Jeff Chang & Symphony Orchestra 2008
Singapore Expo’s Max Pavilion/Last Saturday


It began like any other classical music concert. The members of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Orchestra tuned their instruments and then the conductor strode onto the stage.
But this was Taiwanese crooner Jeff Chang’s show and he soon emerged in a black suit over a black ruffled shirt with bling added for effect.
He also sported an anachronistic asymmetrical haircut that harked back to Boy George in the early 1980s – wavy strands which cascaded down one side of his face.
Then there was the stage itself – awash in dark red drapes, with chandeliers hanging in the centre, and three screens made to look like framed pictures in a museum.
What followed was not your typical Chinese pop concert.
As Chang delivered his love ballads, masterpieces from canonical Western art were shown, from Botticelli’s The Birth Of Venus down to Edvard Munch’s The Scream.
Still, all of the staging and production would have been for nought if Chang had not delivered as a singer.
And deliver he did as the prince of love ballads dug into his big bag of hits and pulled out one familiar favourite after another, including Don’t Worry About My Sadness and Love Tide.
Apart from a moment or two of strain, he showed excellent control over his pristine tenor pipes over the 21/2-hour show.
His heyday might have been in the 1990s but he still has his fans. The 7,000 capacity crowd comprised those in their 20s and 30s.
He walked up and down the length of the stage and waved to the audience from time to time, but otherwise, he was not much of a mover and shaker.
But he had a cheeky side which occasionally emerged in his banter.
When some fans shouted: “Ah Zhe, you’re so handsome,” he responded immediately: “What took you guys so long? I’ve been waiting all this time for a compliment.”
When the crowd finally got fired up during the call for an encore, a bemused Chang quipped: “Why is everyone so high after the concert has ended?”
He might not have the most electrifying stage presence and he might not have the slick dance moves, but he nevertheless fashioned an entertaining show from the unlikely combination of Chinese pop and high art.
There was even a snatch of Chinese opera incorporated into his new song Peony Care.
You could also read the presentation as Chang making a case for his songs as art. Before each number, the title was displayed and the composer and lyricist duly credited.
You might not agree, but there’s no denying that the crooner has accumulated an impressive body of well-loved classics over two decades. And that’s no small achievement.
(ST)

The Bird and the Bee
Esplanade Theatre Studio
Wednesday

The pairing of the bird and the bee suggests a flight of fancy and whimsy, and at their best, Southern Californian popsters Inara George and Greg Kurstin put together playful music with an appealing pop sensibility lightly dusted with the sophistication of jazz.
The cosy theatre studio was the intimate setting for their highly anticipated show, the first Mosaic event to sell out when ticket sales were launched.
It attracted a full house standing crowd of about 300, comprising hipsters and young working professionals.
George’s slightly husky pipes were shown off to good effect on the opening track Spark. And live, her breathy vocals on the higher registers sounded more substantial.
While her light-as-air stylings worked on tracks like Again & Again and Polite Dance Song, it can seem like mere pretty posturing on something like I’m A Broken Heart.
Also, most of the numbers were rather straightforward renditions of the versions committed to disc.
F***ing Boyfriend, the first single from The Bird And The Bee album, was one of the tracks which had a chance to breathe a little more on stage.
It would have been nice to see them have some fun with their songs. After all, that would be perfectly in keeping with the spirit of much of their material.
The duo were backed by two singers, a drummer and a guitarist. The women wore headbands, white gloves and candy-coloured shift dresses, giving off a 1960s Hairspray-era vibe which fitted in comfortably with the music.
There was not too much patter between songs though George showed off some Singlish phrases she had picked up, “Wah lau eh” and “Why you so like that”, to the appreciative crowd.
Still, the connection with the audience was only intermittent and she was content to stand in the centre of the stage for most of the show.
An unexpected highlight turned out to be the cover of the Bee Gees’ How Deep Is Your Love late in the performance. George and Kurstin managed to imbue it with a fragile beauty that was 100 per cent cheese-free.
With one full-length album and two EPs under their rather slim belt, the set ended in a little over an hour.
You could say it was a pleasant enough evening with The Bird And The Bee, but it was nothing to crow about really.
(ST)

The Believers
What one believes in is strongly tied to one’s sense of identity.
In her latest novel, Zoe Heller explores the aftermath when these core beliefs are undermined.
After her husband, a radical New York lawyer, suffers a stroke, Audrey finds out about his other life. It makes her question her own worth after having supported his work and causes over their 40-year marriage.
Her daughter Rosa, a disillusioned socialist, finds unexpected solace in Orthodox Judaism but has difficulty accepting some of the religion’s rules and rituals.
It would appear to be a Heller speciality to create flawed, even unpleasant, characters who nevertheless engage you.
Audrey is angry, potty-mouthed and prickly, while Rosa is uncompromising and combative.
But in the rigid certainty of their convictions, they have been blinkered to the larger truths in their lives and that makes them all too human.
In her previous novel, the Man Booker prize-nominated Notes On A Scandal, Heller dealt with the more incendiary topic of sexual obsession.
The subject matter might be tamer here but the heat remains – in the writing and in the fiery characters who wrestle with the big questions thrown up about religion, identity and love.

If you like this, read: Three Junes by Julia Glass
A portrait of family dynamics pieced together from events that take place over the course of three summers.
(ST)