Movie Night (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) - Thu, 12 July - Bring A Friend

Please take note: I am cancelling movie night for today as nobody has expressed interest in attending.

Regards,
Callista

For our Movie Night this July, we're going for something non-musical for a change. Movie for this month is The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

BRING A FRIEND!
Do bring some snacks for sharing, and bring a friend along to join in
the fun!

Do let us know if you're coming. Email us at selangor.phil+socials@gmail.com.

WHEN:
Thursday, July 12, 2007, 8.00pm

WHERE:
Li Villas Condominium, Section 16, PJ - we've booked the TV room at
the condo's clubhouse.




SYNOPSIS (from wikipedia):
Anthony "Tick" Belrose, a.k.a. Mitzi Del Bra, a drag queen, accepts an offer to perform at a casino in Alice Springs, a remote town in central Australia. After persuading his friends and fellow performers, Bernadette Bassenger, a.k.a. Ralph – a recently bereaved transsexual woman – and Adam Whitely, a.k.a. Felicia Jollygoodfellow – an irritatingly flamboyant and obnoxious drag queen – to join him, the three set out for Alice Springs in a large tour bus which Adam/Felicia christens "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert". Guy Pearce plays Adam/Felicia, Terence Stamp plays Bernadette/Ralph and Hugo Weaving plays Tick/Mitzi.

They encounter on the way the less accepting attitudes of rural Australia, sexual violence, and the problems of vehicle breakdowns. The troupe eventually arrives at their destination with costumes and dance routines prepared. Before they arrive, Tick reveals that he is married (It is hinted that his wife is a lesbian.), and that the trip is a favour for his wife, who runs the casino where they will be performing. Upon arriving, they learn that Tick and his wife also have a young son.

Movie Night (A Chorus Line) - Thu, 7 June - Bring A Friend

For our Movie Night this June, we will be watching the revival version of A Chorus Line.

BRING A FRIEND!
Do bring some snacks for sharing, and bring a friend along to join in
the fun!

Do let us know if you're coming. Email us at selangor.phil+socials@gmail.com.

WHEN:
Thursday, June 07, 2007, 8.00pm

WHERE:
Li Villas Condominium, Section 16, PJ - we've booked the TV room at
the condo's clubhouse.




SYNOPSIS (by David Law):
A Chorus Line is a definitive if not the definitive musical. Winner of 9 Tony awards and the Pulitzer Prize, it opened in May 1975, ran for 6,137 performances and was the longest running Broadway musical when it closed in April 1990. Unfortunately the film version was one of the worst ever adaptations of a musical, directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Michael Douglas, neither of whom had made a musical before...or since.

This is not the movie version, but a shot from the audience front seat view of the 2006 revival, which itself won several Tony awards. A faithful recreation of the original production, this is for those who saw it the first time round to relive the experience, those who saw the movie to finally exorcise its memory and to introduce a whole new generation to the magic of the Broadway musical.

Flashback! Photos from February's Movie Nite

Yes, as you all know, Movie Nite is back! Same place, this time on a Thursday (May 3rd, to be exact). In case you've forgotten what Movie Nites are like, here are photos from the last Movie Nite in February (March's was postponed to this month; April's gathering was a Club Nite - photos from that soon!), where we watched this:


(the DVD, not Zal)

.. and we watched it here ...



... welcome to the Selangor Phil - where, if we ran a cinema, the movies would probably be screened in the drinks & snacks section ...


... we're Knights of the Round table, where the amount of food is for-mi-da-ble...

... there's always a pack of Cheezels going round ...

... everyone likes sofas..

See you on May 3rd for this month's screening - Sweet Charity!

Movie Night (Sweet Charity) - Thu 3 May - Bring A Friend

Movie Night is back again! As rehearsals for our latest project has begun, Movie Nights will now be held every first Thursday of the month.

For this Thursday, we will be showing Sweet Charity, which was post-poned from March.

WHEN:
Thursday, May 3, 2007, 8.00pm

WHERE:
Li Villas Condominium, Section 16, PJ - we've booked the TV room at the condo's clubhouse.




Do let me know if you're coming. Email me at mailto:selangor.phil+socials@gmail.com?subject=Movie.

Read more about the movie from the original posting.

March Updates!

