Teresa: The Musical

Fans of the late Teresa Teng (邓丽君) were taken on an emotional roller-coaster when they watched Teresa: The Musical, in Ipoh a couple of evenings ago.

With the ravishing Perry Chiu Woon in the lead role, this musical is a tribute based accurately on the life of Teresa Teng, with a focus on her three high-profile romances, plus her one major regret in life: that is her failure to stage a concert for her fans in China.

The audience was first taken on the journey of Teresa’s life as a teenager, when she initially gained fame, until her untimely death at the age of 42 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Teresa’s life was a very complex story, which tells of her romance with a martial arts actor, followed by the son of a Malaysian tycoon, and finally, with her French boyfriend fifteen years her junior.

Born in Taiwan to Chinese parents, Teresa’s father was a soldier in the Republic of China Armed Forces and was one of the political victims forced out of China, together with his wife and other family members.

Life was certainly not easy for this community of displaced families. But for Teresa, blessed with a voice so sweet, her singing talent was discovered at a very young age; she clinched a recording contract at the age of 15; she left school when she was only 14 to support her family.

As a child of a military family, Teresa regularly performed for Taiwanese servicemen. This did not augur well with the Chinese government, although Teresa’s parents never made her forget her Chinese roots and drilled into her that she must return to China one day.

This sense of longing was best portrayed in her rendition of “My Home Is on the Other Side of the Mountain”. Teresa had even planned to stage a concert in Tiananmen Square for 200,000 fans for free but that never materialised.

Teresa: The Musical was written by Shanghainese Sha Yip-Sun. He was engaged by Teresa’s family to write a 30-episode television drama on the life and times of the singer.

However, due to unforeseen circumstances, Sha was unable to complete the television drama despite having clocked three years of on-ground research which saw him travel to all the countries that Teresa had lived in before, including the United States of America, Japan, Hong Kong, France and of course Taiwan, to speak to everyone who had known Teresa personally.

As this script was authorised by Teresa’s family, Sha did not give up. He travelled to Teresa’s final resting place in Chin Pao Shan, Taiwan and made a promise that he would somehow tell her story. And that was how this musical came about in 2013.

Its first performance was in Hong Kong and from there, the cast and crew travelled to Singapore, London and Vancouver to bring the story of Teresa Teng to her fans. This show in Ipoh was its 25th staging.

Die-hard Malaysian fans would recall that this production was staged before for three consecutive nights in Genting Highlands a couple of years ago. It was so well received that more than ten thousand fans watched it at the time.

If you were one of those fans and are looking for an encore, or if you have missed the musical and would like a second chance to catch it, this is a golden opportunity for you to do so before the cast and crew return to Hong Kong to perform three additional shows.

Teresa: The Musical is a multi-language production, scripted according to the different stages of her life. Expect to enjoy some thirty evergreen hits of Teresa’s during the two-hour show, also rendered in various languages and dialects, from Mandarin to English, Japanese, Thai, Cantonese and even Hokkien. Teresa’s biggest hit, The Moon Represents My Heart, will of course, be delivered, too.

Secure your tickets before they are sold out! Ticketing information enclosed below:

In Kuala Lumpur
Date: 3rd Sept, 2016 (Saturday)
Time: 8pm
Venue: Mega Star Arena, Kuala Lumpur
Tickets: RM 199 (PS1) and RM 99 (PS2). For VIP seat , call 012-974 1011 for further information.

In Penang
Date: 6th Sept, 2016 (Tuesday)
Time: 8pm
Venue: Dewan Sri Pinang, Penang
Tickets: RM220, RM180 and RM100
For more details or ticket reservation, call 012–2686 959.

Teresa: The Musical
Date: 1st Sept, 2016
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Ritz Garden Ballroom (Garden Wing), Ritz Garden Hotel, Ipoh.

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