Broadway Beng Growing Gold
Dream Academy
Capitol Theatre
Friday, 8pm
Welsh singer Shirley Bassey’s James Bond theme song Goldfinger. Taiwanese singer-songwriter Tsai Chen-nan’s Hokkien classic Silver Wrapped In Gold. Gen Z TikTok sensation JVKE’s earworm Golden Hour.
Who else but Sebastian Tan – Broadway Beng for 17 years and self-professed “king of medleys” – can pull together such a clashing or chapalang (Singlish for mixed bag) set of references and turn them into comedic and melodic gold?
In Broadway Beng Growing Gold – a celebration of Tan’s golden jubilee – the world is his Hokkien getai, Broadway musical theatre, Mandopop concert, nightclub performance and stand-up comedy stage all at once.
At 50, Tan jokes suggestively, the bachelor has learnt that a man must learn to “do it yourself”, and so the night feels exactly like a grand retrospective the show-business veteran has thrown for himself.
In another pair of hands, one might cringe at the self-congratulation.
But this self-assured “ah beng” endears himself to his audiences, who trust this larger-than-life persona to take them down his memory lane which is, after all, their memory lane too.
It is a marvel how Broadway Beng has captured the language, sounds and aesthetics of a specific generation who grew up like him – caught between East and West, Hokkien and English, a child of both highbrow and popular culture.
Tan says on stage that his audiences could be as gold as him, “if not golder”.
A quick straw poll confirms that Tan’s audience members are mostly in their 50s and above, so Tan jokes if the smattering of younger audiences present have mistaken this for Hong Kong superstar Jacky Cheung’s show (coincidentally, ongoing in Singapore).
This reviewer belongs to the minority of younger audiences at the show – the group Tan self-consciously points out is not his target demographic.
His memories are decidedly not part of this reviewer’s nostalgia, so, for me, the appeal of Broadway Beng is not so much personal as it is a curiosity for one’s parents’ cultural milieu.
A medley comprising old Television Corporation of Singapore’s drama theme songs is wistful for many. The theme song of popular Japanese Occupation-era historical drama The Price Of Peace (1997) was in fact originally sung by Tan himself.
If there is a musical form of code-switching, Tan embodies such cultural hybridity.
The former West End performer can belt out tunes from Miss Saigon and Little Shop Of Horrors, do a Michael Jackson impression, then swiftly dole out Hong Kong Canto-rock band Beyond’s Boundless Oceans Vast Skies.
The star of the show is competently accompanied by his three energetic chio bu (Hokkien for “pretty girls”) Sarah Smith, Hannah Nordin and original cast member from the 2006 run, Denise Tan, a source of wistfulness for many that night too.
His live band consisting of Joel Nah (also music director), Colin Yong, Chee Wah Yong, Joshua Tan, Wayne Lim, Rizal Sanip and Fabian Lim deliver infectious tunes and beats that are consistently full of musical surprises.
Director Selena Tan has effectively structured the show around Tan’s experience of middle age, a simple yet rich trope that makes the story of Broadway Beng resonate.
One thing to note is that the stated 95-minute show duration on the ticket is misleading, as the night’s performance goes on for nearly 155 minutes, including intermission, with encore after encore and medley after medley.
“We are all Broadway Beng,” says Sebastian Tan at one point.
He means, this reviewer thinks, that there can be a strange and beautiful newness that emerges from seemingly incompatible cultural frames, languages and traditions.
Broadway Beng is one such expression of this newness that shines bright in its middle age. It is proof of what can be nurtured on the Singapore stage when given enough time, resources and audiences to grow.
If you did not secure your Jacky Cheung or Taylor Swift tickets, take Broadway Beng’s advice and buy a seat to his show instead.
This is Tan’s own Eras Tour in his golden hour and a Singapore act well worth your hours.
Book It/Broadway Beng Growing Gold
Where: Capitol Theatre, 17 Stamford Road
When: Till July 29, Mondays to Fridays, 8pm; Saturdays, 3 and 8pm
Admission: $38 to $228, excluding booking fee
Info: str.sg/iwzh
