Written by Jeremy Lee, photo credit by LASALLE
It’s not often we see stagings of classic musicals like
The Pajama Game here in Singapore, on account of them harking from a bygone era and far too
ulu (unheard of) for the masses weaned on modern-day big-budget blockbuster musicals like
The Lion King, Wicked and
Cats, with their slick production values and worldwide popularity.
Classic musical theatre lovers should be grateful, then, for La Salle College of the Arts and its musical theatre degree programme, for occasionally bringing such old chestnuts like
The Boys From Syracuse and
The Pajama Game to our shores as part of their student showcases. What’s more, despite being student performances, their shows have always generally been up to professional standards, but with tickets going for a song – a bargain that should appeal to any penny-pinching Singaporean.
The Pajama Game, which loosely tells the story of two lovers amid the setting of a pajama factory, opened on Broadway in 1954, and typical of the musicals of the time, has a flimsy plot and love story that may seem clichéd to those living in our modern age of cynicism. However, also usual of the shows of that golden age, it has many excuses for big song-and-dance numbers and quirky songs that do little to advance the plot but provide much entertainment for the audience.
The many big dance numbers suit the young cast well, as it gives them a chance to show off their effervescence and versatility. This they do well, especially in the raucous picnic number “Once A Year Day” where the entire cast combines for a breathless display of dance, acrobatics and boundless talent.