THE LAST ROAR

It was, admittedly, a surreal experience to arrive back in Singapore after 5 days of tranquility, sleep, and then crawl out of bed to do the final two Sunday shows. It was nice to feel rested, but my body wasn't happy about doing that Sunday morning warm-up after getting used to sprawling around the villa for almost a week. Also, the energy of the company on the final day was off the charts, as were the emotional levels. Our final two audiences were positively rabid and started cheering the moment the houselights went down. To do two performances in the vortex of that kind of adrenaline and high-octane emotion is exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time.

But now, it's done, and in another week, after some sweat and cursing from the crew, it will be put to bed. Already, much of the cast has passed through Changi airport on their way to various corners of the world. Having checked out of my apartment at the appointed hour, I am now parked, for one last time, at my favourite bar, South Coast (or, as I've come to think of it, my other office) until heading to the airport this evening.

The crew pulled a beautiful closing-day prank

by filling the Stage Management office

with balloons

The final warm-up

Confetti cannons during the final bow

And Singapore provides me with one, final lesson in Singlish

*****

 "...and where the journey may lead me....I cannot stay here, my family, but I'll remember my pride..."

TOUR OUR VILLA

Or watch it on YouTube for better streaming

ISLAND LIFE...

It's clear that we really are at the tail end of the tourist season here. Actually, just beginning the off season. Shops are closed, bars and restaurants are woefully empty, but we're not complaining. More sun would be nice, or course (we've had a few monsoon downpours) but at least the roads are not clogged with drunk Brits on scooters. And the weather overall is still very warm and the people are friendly. This island has such a relaxed, peaceful vibe that you have to work pretty hard to have a bad time. Even right now, as I sit in the protected outdoor sala, the skies have opened up for another 20-minute-monsoon-downpour, but Enya is playing on the outdoor speakers, the air is warm and life is good.

Breakfast at Karma Sutra, Fisherman's Village, Bophut

Doggie-poseur at breakfast

The Big Buddha

Reclining Buddha at The Big Buddha

Offerings to Big Buddha

Beer break at Big Buddha pier

Morning at the dining room table

Had the best green Thai curry of my life at this place

but was in a veritable state of hilarity at the thought

of  veretables

 Everyone who has ever moved knows that moving is a gigantic pain in the ass. You would think that it would be easy to move away from a place that you've only been in for 10 months. A place that you arrived at with two and half suitcases. Not so. The organising, shipping and administration (cancelling cell phone, government taxation issues, distribution of unwanted flotsam, etc.) have consumed the majority of the last few weeks. The final act of departure was to pre-send the majority of my belongings to Canada since I have no desire to drag them around while I slowly wend my way home through Australia, New Zealand and Tonga for the month of November. Ever-faithful-friend Tim agreed to help me drag all my crap to the post office for shipping, and documented the process.

Yes, for some reason, suitcases have to be

wrapped in paper

.(It's Singapore. There are rules)

And speaking of travelling.....here's the way things worked out....

Way back in June, or May, or some month that seems like years ago, we were told how the vacation requests would be handled. Basically, all the male performers were considered to be one 'department', and all the female performers were considered to be another 'department'. If someone from your 'department' had requested a specific week for holiday time, no one else in that department would be granted time off for that week. So, anxious to take advantage of the rare privilege of paid vacation time as an actor, I poured through the "vacation request book". The first available week for me to take time off was the final week of October. It seemed fitting, falling just after my birthday. A few months later, we received the announcement that our closing performance would be October 30. And that is how I ended up taking my vacation during our final week of performances. Of course, when we got the closing announcement, I changed my flights so that I could return to Singapore to perform on the final day, but I had no intention of giving up my Thai vacation.

At the moment, however, Singapore and The Lion King seem very distant because I am in a place that more or less forces one to start thinking of synonyms for paradise. Not only is Koh Samui unspeakably beautiful, the villa that I found and rented (owned by a delightfully entertaining American  film & TV producer) is a small slice of heaven. It is perched high on a hill, deep in the jungle and personifies the word 'luxury'. We (friend Tim & I) have not yet been here for 24 hours, and already the bliss we are experiencing is intoxicating. We have decided to do a video tour of the villa, but until we get around to filming that, here's a bit of Day One...

Transportation.....sorted

We really are staying in the countryside...

This is how to check your email in paradise

Tim cooling off

Lunch in the village

BOAT CRUISE

Since the time for our departure is drawing near, events of all kinds are starting to fill our days off. On a sunny Monday afternoon, I held a wine tasting seminar for the cast, graciously hosted by our ever-generous friend Kate at her restaurant, South Coast.

 Kate put together a beautiful list of 14 different wines, comparing old world to new world styles as well as providing fantastic nibbles through the afternoon. We were hoping that the food might help keep everyone from getting too drunk but there were a lot of dehydrated people at the show the next day. I heard, after the fact, that the twenty or so of us that were there went through three cases of wine.  

 

Kiwi Tim & I 

 

 

Our physio, Emma

and Michael who plays hyena Ed 

A good time was certainly had by all and some people even took notes worthy of a university lecture!

On a more recent Monday afternoon, a group of us headed out on a boat cruise into the Johor Strait, the strip of water that separates Singapore from Malaysia. Another event organized by Kate, including Lion King cast as well as some of the people from Voyage de la Vie, the circus show on Sentosa Island. A truly fantastic day of eating, drinking, swimming and cavorting. 

I did learn one important lesson: DON'T DRINK VODKA WITH RUSSIANS !!!

 

Pre-launch at the stunning Raffles Marina

 

 

 

Happy Campers

 

 

 

Joilson serves sausage

 

 

 

 

 

 

Russian bread with a Brazilian filling

Partying

 

Peaceful

 

Slightly damaged after a Russian vodka pounding

In spite of my vodka intake, I did have a fascinating conversation with a young woman who grew up in the circus training elephants and bears. (And in the "Ain't it a small world?" category, she even worked at African Lion Safari in Cambridge, Ontario !) It was great to hear her take on animal training (and see the scars on her arms left by grumpy bears). And I thought I led an unusual life.

Though we are coming up fast to our closing date, life at the theatre, and in Singapore, continues on. There is still a show to do every day on top of all the extra work of organising to exit the country. Not even a meerkat can escape the tasks of  'life administration'.

 ...and Singlish continues to entertain...