| December Rains | |
| Premiere Location: | Singapore |
December Rains is the first original Mandarin musical written by veteran songwriter Liang Wern Fook[1] and Jimmy Ye, directed by theatre director Alec Tok[2] and producer James Toh.[3] It was first staged by Brink Creative Company[4] in 1996. The musical was restaged in 2010 and 2015 by Singapore theatre production company, Toy Factory Productions at the Esplanade Theatre by Goh Boon Teck.[5] [6]
December Rains follows a pair of students heavily devoted to their motherland, China during a tumultuous period of social disorder and violent riots in 1950s’ Singapore. Against the backdrop of social unrest, family tension and friendship jealousy, this musical brings theatregoers to the post-Japanese occupation era. Protagonists, Ying Xiong and Li Qing navigate through the aforementioned obstacles in this heartwarming coming-of-age musical as audiences witness their budding, tragic love story. Anchored by an undelivered love letter written by Li Qing, this musical unveils the danger of human desires as Ming Li, the friend of both protagonists who, too, harbours feelings for Li Qing, intentionally failed to hand the letter to Ying Xiong. The unresolved misunderstanding between Ying Xiong and Li Qing caused by Ming Li continued on for 30 years until the pair finally reunited in the 1980s. This time with their daughter, whose existence was not made known to Ying Xiong before his departure three decades ago.
| Character | 1996[7] | 2010[8] | 2015 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Li Qing | Xiang Yun | Kit Chan | Chriz Tong | |
| Ying Xiong | Boon Ang | George Chan | ||
| Ming Li | Jiu Jian | Jeffrey Low[9] | Sugie Phua | |
| Wang Mei | Jo Tan | Abby Lai | ||
| Ah Ling | Lee Lian | Ann Lek |
December Rains is Singapore's first Broadway-style Mandarin musical which costs $500 000 to produce in 1996. Xiang Yun made her theatrical debut as the female lead Li Qing.[10]
Goh Boon Teck of Toy Factory Productions restaged the musical in 2010 with Kit Chan and George Chan as the main lead.
In 2015, Goh restaged the musical as part of Toy Factory Productions' 25th anniversary celebrations. The restaging was done with a new cast, auditioned by Liang and Ye, and Andie Chen made his theatrical debut as Ying Xiong. The set designer was Eucien Chia who was also the set designer in the 2010 restaging. A new song, "《我在等什么》What Am I Waiting For", was also composed by Liang and Ye for the restaging.
In the initial staging of the musical, Wong Chee Meng of The Straits Times wrote that the musical "comes close to romanticising the era as a time when men sacrificed themselves for political ideals and women would do anything for love" and "at its most heartwarming, even if a bit corny, in its recreation of bygone days...". Wong concluded that it "gets rather draggy in the end when more moral perspectives are thrown in and it could do with a slicker production" but "a creditable effort in creating Singapore's own epic."
Mayo Martin of Today said the reproduction in 2010 "has an affinity with productions like Miss Saigon and Les Misérables" and Goh Boon Teck had succeeded in "constructing a visually elegant tale".[11]
In 2015, Ng Yi-Sheng of The Straits Times said the second reproduction "holds up magnificently as a classic work of Singaporean theatre" and "arguably more moving than the recent deluge of historical musicals". Yane Usagi of Today reviewed that "themes are easy to follow — without being dumbed down — and the music is easy on the ear." and "this restaging is worth watching, as it will satisfy with its artistic reinterpretation and quality staging."