Awesome, spectacular and legendary. Those words best describe the 2008 Christmas Musical organize by the UNITEN Christian Fellowship (TECHFLOW) with the stewardship of Adeline.This years musical, directed by the "dynamic duo" of Jeremy and Aaron, took a different perspective of that of previous years. The musical directors decided to bring the musical back in time "2ooo Years Ago" to the time of the birth of Jesus in the small town of Bethlehem.
Under the direction of the J.A. duo, the musical brought to life what can be considered the greatest story ever told. It was an opportunity to spread the true meaning of Christmas and to remind ourselves what Christmas is all about. Combining comedy with events described in the bible, the musical was indeed bringing the bible to life. With a young and energetic cast, the story that has been told for ages was being told again unlike it had ever been told before.
With a combination of songs ranging from the likes of Mama Mia and You're the One That I Want of Grease, to modern songs like Bukan Cinta Biasa, this musical kept us awake throughout the nearly 2 hour performance. The effort and sacrifice the cast members put into the musical was trully seen in their performance and the characters they played.
It began with a short introduction a Jesus' purpose of coming. This carried on to the meeting between Mary and Joseph followed by the announciation by the angel to Mary. Next came the birth of Jesus itself and the visitation of the sherpards and wise men. The performance came to a close with the killing of the holy innocents and the return of the Holy Family to Israel after the death of King Herod.
Ofcourse the cast weren't the only people involved in making this musical a success. The props team played their part in contributing to the smoothness of the show, being swift and efficient in their duties. The decorations team did a good job to give the hall the atmosphere it needed, not to forget the diamond back drop which can be said with relieve that it didn't fall.The audio visual and lights team gave the show itself the briliant attention and atmosphere that suited the night. Not forgetting the ushers whom with their smile greeted the guest who came from not just within but outside UNITEN to witness this anual event.
However, a review would not be complete without comments on improvement. For one, the event should have started on time as stated in the booklet and not around 30 minutes later. Although this may not be the fault of the organizing team, certain sense of punctuality should be hinted towards the VIP's perhaps to keep to the time of arrival. Secondly, the rotating spotlights placed infront of the stage should be controlled with better care as to not let it shine towards the audiences. This caused the audience, especially those sitting in the front rows a little eye discomfort when the lights shined directly at them.
At the end of the musical, A short performance was done by the kids from the Stepping Stones Home, a home for orphans. But orphans they are, ungifted they are not. They showed great talent in putting on their own showe which, from where I was sitting, delighted the audience.
All in all, the musical was awesome as it was performed with enthusiasm, spectacular as it brought to life the story foretold for ages, and legendary as it told of the true meaning of Christmas.
As I end this, Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year.
Sir Adrian, over and out.
