Glass Anatomy: The Musical
Various artists
Often, soundtrack albums serve as a souvenir of a show one has enjoyed.
This is one of the rare occasions where the record works better than the full-fledged musical, an adaptation of the Taiwanese film Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing? (1983). Glass Anatomy is currently playing at the Esplanade Theatre until Sunday.
For starters, the songs are presented in their entirety, not in snippets. Also, they are not repeated ad nauseam as they were during the show.
Classic numbers such as The Same Moonlight and Please Come With Me are given an orchestral makeover complete with harmonising. Do You Have Any Beer Bottles To Sell starts off mournful and builds to a dramatic outpouring of emotions.
Pop star Della Ding Dang does a decent job taking on numbers first made famous by veteran singer Julie Su Rei. Having the requisite lung power certainly helps.
Also effective is local actress Audrey Luo’s take on the movingly steadfast Holding Hands, a track marred by overuse in the production.
Take the songs here and build your own musical in your head instead.
(ST)