The Star 19 - dama orchestra

The Star, Friday 30 September 2011
NATION 29
Sean Ghazi — from LA with love
broadway singer putting aside busy schedule to join dama Orchestra’s musical
By SHEELA CHANDRAN
[email protected]
KUALA LUMPUR: Sean Ghazi may be a Los
Angeles-based international Broadway
singer but that has not stopped him from
putting aside his busy schedule to perform
in Dama Orchestra’s musical In Perfect
Harmony.
His admiration for the award-winning
theatre company played a big part in his
decision to take part in the show.
“I have been a big fan of Dama for years
and we have talked about collaborating
before but never had the chance.
“When this offer came, it was hard to
resist as it seemed like a good fit, with
renowned singers Zainal Abidin and Datuk
David Arumugam taking part.
“In general, you can always count on
Dama Orchestra to put on a good show.
They are noted for their top notch production values. Their music arrangements are
worth the ticket price,” said Sean in an email interview from Los Angeles recently.
Despite being thousands of miles away
and unable to attend rehearsals with Dama
Orchestra, the singer has been dedicating
several hours each day to practise from his
home in Los Angeles.
“I have been prepping on my own before
turning up for rehearsals nearer the show
dates.
“Dama Orchestra and I had meetings
when I was last in Kuala Lumpur. We have
been communicating online with regards
to technical issues,” said the Londontrained actor and singer; who is one of the
recently completed acting in Zahim
Albakri’s feature film, Spilt Gravy On Rice –
The Movie, an adaptation of Jit Murad’s
critically acclaimed theatre show Spilt
Gravy On Rice.
Sean said the musical served as the perfect opportunity to pay homage to four
decades of evergreen and popular hits
between 1970 and 2000.
“The way people listen to music today
has dictated the way music now sounds.
“The more digital we go, the more
altered soundscapes have become.
“I personally think that being subtle is
much more seductive,”said Sean, citing
actor-singers Frank Sinatra and Tan Sri P.
Ramlee as his all time favourites.
first Malaysians to be featured on both the
international stage (Miss Saigon and The
King And I) and screen (Anna And The
King).
Dama Orchestra music director Khor
Seng Chew is looking forward to working
with Sean.
“It is always an exciting and interesting
proposition to meld the world of performing arts with commercial music works,”
said Khor.
As for song titles, Sean was tightlipped.
“Much as I’d like to, I prefer to keep this
a surprise and let the songs unfold within
the context of the concert.
“What I can say is that the songs will be
presented in three different languages –
Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mandarin.
Yes, Mandarin,” said the 42-year-old who
> In Perfect Harmony – A Malaysian
Musical Journey is a Dama musical production presented by The Star with SP Setia
Bhd Group as the gold sponsor and UOB as
the official bank. It will run from Oct 6 to
Oct 23 at Pentas 1, KLPac, Sentul Park in KL.
Contact the KLPac box office (03-4047
9000) for tickets. The 10% discount on tickets for UOB cardholders has been extended
until Sept 30. For bulk or corporate bookings, call 03-7967 1388 ext 1432/1240.
Visit thestar-inperfectharmony.com for
details. Sean Ghazi will be the special guest
for shows on Oct 12-Oct 16.
For more stories:
See Star2
Broadway heartthrob: Sean will be the special guest for the ‘in
perfect Harmony’ show.