because the performers were usually in a dance while singing. The brass instruments in the background added the swing into the environment.
Other than the music, the storyline and the great acting had me spellbound. Especially the scene when Tony was shot, the sound of the gun held my breath, the shock and twist of the storyline captured me in the air, and Maria’s reaction was so realistic and added so much sorrow into the environment, that for the first time in a musical, I cried, and it took a while to recover, because the scene was so traumatising and emotional yet intriguing.
I also loved the synchronised and Broadway style dancing, and made the performance so lively and capturing, especially during the jazzy pieces. Their transitions in movements were so precise that it was perfect.
Overall, the performance was wonderful, and I wouldn’t forget any moment of it, their voices, the story and the dances.
– Erika Fam
Although i have watched countless musicals and even had been in one in the exact same theatre we were seated in the very night, the West Side Story was by far, one of the best i have seen. It was in a word, spectacular. The ambience created was a very jazz-like one, and what made it a whole lot better was the synchronised dancing and acting, and beautiful vocals put on by the actors. It’s a rare sight to see people with so much talent in so many different aspects — singing, dancing AND acting. I personally feel that as choristers, this was a great opportunity to learn about other different forms of music aside from choral singing, and judging by the smiles, laughter and emotion it had brought to my friends’ faces, I’m pretty sure they had felt the same. The musical’s storyline was great, and it had taught me a valuable lesson: that violence or acts of ruthlessness can never help to solve a problem, that even the slightest tinge of hate can destroy even the strongest of bonds. We should apply this lesson to our everyday lives and live by the values of love for all and hatred for none — only then this world would become a more peaceful place to live in.
– Nazra Shahnaz
Mayflower Secondary School Choir 