Dear Members and Friends of The Phil,

Thank you for the many calls which the Committee members have received in respect of the rehearsal dates.

The Committee had planned to resume rehearsals beginning March. However, we are having some issues with the venue - while MAB has been our faithful rehearsal venue for the past years, the charges have been increased to 5 times our previous rate. (This was also the reason our third Movie Night had to be postponed!) We are still in the process of negotiating the rental rates and have also started looking for alternative venues. If any of you have any contacts for venues, please share the information with us.

Upcoming Activities:

The SongFest Singing Competition has been scheduled for this May 2007. Keep posted for more information!

Club Night happens on Saturday April 14th! More information on this blog shortly!

Yes, we've been having venue woes this March, but fear not, Movie Nite (which is held on the first Monday of every month) hasn't disappeared! Watch this space for info on May's Movie Nite!

Best regards
Alain Boey
Chairman

Movie Night (Sweet Charity) - Mon 5 March - Bring A Friend

Important! This month's movie night has been postponed until further notice due to the sudden unavailability of the venue. My apologies.
- Callista

For our March Movie Night, we will be watching Sweet Charity. Directed by Bob Fosse. Starring Shirley MacLaine and Chita Rivera

BRING A FRIEND!

Do let us know if you're coming. Email us at selangor.phil+socials@gmail.com.

WHEN:
Monday, March 5, 2007, 8.00pm

WHERE:
Hall of the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) Complex at Jalan Tebing, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur

PARKING:
There are limited parking in the complex but ample parking just outside the complex. There's never been a problem with parking in that area.

ABOUT THE FILM (taken from wikipedia.org):
Sweet Charity, based on Federico Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria, is a musical directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and book by Neil Simon.

The original Broadway production opened on January 29, 1966 at the Palace Theatre, and ran for 608 performances. It starred Gwen Verdon, John McMartin, Helen Gallagher, Thelma Oliver, James Luisi, Arnold Soboloff, and Sharon Ritchie. The production was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, winning only one, for Fosse's choreography.

The 1969 film version, Sweet Charity, also directed and choreographed by Fosse, starred Shirley MacLaine and McMartin, recreating his original Broadway role. The movie also included Chita Rivera, Paula Kelly, Stubby Kaye, Barbara Bouchet, Ricardo Montalban, Sammy Davis, Jr., Barbara Bouchet, Suzanne Charney, Alan Hewitt, Dante DiPaolo, Bud Vest, Ben Vereen, Lee Roy Reams, and Al Lanti. The movie was notable for costumes by Edith Head and of course its dance sequences (notably The Rich Man's Frug).

The show was revived on Broadway in 1986 (starring Debbie Allen as Charity) and won four Tony Awards for Best Revival, Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Michael Rupert), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Bebe Neuwirth), and Best Costume Design (Patricia Zipprodt).

A second revival, starring television and film star Christina Applegate, opened on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on May 4, 2005, after a troubled three-city preview tour. Applegate broke her foot in Chicago, the second stop on the tour, and was replaced by her standby, Charlotte d'Amboise. Then, after the final leg of the tour in Boston, the producers announced the production would not be continuing to the Great White Way, citing lack of interest. However, two days later, the Broadway engagement was re-born after Applegate convinced the producers to continue. A week into previews, Applegate rejoined the cast, which also included Denis O'Hare and Ernie Sabella. The show was nominated for many Tony awards including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Actress in a Musical for Applegate. (Reportedly, pop icon Britney Spears was asked to replace Applegate when her contract expired, but declined the offer.) The show ended its Broadway run on December 31, 2005, after playing 279 performances.

A national tour of the recent Broadway revival began in September 2006 starring Molly Ringwald as Charity Hope Valentine.

DVD Nite (Monty Python and the Holy Grail) - Mon 5 Feb - Bring A Friend

For our February DVD Night, we will be watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

BRING A FRIEND!
Do bring some snacks for sharing, and bring a friend along to join in
the fun!

Do let us know if you're coming. Email us at selangor.phil+socials@gmail.com.

WHEN:
Monday, February 5, 2007, 8.00pm

WHERE:
Li Villas Condominium, Section 16, PJ - we've booked the TV room at
the condo's clubhouse.




