Producers of LKY musical themselves sought Govt's help

SINGAPORE — The producers of The LKY Musical have come out to say they had sought the opinion of various people — including chief of government communications Janadas Devan — as they needed help with “historical accuracies” concerning the script.

In a statement, Metropolitan Productions said Mr Janadas, who is from the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), had provided “invaluable feedback” on the accurate chronology of events. The producers’ statement was released after an actor in the musical alleged Government interference in the production, sparking discussion and speculation online. 

The producers explained they had gone to various sources to ensure their facts were accurate. 

“For example, we had a scene where (former Deputy Prime Minister) Goh Keng Swee tells Mr Lee Kuan Yew about his Albatross file relating to separation with Malaysia,” said a spokesperson for the producers. “Mr Janadas told us no one knew of the existence of the file until decades later.” 

The Albatross file is a record of Dr Goh’s meeting with then Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Razak and Home Affairs Minister Ismail Abdul Rahman in June 1965, when Dr Goh persuaded them of the need for Singapore to secede. 

The producers reiterated that government officials did not impose any demands on them. “At no time did he or anyone else ask us to change any part of the story.” 

Their statements refute the blog post by actor Tan Shou Chen, who plays former Deputy Prime Minister Toh Chin Chye. Mr Tan had hinted at interference by the MCI, but did not elaborate. He wrote: “My question is how much influence (not authority) has the Government had on the artistic process and how much have been unquestioned (sic).” He subsequently removed the post on Wednesday morning. No explanation was given for why it was taken down.

The MCI, meanwhile, said it had not altered, edited or insisted on changes to the script in any way. The ministry added that it had not asked for the script to be sent to them in the first place. It also confirmed that the producers of the musical had approached Mr Janadas directly in his personal capacity because they thought he was a good source of information about Singapore’s history. It said it did not have any issues with the script. 

The LKY Musical, currently playing at the Sands Theatre in Marina Bay Sands, chronicles the life of the late Mr Lee from his early days as a student at Raffles College through his political career that led to the founding of Singapore as an island republic. 

Actor Adrian Pang and actress Sharon Au play Mr and Mrs Lee, and the creative team includes Mr Dick Lee (who wrote the music), Mr Stephen Clark (lyrics), Mr Tony Petito (script) and Ms Meira Chand (story). The musical is helmed by West End director Steven Dexter.