A feast for all the senses

Organised by BT and ST, ChildAid 2023 was an immersive musical experience with Peranakan dinner and audience interaction

Helmi Yusof

Published Fri, Dec 15, 2023 · 05:00 AM

Wearing costumes inspired by the 1930s, the cast belted a harmonious medley of four songs in four different languages. PHOTO: CHERYL ONG, BT

LAST Monday (Dec 4), the annual charity fundraiser ChildAid wowed audiences with its first musical dinner theatre mounted across multiple stages with 360-degree surround sound.

Not only were the guests treated to a delicious Peranakan fusion dinner prepared by Purple Sage, they were also entertained by 48 child talents aged between six and 19 performing all around them.

The musical whodunit centred on the mysterious disappearance of a celebrated singer. Guest-of-honour Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat and his wife, Chang Hwee Nee, joined the rest of the audience in guessing who the culprit was.

By the end of the night, the event organised by The Business Times and The Straits Times raised over S$2 million for two charities, The Business Times Budding Artists Fund and The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund. The top donors were UOB, Mohamed Abdul Jaleel (from the MES group) and Citi Singapore.

Here are some highlights of the show at Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre:

Janae Joy Ho, 17, singing a vivacious rendition of Grace Chang’s classic bebop number Wo Yao Ni De Ai (I Want Your Love). PHOTO: CHERYL ONG, BT

Dressed as paperboys, the cast performed Seize The Day from the Newsies musical. PHOTO: CHERYL ONG, BT

Dylan Chan, 15, playing Inspector Lau, investigating the case of the missing singer with some help from the audience. PHOTO: CHERYL ONG, BT

Tara Puri, 13, showing off her vocal chops singing Leonard Cohen’s classic ballad Hallelujah. PHOTO: CHERYL ONG, BT

DPM Heng Swee Keat and his wife Chang Hwee Nee trying to solve the mystery using the clues on their table. PHOTO: CHERYL ONG, BT

Electone whiz Hong Shyan Yee (right), 12, performing his groovy jazz self-composed number titled Downtown. PHOTO: CHERYL ONG, BT

Wearing costumes inspired by the 1930s, the cast belted a harmonious medley of four songs in four different languages. PHOTO: CHERYL ONG, BT

Throughout the show, dancers swayed and pirouetted gracefully on stage and around the audiences. PHOTO: CHERYL ONG, BT

Officer Nisa (Divyasree Ravichandraraja, second from right) apprehending Principal Pereira (Dennis Sofian, right) for perpetrating the crime. PHOTO: CHERYL ONG, BT

The celebrated singer Nurliza Salim (Amni Musfirah, in black) is rescued in time to deliver the show’s closing number. PHOTO: CHERYL ONG, BT

Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free.

Arts & Design Philanthropy ChildAid

Reuse this content Feedback