Behind the Scenes with:
Voyage De La Vie

Now, audiences in our parts can catch the master juggler in action too. Kee stars in Voyage de la Vie (“Journey of Life”), the first resident show at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) Singapore. Setting itself apart as Singapore’s first original “theatrical rock circus spectacular,” the 90-minute thrill-a-minute circus theatre show follows the fantastical journey through the imagination of a young male protagonist Boy who, tired of the ceaseless tedium of the corporate rat race, searches for a life with more fulfilment and meaning. In a magical twist of events, he encounters the figure of the Lantern Keeper, played by Kee, who leads him through different adventures with unusual characters representing challenges and themes such as Love, Temptation, Conflict, Life and Death.

“It’s different because it’s done something that hasn’t been done before,” says Kee. “It combines different elements in a very interesting way. In my experience, something usually dominates the show. In Cirque du Soleil, for example, the circus acts dominate – but here, you have the story, the circus, the music and vocals that actually blend, which are in sync completely.”

The 40-strong international cast includes Singaporean Idol runner-up Jonathan Leong as the figure of Boy. Leong, who is new to circus performance and is more widely known as the runner-up of Singapore Idol in 2006, is delighted to be in the cast.

“When the opportunity for this came up,” says Leong, “I thought, why not? When I heard that it was going to be a production of this scale, with the impressive talents of the people involved – Marc Fisher and Philip McKinley, and The Generating Company – I mean, you just can’t say no to an opportunity like that.”

The show certainly lives up to the impressive CVs of its world-class cast and crew. Each “lesson” and stage in Boy’s journey is magnified by the thrilling contortionistic feats and death-defying acrobatic stunts performed by an impressive international cast and crew to a beautiful “live” soundtrack.

(Left) Ukrainian master juggler Victor Kee as The Lantern Keeper; (right) Finnish cloud-swing aeralist Liina Aunola as Life

From stunning cloud-swing trapeze acts by Finnish rope aerialist Liina Aunola (Life) to harrowing flying daggers and flaming arrows timed and executed to perfection by her crossbow partner Martti Peltonen (Death), and amazing bodily contortions by Russian contortionist prodigy Alexey Goloborodko (The Game Master) to beautiful trapeze acrobatics by Aurelia Cats (France) as The Crystal Cat, Voyage de la Vie succeeds in blending together a mind-boggling variety of acts in a single production with surprising finesse.

Performers of particular note include 15-year-old contortionist Goloborodko, the youngest member in the cast. Audiences tend to drop their jaws in awe at the ease with which the puckish figure twists his limbs in improbable positions. Aunola is also captivating on the cloud-swing, inducing plenty of disbelieving gasps with a beautiful and precisely designed act.

Rounding out the impressive lineup of captivating performers include Vegas magician and maestro duo Jarrett & Raja (US), who have wowed audiences around the world with their own show of illusions, including working with celebrated choreographer-director Kenny Ortega (best known for his work on High School Musical and Michael Jackson’s last tour, This is It).

The show, a collaboration between RWS and The Generating Company UK, also brings together some of the most illustrious names in show design, most notably Marc Fisher at the helm as show conceiver and creative producer, with co-conceivers Philip Wm. McKinley (direction) and Ray Winkler (set design). Best known as the internationally renowned and acclaimed designer behind the stunning sets for the Beijing Olympics and Cirque du Soleil’s Ka in Las Vegas, Fisher is also the long-admired creator of legendary concert stage designs for superstar rock bands such as U2 and The Rolling Stones.

Among all these big international names are Asian talents as well. These include composer Jonathan Lim and choreographer Jeffrey Tan from Singapore, while sound designer Jeffrey Yue, lighting designer Psyche Chui and costume designers Phylia Poh and Virginia Chu hail from Hong Kong.

The first ever theatrical circus spectacular originating from Singapore in the league of world-class theatre productions, Voyage de la Vie made its World Premiere on 2 July 2010 at the purpose-built 1600-seat Festive Grand showroom at Resorts World Sentosa. Photographs: © 2010 Resorts World at Sentosa Pte. Ltd.

“We were privileged to work with the region’s best creative talents in music composition and choreography and design talents in costume design, sound design and lighting design who had equal input into the show,” shares Fisher. “The creation of the work has been a joyful journey in itself. The show truly brings the best of East and West to tell a simple story that crosses the boundaries of language, generation and culture.”

Executive producer and vice-president of entertainment at RWS Andrea Teo says that 80% of the production crew is local. Something the producers also kept in mind was an attempt to develop the basic storyline in sync with the Singapore story, with other elements that also evoke the evolution of the identity of the island state over the years.

“We wanted something that was actually locally produced, something that could give back and celebrate the Singapore story,” says Teo. “The basic premise was this idea of a boy landing in the country and making a journey with Singapore, from a small fishing village from its beginnings to the buzzing city it is now. Of course, the story has developed since, but audiences will still be able to see elements of that original idea.”

Teo foresees that over time, the show will continue to evolve and develop as a production. “The thing about circus performers,” says Teo, “is that they are very much like athletes. They will continue to grow and develop. It cannot be static.”

30 months in the making, the multi-million dollar Voyage de la Vie is a bold move into originating a major permanent production for Resorts World Sentosa. The 90-minute show is being staged indefinitely at Resorts World Sentosa at its purpose-built 1600-seat showroom Festive Grand from 2 July 2010. For more information and a detailed performance schedule, visit the Resorts World website at www.rwsentosa.comor call (65) 6577 8888.

Ticketing and Showtimes

Voyage de la Vie is the ongoing resident show at the 1600-seat Festive Grand Theatre at Resorts World Sentosa.

Showtimes: Wed – Fri: 8.30 pm, Sat & Sun: 5.30 pm and 8.30 pm.
– From 1 October 2010 onwards, shows on Sat & Sun commence at 5 pm and 8:30 pm. The show runs for 90 minutes straight, with no intermission.

Tickets at S$68, S$88, S$108 and S$128 can be purchased at:
– all SISTIC outlets and at www.sistic.com.sg
– Resorts World Sentosa Reservations Booking Engine
– Universal Studios Singapore® Guest Services Windows 5 & 6 daily from 10am to 7pm

Notice
Voyage de la Vie and the Festive Grand will be closed for its scheduled annual maintenance from 12 - 23 September 2010. Performances will resume from 24 September 2010.

For news on ticketing and promotions, visit the official website.