Behind The Scenes of "Magical Musicals"

Thanks to the wonderful people of AMBP and Sunway Lagoon, I had the chance to get up close and personal with the cast and crew of Magical Musicals and share with you, my readers, the "magic" that happens behind the scenes.

There were around 11 bloggers that day, including yours truly, who were treated to a tour of the studio, stage and got a firsthand glimpse of the rehearsals and what to expect during the show, this June 10th 2011.

Chris Colby, the director and mastermind behind the show, Magical Musicals, together with David Kort (choreographer) are bringing more "razzle dazzle" to this show, and for those who have witnessed Peter Pan the Musical, late last year, you're in for a bigger and better treat! It will be WICKED!

So here's the sneak peek to what went down at the actors' studio last Saturday (June 4th 2010) @ Sunway Lagoon.

Special entry for us bloggers that day! ;) 

The Story

The show opens in Times Square, New York – the very heart of the Broadway Theatre District. Auditions are being held for a new show. Six budding actors leave the auditions and are all in New York for One Night Only.

Stephen Weller plays Danny while Stevie Tate Bauer plays Megan (photo credit: Dustyhawk)

Megan and Danny are a thirty-something couple from Seattle. Their relationship has reached a turning point and they are desperate to leave their hometown and work in the Big Apple.

LJ Neilson plays Amber (she portrayed Wendy in Peter Pan) and Gareth Heesom as Josh.

Amber and Josh are a young couple very much in love. Although Amber is a 'ditzy' blonde, Josh worships her.

Neil Couperthwaite plays Ryan while Amanda Salmon plays Stephanie. 

Then we have Stephanie, an actress from Baltimore who finds herself attracted to the shy Ryan.

In the first act, the cast performed an energetic number, Don't Stop Me Now followed by numbers from the musical, Hairspray -- Good Morning Baltimore, Mama I'm a Big Girl Now, Welcome to the 60's and You Can't Stop the Beat.

Megan and Danny then did a duet of Tonight, Tonight - from the musical West Side Story - backed by a beautiful dance number by 2 fellow dancers and it was just so amazing and beautiful. David Kort did a great job on this one as did the dancers. Seeing it done up close in rehearsal makes me appreciate dancers even more! The number ended with the cast joining in on a modern rendition of America, also from West Side Story. 

The cast continued with a fun medley of Grease kicking off with You're the One that I Want, followed by Greased Lightning and Summer Nights. 

Towards the end of act 1, we see the characters Megan and Amber trying to persuade Stephanie to tell them about her feelings for Ryan when she breaks out into the very popular number Holding Out on a Hero -- from the musical Footloose - together with the girls. When they guys reappear, it was their turn to take the stage with Footloose. 

Megan also did a very beautiful rendition of "Defying Gravity" -- from Wicked, afterwards. Act 1 ended with the cast doing two Bollywood numbers - Shakalaka Baby and Jai Ho. 

Cast of Magical Musicals rehearing Jai Ho. End of Act 1.

The cast then took a break and were very accommodating in answering our questions, taking photos with us as well as giving us a sneak peek into their wardrobe for the musicals. We were told that some were locally made, some were made in Thailand and China and there were also some costumes that were bought from "Sungei Wang Couture". LOL!

So after our chat session with the cast and crew, Chris Colby (the director) and David Kort (choreographer) led us on to the stage to show us around and tell us what improvements have been made (since Peter Pan the Musical) in terms of stage settings and technical stuff which includes 5 laser beams, some really big LCD screens as well as some pyrotechnic curtains.

Chris Colby (right) and David Kort (left) - (photo credit: Dustyhawk)

In the video, Chris Colby talks about why he thinks audience would find Magical Musicals mesmerizing!

I know that the audience will be pleased to know that two Big Ass fans have been installed in the amphitheater! Remember how hot it was during Peter Pan? Well, I hope these Big Ass fans will do their job! LOL! And yes, their names are ACTUALLY Big Ass fans. I'm not just calling them that. :P

So here's a sneak peek of the bigger stage with the amazing concept and "New York Times Square" stage design designed by a local designer! See if you can spot the main sponsors for the event! :)

Take a sneak peek look into the stage design for Magical Musicals in the clip above.

So that's pretty much it! :) A sneak peek into "the making of" Magical Musicals.

I can't wait to attend the Gala Premiere on June 10th 2011, and if you want to score yourself tickets of your own, then you might want to check out the Magical Musicals contest done by AllMalaysia.

Again thank you AMBP, and Sunway Lagoon for extending the invitation to me and the other bloggers to experience behind the scenes of Magical Musicals. Especially Nicholas and Kah Peng! Thanks loads. :)

Notes: All the 6 main cast hail from United Kingdom but will be playing Americans in this stage musical. All with amazing resumes and West End backgrounds, all 6 talents will definitely bring the show to life. Amanda Salmon had a year's stint playing Sophie in Mamma Mia!, Sandy in Grease, as well as performed in Les Miserables together with Lea Salonga and Nick Jonas. Plus, she told me she's great friends with Brian May from QUEEN!! OH-EM-GEE!!

p/s: As my videos are having some problems being uploaded, I'll have to leave it at that for the time being. I'll update the videos once they're done. So keep your eyes peeled out for this space k?