Review-When Rick Met Marsha-Rick Lau
30-11-12
By: Stephanie Ip
Rick Lau, one half of When Rick Met Marsha, was quick to tell us to spread word of the show to friends and family if we enjoyed ourselves. Unfortunately, he laughed, they wouldn’t be able to get hold of any more tickets. The cabaret show at the Fringe Club was all sold out before their opening night.
The storyline in When Rick Met Marsha is cute and simple – it is divided into ten cooking classes where Rick and Marsha progressively make friends, break friends, and make friends again. Did it really make sense for Rick to sing about sex with Marsha in Business Time (by Flight of the Conchords) at the start, and then reveal he was gay near the end of the show? Not really, but cabaret plots don’t have to be complex, nor even make much sense. As long as they provide some sort of transition between one song and another, the audience will forgive the plot. What matters are the song performances and Rick and Marsha delivered tonight’s program beautifully. Who needs props when you have a beautiful voice? A piano, a guitar, a set of drums and two aprons are sufficient.
Both Rick Lau and Marsha Yuan are wonderful singers who are able to utilize their voices to bring about emotions ranging from dismay, to joy, to anger. Having said that, there were times I wished the actors made better use of the stage space and made more effort into making the show more visually engaging. There were a lot of numbers that were delivered just standing up, and while this worked well with most of the slower ballads, songs like Gimme Gimme (from Thoroughly Modern Mille) and I’ll Never Fall In Love Again (from Promises, Promises) could have used a bit more action. And some tap dancing in Shine On Your Shoes (from Band Wagon), Fred Astaire style, would have been appreciated.
Because Rick and Marsha are capable of great acts, their rendition of Business Time was probably the crowd’s favorite because they put in a great deal of great acting. Nothing drew greater laughter than the cheeky lyrics, coupled with cheeky dancing and cheeky faces.
Being a veteran with one-man cabaret shows, Rick’s powerful and touching rendition of The Butterfly Effect (from The Story Of My Life) was another crowd favorite. Throughout the show, Rick’s voice was at risk of being overpowered by Marsha’s warmer and silkier voice but in this number, Rick’s voice really shone through. Rick also captivated the audience in You Wanna Be My Friend (from Closer Than Ever), bellowing out his anger at finding out his lover cheated on him and wants to be friends instead.
There are more surprises. Marsha announces that she wants to open a cake shop back at home, and lo and behold! Trays of delicious gluten-free chocolate banana cakes are passed amongst the audience as they sing to I Can Cook Too (from On The Town). Apparently Marsha really did make them herself, and will continue to make them for every single show. If you already have tickets, don’t miss out on this tidbit!
HKELD was informed on Thursday that When Rick met Marsha is sold out. A repeat performance has been added in February 2013. To find out more information about this production click here.
Comments
No comment at the moment.