SYNOPSIS (taken from imdb.com):
The movie starts out with Arthur, King of the Britons, looking for knights to sit with him at Camelot. He finds many knights including Sir Galahad the pure, Sir Lancelot the brave, the quiet Sir Bedevere, and Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir Lancelot. They do not travel on horses, but pretend they do and have their servants bang coconuts to make the sound of horse's hooves. Through satire of certain events in history (witch trials, the black plague) they find Camelot, but after literally a quick song and dance they decide that they do not want to go there. While walking away, God (who seems to be grumpy) come to them from a cloud and tells them to find the Holy Grail. They agree and begin their search. While they search for the Grail, scenes of the knight's tales appear and why they have the name they have. Throughout their search they meet interesting people and knights along the way. Most of the characters die; some through a killer rabbit (which they defeat with the holy hand grenade), others from not answering a question right from the bridge of Death, or die some other ridiculous way. In the end, King Arthur and Sir Bedevere are left and find the Castle Arrrghhh where the Holy Grail is. They are met by some French soldiers who taunted them earlier in the film, so they were not able to get into the castle.

Happily Ever After (The Inaugural DVD Nite!)

Dusk fell on the fifteenth day of January, and the rain continued to drizzle amidst the rush-hour bustle of office-workers longing for a restful evening after yet another manic Monday. It took a short while to coax the TV room's air-conditioner from its slumber, but the evening was soon enlivened by giants and magic beans, charming princes and blonde maidens in towers. And, of course, cookies, Cheezels, chips, and orange juice!

See what you missed? ;-)

And during Intermission David enthusiastically showed us his autographed Sondheim programmes...

Needless to say, there was much food and merry-making...

About DVD Nites

- We plan to have them on the first Monday of each month (8.00pm). Check your email, and this blog!

- If you have a plasma TV, a home theatre system, cushy sofas and a well-stocked pantry, we would love to hear from you :)

- Bring all the cushions, bean bags and snacks you want!

- Bring a friend! DVD Nites are a great way to introduce your friends to The Phil.

- Remember, suggestions for shows are always welcome. We'll take movies, operas, musicals, ballets, your neighbour's cats' nightly quartet, anything! (Ok, maybe not the felines.)

About "Into the Woods"

What's it about?
From http://www.sondheim.com/shows/into_the_woods/:

"Into the Woods" blends various familiar fairy tales with an original story of a childless Baker and his Wife, who catalyze the action of the story by attempting to reverse a curse on their family in order to have a child.

In the first act, the characters set out to achieve their goal of living "Happily Ever After" through familiar routes - Cinderella goes to the Ball and captures the heart of Prince Charming, Jack climbs the Beanstalk and finds a land of Giants and Gold, Little Red Riding Hood survives her clash with the wolf at Grandma's house, and Rapunzel manages to escape her tower with the aid of a handsome prince who climbs her long hair. The Baker and his Wife move through their stories while pursuing their own goal - the witch who keeps Rapunzel (revealed to be the Baker's sister) has put the curse on his house, and agrees to lift it if the Baker and his Wife can find the ingredients to help her reverse a spell which her mother has laid on her, keeping her old and ugly. Those ingredients are: A Slipper As Pure As Gold, which the Baker's wife gets from Cinderella, A Cow As White As Milk, which the Baker buys from Jack in exchange for the fateful magic beans, A Cape As Red As Blood, which the Baker gets from Little Red Riding Hood in exchange for freeing her and Granny from the Wolf, and Hair As Yellow As Corn, which they get from Rapunzel. The ingredients are gathered, and the spell works, stripping the Witch of her power, but restoring her beauty. At the end of Act I, all characters seem poised to live "Happily Ever After".

Act Two, however, deals with the consequences that traditional fairy tales conveniently ignore. What does one do with a dead Giant in the back yard? Does marrying a Prince really lead to a happy and fulfilling life? Is carving up the wolf the solution? Is the Giant always wrong? In Act Two, all the characters must deal with what happens AFTER "Happily Ever After". As they face a genuine threat to their community, they realize that all actions have consequences, and their lives are inescapably interdependent, but also that that interdependence is their greatest strength.

Other "Into the Woods" Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Woods

And who is Stephen Sondheim?
http://www.sondheim.com/features/sondheim101.html