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Innamorati The Musical | 3/5

SINGAPORE — Just in case you didn’t know, innamorati refers to “the lovers” — stock characters whose purpose is to fall in love in 16th century Italian theatre, where performers wear masks to represent different characters. Yes, I’ll admit I did a bit of Googling before I caught this musical.

Innamorati, an original Mandarin musical. Photo: Toy Factory Productions

Innamorati, an original Mandarin musical. Photo: Toy Factory Productions

SINGAPORE — Just in case you didn’t know, innamorati refers to “the lovers” — stock characters whose purpose is to fall in love in 16th century Italian theatre, where performers wear masks to represent different characters. Yes, I’ll admit I did a bit of Googling before I caught this musical.

Unfortunately, this production of Innamorati seems to take the “stock character” theme a little too seriously. Directed by Goh Boon Teck and written by first-time playwright Jiang Daini, the Mandarin musical stars Jing Wong, Bonnie Loo, Tay Kewei, Chriz Tong, Sugie Phua, Trey Ho and Benita Cheng as seven young performers whose love for music brings them together.

Perhaps in keeping with its title, Innamorati dishes out cliche after cliche, with stereotypes such as a romantic saxophonist who believes it is more important to pursue music as an art than a career, and a jilted lover who enters the entertainment industry to prove his worth. And while the show had a lot of heart, it was quite difficult to feel moved by or sympathetic for the characters — thanks to cheesy lines such as “my mother’s meticulous care makes me feel warm”, “it’s dirty people like you who soil clean ambitions” and “if I can’t get married, you’ll have to provide for me; okay I’ll provide for you”.

But if there is one thing Innamorati does right, it is the music. The musical features 12 of Malaysian singer Eric Moo’s most famous hits, re-arranged by Moo’s younger brother, Allan. Though not exactly the most polished actors on stage, the seven singers are strong vocalists who complement each other very well, musically. I enjoyed their renditions of You Are My Only, Too Silly and We Are Best Friends, even though I am mostly unfamiliar with Moo’s work.

Perhaps we can try this again next time — with a little more music and little less “stock” to the characters please, thank you very much.

Innamorati The Musical runs until Aug 3, 8pm, at Drama Centre Theatre, with 3pm matinees. Tickets are priced from S$49 to S$69 at SISTIC. In Mandarin with English subtitles.

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