BY NICK CHOO
April 16, 2014
This weekend as Christians around the world celebrate Easter, a group of performers will be starring in a stage musical appropriately titled the Rising Son.
Written and composed by Paul Michael Baker, the original musical is set in Malaya in 1941 to 1945 during the Japanese occupation, and is a two-hour tale that tells of love, hope and forgiveness in a time of great difficulty.
The show is produced by the Grace Community Centre in Petaling Jaya. Baker, who came up with the script, music and lyrics as well as musical arrangement for a 25-piece orchestra, explains that he wanted to develop a show that would inspire people to forgive others.
"There is a perception that all entertainment put on by churches is designed to "pressure sell" you into converting to Christianity," says the founder of Kuala Lumpur Youth Jazz Orchestra (KLYJO) and founding principal of the Bentley Music Academy in Mutiara Damansara.
"So I wanted to develop something with a much gentler but nonetheless moving message so that audiences, while entertained, will still be able to question the way that forgiveness or unforgiveness play a part in their lives, and hopefully make choices to increase the former."
In the director's chair is Boh Cameronian Arts Award nominee Nell Ng, the artistic director of Pan Productions, which has produced crowd favourites such as Cabaret and The Producers and is currently in preparations for a staging of Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along next month.
The 70-member cast is made up of both experienced performers and newcomers, many of whom will be on stage for the first time.
On what inspired Baker to write the Rising Son, he credits the original idea to a friend, Kelvin Ooi.
"This year marks the 100th anniversary of the commencement of World War II," he adds.
"But to write a musical that showed the full force of Japanese brutality and portrayed the reality of the hardships faced on a daily basis by the Malay population during that period would hardly be classified as entertainment."
Therefore, historical accuracy had to take a backseat in order for the message of forgiveness to be effectively conveyed. "The reality has, by necessity, been considerably sweetened," he says.
Explaining that two of the main characters own coffee shops, and that the show starts off with a rousing, jaunty number titled The Best Coffee in Town, he adds, "In reality, there were no coffee shops overflowing with an abundance of food and drinks as portrayed in the opening song.
Indeed, my research shows that some Chinese housewives were recorded as being forced to search for mice and other vermin in order to put food on the table.
"There were no church bells, racial harmony was almost non-existent, and there were few, if any, missionaries," Baker says, in reference to another central character, Father Pat, who questions his purpose when the townsfolk don't take him seriously and finds his faith challenged when he is embroiled in a brutal crime.
Baker, who hails from England, was brought up in the theatre and has served as musical director for over 30 musicals and oratorios. "I love shows with good tunes and a variety of rhythms," he says.
"Rodgers and Hammerstein (Sound of Music), Gershwin (Porgy and Bess), Cole Porter (Kiss Me Kate), Boubil and Schoenberg (Les Miserables) and, in particular, Jerry Hermann (Hello, Dolly!) have always inspired me, so I tried to bring some of that melodic magic into the songs while retaining the appropriate emotions.
"I also like shows with full orchestras. To me, it adds to the whole magic of the experience of going to a Broadway or West End show, so I wrote and scored the music with that in mind from the start."
As for what he hopes audiences will take away from the show, Baker says, "Individual forgiveness can help heal marriages, families, friendships and businesses. Collective or national forgiveness can literally help avoid wars. I've realised that forgiveness, quite apart from being morally correct and useful, is very good for the forgiver. It makes you feel much better about yourself and is almost certainly much better for your health. I'd seriously recommend it to anyone as an active choice."
The Rising Son runs on April 19 & 20, 7pm, at Grace Convention Centre, Plaza Mayang, Taman Mayang, Petaling Jaya. Admission and seating are free. – April 16, 2014.
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