Memorable tunes in screen-to-stage adaptation

GIVEN the number of songs army boys are taught to sing during National Service, it's not surprising that Jack Neo's box office smash Ah Boys To Men can be transformed into a musical. Even better, playwright Goh Boon Teck, songwriter Don Richmond and director Beatrice Chia-Richmond have adapted and condensed Neo's overly-long duology into a highly-watchable and compact two-hour stage production.

As with any good musical, the key lies in the songs and Richmond's Ah Boys to Men The Musical originals hit the spot most of the time.

Written in a mix of English, Singlish, Mandarin and Hokkien - much like the show's dialogue itself - they range from Broadway-style showstoppers (Tekong Tekan, Life is Beautiful) to radio-friendly ballads (a Jay Chou-ish Brothers Forever) and even a bit of rap (SOC), where local rapper Shiggashay and Tosh Zhang get to battle it out B-boy style on-stage. Not only that, Richmond has also breathed new life into NS standards like Bookout Day and Training To Be Soldiers, rearranging them into memorable show tunes.