Why being in Mulan The Musical is a learning experience

SINGAPORE — As actors, there isn’t very much Pierre Png and Ann Kok haven’t tried and tested. Their body of work — from blockbuster TV dramas to indie movies — isn’t something to scoff at.

But now that the Singapore stars are about two weeks from the Singapore premiere of Mulan The Musical, their nerves are starting to get the better of them.

It is not because Png and Kok will have to act, sing and dance at the same time — it is because, unlike television, there are no do-overs when you’re performing on stage.

“The moment you say a line out loud, you cannot take it back. You just have to continue,” Kok said after a sneak preview of the musical at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) on Friday (Dec 2).

She had made a mistake during a rehearsal session attended by several VIPs, in which she introduced herself as Hua Mulan, instead of her character, Hua Mulian.

“It’s a chain effect. As soon as the wrong word comes out, she has to control her emotions and expression and carry on,” said Png, who also admitted to making his fair share of mistakes. “Everybody reacts and goes along with the flow, and you’ll see somebody covering up.”

“It’s a personal journey, like if you make a mistake, can you rectify it? If you can’t, then can you get past that screw-up, and are you going to bring it to your next rehearsal? Every live performance, be it a rehearsal or an actual live show, tests your true personality. It’s an experience I can’t stop talking about,” he continued.

Mulan The Musical is RWS’ all-new adaptation of the sold-out Taiwanese production. It's a reboot the familiar classic tale of Hua Mulan (played by Taiwanese singers Lee Chien-Na and Lai Ying Ying), who disguises herself as a man to enlist in the army in her father’s place.

Taiwanese star Chou Ting-Wei will star as the General and Mulan’s love interest, while Png and Kok will feature in the musical comedy as the army’s company sergeant major and Mulan’s pregnant sister Mulian, respectively.

The musical is helmed by director Lu Po-Shen, the artistic director of Tainaner Ensemble, known in Taiwan for its cutting-edge and experimental theatrical style; and the Singaporean edition of Mulan The Musical will include new scenes and songs not previously seen in the original Taiwanese version.

That doesn’t seem to faze Png. “I love challenges, especially ones that allow me to grow,” he said. “I really grew, and I learned another form of acting. I’ve learned how to incorporate many other skills.

“I’m much more confident. But at the same time, I’m still scared like s***,” he added. “(But) the whole experience has been great.”

Being the in musical was also a learning experience for Kok. “In the past, I thought an actor’s movements and expressions had to be exaggerated on stage so that the audience could see you, but now I realise that is not how it works,” Kok said.

“We perform with all our hearts on stage, so when my co-stars cry on stage, I see and feel it too.”

Meanwhile, both actors intend to keep looking for new opportunities to challenge themselves. If Mulan The Musical turns out to be a success, Kok hopes to spend more time performing in local theatre, while Png said he’d like to try his hand at singing in a band.

Of course, if that never happens for Png, he can probably count on his wife Andrea de Cruz to listen to him croon at home.

“You know I don’t like to put words in my wife’s mouth, (but) I think she enjoys my singing. She always says that my voice alone can put her to sleep,” Png quipped.

Mulan The Musical will run from Dec 16 to Feb 5, 2017, at Resorts World Theatre, Resorts World Sentosa. Tickets from S$38 to S$128 available at Sistic.