Duck and Dive

Just came back from watching the musical Duck and Dive, performed by the I Theatre group. It was a really enjoyable performance… my first musical in Singapore. I was a bit hesitant and doubtful at first, because I wasn’t sure of the quality of Singapore’s talent (compared to watching Les Miserables on Broadway, NY), and I was wondering how I would react to humans acting as animals. I came away pleasantly surprised. Duck and Dive was a charming show… not entirely perfect, but the strengths were many and the weaknesses were relatively few.

The story is a family-friendly tale that weaves together the story of the Ugly Duckling and the Frog Prince becoming best friends as they travel in search of the answers to their problems together. While the beginning was a bit jarring – the opening court scene with the Prince and Princess fighting amidst their guardians planning for a royal wedding seemed rather affected and unrealistic (not to mention reminiscent of The Swan Princess animated film) – the real meat of the story starts to shine once the animals get involved.

The costume designs for all of the creatures were very well done, especially the ducklings, heron, weasels and the hedgehog. It was also aided by the superb acting of the cast members in those roles… it’s true that some characters can really bring costumes to life. Speaking of acting, I was extremely impressed by the two leads – Isabella Chiam as the Ugly Duckling Cygna, and Tan Shou Chen as the Frog Prince Anura. Their body language was really well acted out – Chiam had the goofy overgrown duckling role down pat, and her sense of comic timing and facial expression was impeccable.  Tan was highly-detailed in his performance – I remember watching his hands remaining splayed-out as a frog throughout most of the show, and he also managed to incorporate a costume malfunction (his webbed foot fell off) into part of the routine. It’s the little things that count.

I was also incredibly impressed by three of the supporting cast that had multiple roles to play. Candice de Rozario was a standout figure in both acting and singing – she was the only one in the opening court scene which I felt was believable, and her voice work in her song solos as well as the mother of the Ugly Duckling was wonderful. Dwayne Lau played the human regent of the Frog Prince, an oracular peacock-guardian of the Ugly Duckling, and the villainous heron out to eat our heroes. While he still could improve further (the regent character seemed underdeveloped and the vocal style and characterization could have varied further between the disparate roles to further differentiate them), his acting was still dramatic and engaging. Hang Qian Chou was one of my favourites throughout the whole show – he was cast as a variety of comic figures throughout the musical, and he played each of them distinctively and with gusto. Rayann Condy, who played Erin the hedgehog, also deserves mention for the delightful character she brought to life with her superb acting.

The other actors and actresses weren’t as strong as the ones I mentioned above, I felt… some had more visible weaknesses than others. Hatta Said and Trey Ho both had problems with clear diction and pronunciation at times, while Pamela Chong and Renee Chua had issues with overacting their characters (Renee Chua’s cat was good… but her witch character was terrible). Daphne Ong put in a solid performance as a swan and princess, but nothing really stood out positively or negatively. I was a bit mystified by the puppeteers wandering around stage animating flying insects, but hey, whatever works. Surprisingly, I was much more convinced of the animals than I was of the human characters.

Set design and choreography was excellent, and I felt that the ensemble really managed to take advantage of that. Multiple actors acting separately in the background, a few focal points on stage, and some nice intricate dancing occasionally (the dance with the frogs was especially enjoyable). Lighting and special effects were good, especially for the witch’s magics, but the transition was a bit jarring sometimes (which may have been the point… I don’t know). The music flowed excellently throughout, and while not all the songs were memorable (with the possible exception of the “Waddle, waddle, quack, quack” song). The writing was great, with numerous little in-jokes and references to other shows, Singaporean culture, and puns that adults who were accompanying their kids would appreciate. The humor was abundant throughout the play… vocabulary and the rapid speed of dialogue may have been a little advanced for some of the children that filled half the theatre, but considering that this is Singapore, it might have been okay. The only flaw I see with the script is that I can’t really tell how the Frog Prince has changed his character… maybe a bit too sudden, and too much tell, not enough show.

Overall, while the flaws in this show are apparent, there’s also a quirky, delightful charm to the whole production that brings me back to my early days with Disney. It still manages to transport me back into a fairy-tale world of talking animals, and reminds me once again what it’s like to be a child. A delight for the whole family.

Ratings:

Story: A-
Acting: B+
Music: A
Songs: B-
Choreography: A-
Set Design and Lighting: B+
Costumes: A-