KITCHEN MUSICAL AIMS TO DAZZLE ASIAN TV VIEWERS IN OCTOBER

by Tengku Noor Shamsiah

SINGAPORE, Aug 20 (Bernama) -- The Kitchen Musical, a music-dance-drama
revolving around the story of a rich, young girl fresh from culinary school, is
set to dazzle TV viewers across Asia in October, with broadcasts in Singapore,
Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and 12 other countries.

The four-month long original production by The Group Entertainment spread
over 13 one-hour episodes features an international cast, including British
thespian Stephen Rahman-Hughes, Filipino powerhouses Karylle Tatlonghari and
Christian Bautista, Hong Kong supermodel Rosemary Vandenbroucke and New
York-based Filipino stage actor, Arthur Acuna.

This is the first international musical television drama series produced in
Singapore for the regional and international markets, airing on AXN Asia,
MetroTV in Indonesia, nTV7 in Malaysia, and Studio 23 in the Philippines.

The show, through music, song and dance, will follow the trials and
trib ulations of Maddie as she begins a journey of self-discovery following
her
graduation from a culinary school in Paris.

She goes to work at her father’s restaurant, The Avilon, and learns that she
cannot always get her way by being Daddy’s girl.

The Group Entertainment chief executive officer, Nelia Sutrisno, said the
audience can expect fresh entertainment that will satiate their appetite for
flavour-filled storylines spiced with complex characters, while singing along to
their favourite hit songs and enjoying delicious dishes presented in an exciting
way.

She said the idea of a musical television series that hones in on Asia’s
passion for food has never been done before.

Meanwhile, CheeK (Cheah Chee Kong) , the creator and writer of The Kitchen
Musical who is also the Executive Vice President and Creative Director of The
Group Entertainment, said: "We wanted to create a fresh and original concept for
the global audience that is still well identifiable within the region.

The television series had the complete commitment of the international cast
and crew, who based themselves in Singapore throughout the shoot.

The cast was put through four weeks of intense acting and dancing rehearsals
as well as a kitchen boot camp. Each instalment of the series will showcase
re-arranged and re-recorded popular hit songs brought to life by
specially-choreographed dance sequences.

The Kitchen Musical will be transferred to the stage in the third quarter
of 2012 by the Singapore Repertory Theatre.