Wednesday 11 September 2013

Barbie comes a-Live! at Marina Bay Sands!


The new Barbie Live! Musical had its world premiere at the Marina Bay Sands Singapore yesterday.  It was a good turnout with most audience, young and old, dressed in pink.

I had some reservations initially whether this production would be too saccharine for an adult chap.  I have to say that this musical has good songs and choreography to keep the adults entertained.
The plot itself was simple and aimed at the children.  Barbie (Chelsea Bernier) gave moral support and encouragement to her best friend Teresa (Kristina Miller) who is facing stage fright during a movie shoot.  Teresa had to face unwanted disturbance from Raquelle (Courtney Cheatham), who is trying to steal her role in the movie.

What could turn out to be a kiddie musical was saved by the catchy tunes of Robbie Roth.  The dance routine was well executed, courtesy of Kobi Rozenfeld, who choreographed Beyonce in her 2009/2010 "I am" World Tour.

Chelsea Bernier was a good Barbie and she fit the Mattel-approved costumes well.  I like Kristina Miller as Teresa - at times she seems to be the lead for this musical. Courtney Cheatham (Raquelle) and Rebecca Warm (Peg) provided good comedy relief, and Keir Kirkegaard (Danny) has a good singing voice (not forgetting the dancing).  I am puzzled why the character Ken (Randy Dierkes) is so limited in this musical.

The show generally flows well. The insertion of a few segments from past Barbie DVDs, however, did drag down the pace a bit.  It seems more like a product placement to me rather than enhancing the plot.  The Swan Lake segment, in particular, did not gel well.

Having said that, this is a good premiere and definitely suitable for a fun family outing.

Performance ends 14 Sep 2013.




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