When I was asked to write a review on Broadway Beng – Jiak Liu Lian, I was like “Siao ar!! I also not ah beng…” Okay, maybe there’s a little ah beng in me after all.

Besides, musicals were never my cup of tea. And believe it or not, the last musical I actually went to was Forbidden City at the 'liu lian' (Hokkien for 'durian', a.k.a. the Esplanade) nearly four years ago, which I thought further aggravated my dislike for musicals.  

So I was back at the 'liu lian' and I’ve got to say that after watching Broadway Beng – Jiak Liu Lian, I am already looking forward to the next episode! It truly made me feel like the Ah Beng was coming out in me once again.   


To be honest, I wasn’t all excited prior to the show and was just hoping to be tickled by those silly dirty Hokkien jokes that I can easily hear at my neighbourhood coffeeshop. And as I got to my seat and was all comfy (I got a great view by the way!), it felt like I was waiting for a movie to start (minus the popcorns).

But I was soon out of my seat when 8 chio bus (Hokkien for 'pretty woman', not 'pretty bus') appeared on stage as the curtains were drawn. What a great way to start the show (at least for me), even though it did looked getai-ish in the beginning—with all the getai costumes. Broadway Beng (Sebastian Tan himself) then descended in a gigantic durian, much to the delight of the crowd and bringing everyone back to the aptness of the show name, Jiak Liu Lian. He then introduced the chio bus, who were of different shapes, sizes and ethnicities, with each of them showing off their Hokkien speaking ‘skills’.

And for the rest of the two hours, Broadway Beng, together with his 8 chio bus, went on a tirade about funerals, violent wives, loan sharks and even his primary school—just to name a few. And like any local stand-up comedy shows, a jibe at the government was not spared either, with reference to ‘the only uprising’ in Singapore being GST.

Much to my surprise, it was not just two hours of non-stop laughter and corny jokes. There was a rare touching moment as well—which I thought was quite anti-climax, considering everyone was only expecting to laugh. The touching moment came when he spoke about his mother—on how faithful and loyal she is to his dad, even after his death. He then went on to dedicate a touching Hokkien song to all the couples in the house. That marked the quietest part of the whole show.

All right, back to the ‘real world’ of Broadway Beng. The poor Queen of England was not spared either, as he did an impersonation of the Queen in a Hokkien version and even made fun of the names of the Queen’s sons.  

But my pick of the show has to be the spoof of Les Misérables. Lamenting on how "lor sor" (Hokkien for 'long-winded') and “miserable” (note the pun) the original story is, he aptly named his version Less Miserable and performed several Ah Beng versions of the characters and plot.  


The show ended on a high with a medley of old school Hokkien and Broadway songs, seemingly to reinstate the meaning of 'Broadway Beng'.

I would strongly recommend Broadway Beng – Jiak Liu Lian to everyone, especially Singaporeans, as it showcases the Hokkien culture and language that is fast fading in our generation. I promise you will love it.  

But if you are from Nan Chiau High School, you might wanna think twice before going. Don’t ask me why, go watch and you will find out. DT
 
Broadway Beng - Jiak Liu Lian is now at the Esplanade Theatre till Dec 12. Tickets are available via Sistic.

PHOTO: DREAM ACADEMY

Daniel is an ordinary Joe with a not so ordinary mind of his own

THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF Dec 7-13 :: The Cooling Off Issue