Over the National Day weekend on 9 and 10 August, the Jubilee Hall at Raffles Hotel was packed with a captive audience who were there to catch Special, a musical produced by YoungTalents which aimed to raise awareness of the intellectually disadvantaged.
Special tells of a story of Dawn (played by Lynn Kok), an intellectually disadvantaged girl, who forms an unlikely friendship with Nelly (Natasha Lim), a rebellious teenager.
The audience were entertained by the hour-long musical packed with dance numbers and songs penned by musician KC Gan. The tale struck an emotional chord with the audience: many were moved to tears by the issues of family acceptance and social rejection.
The quality of the musical impressed Irene Ang, actress and CEO of Fly Entertainment, who commented, “It’s much better than I’ve expected and I’m very impressed with the kids, especially Natasha.”
“The inspiration of the story came from a true account of how an intellectually disadvantaged child brought her family together when she fell very ill,” said scriptwriter Jason Ong, a teacher at the School of the Arts.
Eileen Toh, director of YoungTalents, wanted to put up a musical which would also carry a social message.
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| PHOTOS: Jim Yong |
With three sold-out shows, Special was a smash success. Good news: fans can look forward to another quality musical by YoungTalents next year.
