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Theatre review: Dim Sum Dollies: The History Of Singapore Part 2

SINGAPORE — How does one get ready for SG50? By taking a refresher on Singapore’s past 50 years courtesy of the Dim Sum Dollies, that’s how.

SINGAPORE — How does one get ready for SG50? By taking a refresher on Singapore’s past 50 years courtesy of the Dim Sum Dollies, that’s how.

The popular cabaret trio is back in this sequel to its popular The History Of Singapore, which was shown in 2007 and 2008 (and will return next year too). It first took on samsui women, the Straits Settlements and Sir Stamford Raffles. Part 2 dives headlong into the story of modern, independent Singapore from 1965.

There’s no better way to mark the passage of time than through music — and it plays out as a delight here, thanks to composer Elaine Chan and Dolly-playwright Selena Tan riffing off some of the best hits of the eras for catchy performances that dovetail perfectly with the show’s textbook history lessons.

It was, for the most part, a real hoot to follow Tan and fellow Dollies Pamela Oei and Denise Tan (not to mention the multiple-character-playing Hossan Leong) through the decades: As giggly schoolgirls gushing over former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and his brothers-in-arms Goh Keng Swee, S Rajaratnam and Toh Chin Chye (to the rock ’n’ roll tunes of Greased Lightning); as girlfriends of new National Servicemen, whose experience gets Chic’s Le Freak treatment (“book out!” in lieu of “freak out!”); as the unusual trio of Indira Gandhi, Imelda Marcos and Mrs Suharto gossiping about the opening of Changi Airport (and the introduction of the SQ Girls). The night’s most hilarious moment involved three beneficiaries of the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme (including Tao Li) reciting the Singapore Pledge to mixed results.

There were scenes at casinos, campaign mascots on parade, flowers holding a rally at Hong Lim Park against non-native plants and health-conscious makciks debating about whether Bedok is in Aljunied, as the show hurtled through one historical moment after another. The ’90s almost seemed like an afterthought, crammed as it were into one mere rap song about the Go ’90s! — except that it was catchy as hell.

And what of the so-called “socio-political” references that earned the Dollies its first-ever Advisory 16 rating for mature content? They handled these the only way these girls can — with tongue-in-cheek immaturity. The Operation Coldstore of the ’60s and the Marxist Conspiracy of the ’80s got a mash-up involving fruits and a literal frozen-food section of a supermarket. Elsewhere, the late opposition politician J B Jeyaretnam cameos as a contestant on Talentime, performing Queen’s We Are The Champions (in this case, of Anson). The satirical touch employed came across as more sincere and wholesome than sneering malice.

Perhaps owing to the fact that it was tackling the most current chapters of a story that is still being written, The History Of Singapore Part 2 ended rather abruptly (its final scene was about the issue of foreigners in Singapore, by way of protesting flowers at Hong Lim Park). Despite being an open-ended story, it’s still one that’s worth catching before the party begins. Mayo Martin

The History Of Singapore Part 2 runs until Dec 23, 8pm, with 3pm weekend matinees, at the Esplanade Theatre. Tickets from SISTIC.

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