TAKE one history textbook, add a pinch of five-spice powder, heaping spoonfuls of musical versatility and zero MSG, and you've got a recipe for the Dim Sum Dollies' History of Singapore.
Serving up a dose of Singapore history along with riffs on pirates, kamikaze pilots and rickshaw pullers, Pam Oei, Emma Yong and Selena Tan's sixth cabaret outing is wholesome entertainment that's easy to digest.
The show got off to a satirical start when Hossan Leong, dressed in a mandarin's silk robe and clashing his cymbals as Admiral Cheng Ho ("I am Cheng Ho...Ching!") tells Temasek: "I want to be your CEO."
Though such gems of social commentary were rarer from then onwards, the skits were snappy and well-timed from the curtain's rise to the intermission. Despite more costume changes than the London Fashion Week, the pacing was smooth throughout, and the chronological structure helped strengthen the show's framework.
Infectious showtunes added local flavour, from Sang Nila Utama's ronggeng-influenced ditty to the Five Spice Girls' 90s-pop and the kampung aunties' "en-bloc blues". (Kudos to musical director Elaine Chan.)
Occasionally, laugh-out-loud jokes softened a sharp piece of satire. One particularly incisive skit on "pirate-sector" ministerial pay and DVD (Dirty Very Dirty) Pirates was tempered by its catchy Cantopop theme and references to Pirates of the Caribbean. Similarly, the Dim Sum Dollies' version of Singapore history was anything but revisionist, departing little from the officially sanctioned version. Their History ends at 1965, because heaven forbid jokes hit too close to home.
After a while, some segments dragged on too long, such as the Miss Singapore "pageant" at the end. And eventual-Lee, (odd-Lee enough), some jokes simp-Lee ceased to be funny - such as the poster-waving political-rally fangirls who harp on "wonderful-Lee" and "eternal-Lee".
Ultimately, the Dim Sum Dollies' History of Singapore was a heartwarming, feel-good show with mass appeal. The audience lapped it up, waving the plastic Singapore flags distributed during the intermission. In the end, Dim Sum Dollies is like a meal at Crystal Jade - well-prepared and tasty, but predictable, nonetheless.
