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Jalan Impian - The Musical!
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The Star Newspaper
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The young stars of Jalan Impian
By RUBIN KHOO |
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| Two starry-eyed kids peer longingly into the famed Stars of Tomorrow School where aspiring performers for stage and screen are taught the finer points of their art. A scene from Fame The Musical? Nope. It’s Jalan Impian, a local production that runs along a similar vein.
Showcasing the talents of wannabe performers in a tale about reaching for your dreams, Jalan Impian is the brainchild of Farah Sulaiman, who is also executive producer and choreographer for the show. The musical is in aid of the Persatuan Kanak-Kanak Istimewa Hulu Langat, Selangor. Unlike Farah’s previous work, this production focuses on children. “I’ve always wanted to do a musical with children,” said Farah. “One that revolves around a performing arts school.”
She asked Sandra Sodhy, executive director of Jalan Impian, to come up with the script for a musical. The initial plan was to showcase the talents of 20 children, but after two days of auditions during which 200 children turned up, the script was changed to incorporate some 50 children. “They were all so talented, the script had to be rewritten,” Farah said. Jalan Impian will also feature the talents of guest artistes such as Peter Ong, Tony Eusoff, Radhi Khalid and Omar Arif. The inclusion of professional actors in the musical will allow the kids an opportunity to perform alongside professional actors. The story revolves around Joe and Suzie, who want to become a pop singer and famous dancer respectively. Unfortunately, they can’t afford the classes and end up observing them from afar. Eventually they are offered scholarships to attend the school. Things, however, aren’t what they expected.
They encounter cliques – there are the beauties, the thugs and the nerds – and like Fame or maybe the more recent Centrestage, the kids find that the road to stardom is not smooth. Interspersed within the story are all time favourites like Don’t Worry, Be Happy, Under the Sea, When You Wish Upon a Star and Car Wash. Working with 50 kids proved to be a challenge. It was a big task organising them and since they were not professional performers, rehearsals had to be conducted on weekends. Apart from raising funds, the show, supported by the Education Ministry, also aims to promote the use of English and cultivate self-confidence among the younger generation. Jalan Impian takes place at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) from July 13-17. There will be a charity gala on July 14 at 8.30pm. Tickets for this show are RM152, RM102 and RM82. For night shows (8.30pm) on July 13 and 15-17, tickets are RM82, RM62 and RM47. For the matinees (3pm) on July 16 and 17, tickets are RM42 and RM32. For tickets, call KLPac Box Office (03-40479000) or The Actors Studio Box Office (03-20940400). ### |
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