Waxing lyrical over Ah Boys in musical

IF anybody finds the language in the songs featured in the upcoming stage adaptation of Ah Boys To Men too racy or colourful, blame it on Don Richmond's mum. The Eurasian singer-songwriter half-jokes she's responsible for some of the musical's naughty Hokkien lyrics.

"My mum's the best; when I'm writing at home, I would turn to my mum and ask her, 'Is this correct? Do you understand?' and she would say, 'That's too refined; army boys won't say that, dirty it up a bit'," chuckles Richmond cheekily.

He adds that almost half of the 10 to 12 numbers have already been written while the remaining are being tweaked to inject the natural playfulness of the young cast into it. There will also be an air of familiarity in some of the songs as they are based on the ones recruits sing in-camp. "One is based on 'Today is my book-out day/Doo Da /Doo Da' and you will hear others peppered here and there," reveals Richmond.