Okay. So many notes have been posted, tears shed and emotions stoked in the past few days after Law IV ended. I must confess that I never expected to feel sad after the curtain call on Sunday. But almost immediately after I said “have a great evening, and good night”, I somehow felt more than a tinge of emotion at that point of time.
The mood was euphoric, people were cheering on stage and the VIP was about to make his appearance backstage. But in the midst of all the cheering, I knew that this was the end of a long journey that the Law IV crew had undertaken. It was then that the realisation hit me that Law IV made all 4 years of Law School worthwhile. Never mind the lack of studying, never mind the loads of work piling up in front of me. Law School has been the best time of my educational life and Law IV is the crux of it.
As with all the other exchange folk, I was not able to get a stage role. But I was rather glad that I could take up the role of Sound i/c together with Ben Smith. I’ve been doing sound for quite some time for Church and I thought I’d really enjoy doing it for something different. The process itself was enjoyable: running to and fro Luthermusic hammering out our sound requirements, being told by Shawn Poon 1 day before I finalised the equipment that he needed two more microphones for the violin and flute and the list goes on. But that was just the beginning.
I’d began going for rehearsals just to watch though I had nothing to do. It was fun, just to do something different – to be with friends and just sit around using Law IV as an excuse not to do work. But the real awesome part began when we did the full dress rehearsals. The microphones made all the difference in the world. For the first time, I sat at the back with the sound crew and marvelled at the wonderful performance.
I still remember the first time I sat at the back with Luther, Hairul and Palin. Now I have known Luther for a great many years and I know his love for music and his experience in doing sound for theatre. Needless to say, I was a little afraid of what Luther would say. But as the performance began, I had little to fear. I observed the expressions of the sound crew which changed from stoicism to wide-eyed amazement to uproarious laughter.
I marvelled with Luther when he called the Les Escargot scene “World Class” because it “puts many ang moh choreographers to shame” and when he came up to me after hearing the interworld duet, saying: “Oh my God. That Shawn Poon is an animal. The chords he uses are beautiful.” More sound crew members came and went, people most of you perhaps would not know – Henry, Latiff, Shafiq and Linus. Henry and Latiff both told me that our musical was fantastic, amongst the most enjoyable they had seen. Questions that I had asked included: “who trained all of you?” and “did you have any outside help?” All these are testament to the beauty of what World’s Apart was.
This I’ve told to a few people who looked at me sceptically, but I stand by it: I paid $180 for a Class A ticket at the Esplanade to watch West Side Story. West Side Story was crap. World’s Apart is more deserving of $180. Nothing has changed.
At times I do wish that I was performing. I do enjoy music and the arts and theatre. But looking at the splendid performances that all of you put up, I am more than happy to stand aside because I could not have done a better job.
To the stage crew, accolades for you come first because I know the integral but underappreciated role that you guys play in any production. You were fantastic. From the first time I watched during which the set changes took super long, the set changes during the actual performances itself were flawless. It seems like the beer on the catwalk did the job.
To Joanna: I love your voice the most. Soothing, consistent, confident, it takes on a quality and life of its own. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. I am glad Luther made you that offer. Do consider it carefully. Raffli and Hannah: You two played your parts beautifully. You fit your cast roles like a hand in glove. JQ: you were the jester of the cast, ever funny and engaging. The audience loved you. SEKSY was great as well. I remember singing along loudly and disturbing people around me during Treble Cliff.
Here are some of my accolades. As I was not really involved in the running of the musical, do pardon me for somewhat less substantial words than what others have written.
Christine: you are talented. The first time I shot photos for the tech run, I couldn’t concentrate during Les Escargots because I was torn between shooting photos and watching the stunning moves.
The Dancers: what a wonderful performance. I stand awed by your abilities. Not least because I think I have two left feet.
The Directors: I’m glad to have gotten to know you much better during Law IV, something that I perhaps would not otherwise have done. It is certainly my gain to know such a talented and dedicated bunch of people.
Jason, Gabriel and Melanie: May I just add that your vocal coaching paid off handsomely in the end. The performers’ diction was excellent. Sometimes I struggle to catch what performers are singing but I had no problems with this one.
Shawn Poon: I’ve always told you that if I were the Dean of Law School, I’d expel you and force you into Yong Siew Toh. That aspiration of mine has not changed one bit. You are talented as you are quirky. Your brilliance has set such a high mark for our juniors to emulate that though I hope they can do so, I remain doubtful that they can succeed.
The Band: thanks for putting up with my hollering and nagging at you during sound checks. But in the end, I thought your playing was excellent. The balance was there and the flute and violin especially added great dimension to the music.
Jon Kao: Wow. What can I say? You stayed up there all by yourself for countless days. It takes great character to be able to do that. Your execution of the lighting for the performance was admirable. Your dedication to fixing the lights by climbing up the ladder was very impressive.
Costumes and Make up team: I love how colourful our production was. It was a really good change from the rather two-dimensional costumes that previous Law IV productions had.
And finally, Melanie, thank you for being a great co-emcee. I had fun coming up with those last minute corny jokes backstage. I enjoyed making a fool of myself and i thank you for putting up with my nonsense.
I had a great time during the whole course of Law IV. I have never had so much fun before (with the exception of cleaning up after the drunkards on the last night :p). Throughout the course of the rehearsals, I remember telling quite a few people that the tech runs were brilliant and that I loved it. Again, I was met with sceptical looks then. But I said all those words with utmost sincerity. But brilliant as the tech runs were, the actual day performances were even better.
I thank God for this chance to be involved, even though it was in a small way. I thank God for the friendships we’ve made and the fun we’ve had.
Superlatives can be thrown about easily. But they fade and lose their meaning over time. But I hope that what friendships we’ve taken away from this we will cherish. The working world is going to be tough. But if ever there is a bright spark that brings smiles to our faces, Law IV is it.
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