$ing Dollar! The Musical Comedy About Money

Aren’t you bored of hearing about the financial crisis? Plunging house prices, employment rates and returns accompanied by soaring debt – we’re hearing it 24/7, and this depressing monotony is enough to drive anyone to switch off the news in disgust and start queuing up for lottery tickets.

However, there are more positive reactions to the zeitgeist. Selena Tan, one third of the comic trio Dim Sum Dollies, found inspiration in calamity. Tan explains: ‘My family, friends, everyone was just hit by the news of the economic crisis. It seemed to be on everybody’s lips at that point. I latched on to that.’ So, last year when all anyone could think about was mourning the stock-market crash, she was busily penning songs that satirise the financial situation, quilting together a musical comedy that aims to get people laughing about money again, instead of worrying about it. Tan believes music and laughter can ‘be the balm that helps us along’.

The result of Tan’s timely creative investment, $ing Dollar! The Musical Comedy About Money, appears this month at the Esplanade Theatre, and brings together a motley crew of characters in Geylang – all of them ready to fight for their very own bailout. A Malaysian cleaning woman discovers a bag of money that contains half a million dollars, and her scream of surprise attracts a host of circling vultures, including a cruise ship gambler, a beef hor fun hawker, a sacked banker, a Tiger beer auntie, a Chinese prostitute, a moonlighting maid and a Bangladeshi dishwasher. The Singaporeans team up against the foreigners, and a madcap-style adventure ensues as the characters all try to get their hands on the cash.

'Tan sees Geylang as a sort of melting pot. ‘A lot of things happen in Geylang, not just, you know…'

The ensemble cast comprises eight of Singapore’s best-known thespians and comedians: Najip Ali, Hossan Leong and Kumar all take starring roles alongside Tan’s fellow Dollies Pam Oei and Emma Yong. The characters come from all walks of life and backgrounds. Leong, for instance, plays a younger son who has recently lost his job at the bank, reflecting the humbled status of many former financial bigwigs these days. The production puts all of the characters on a similar footing, revealing the levelling effects of the ailing economy. ‘Everybody has been kind of equalised. Whether you are a banker or a prostitute or whatever, everybody is out there getting it for themselves,’ Tan says.

Notably, as opposed to say the CBD, the action takes place in a red-light district; after all, the desire for money isn’t the only universal concern linking all sectors of society. This colourful setting allows the cast members to showcase a range of skills. They play a variety of quirky characters in addition to their main roles, shedding costumes and personalities faster than President Obama is signing billion-dollar cheques. While drag queen comedian Kumar’s main role is the Bangladeshi dishwasher, he also appears throughout the production in several other guises, some of which may be more familiar to fans of his stand-up routine – such as lovely lady of the night – and other, more bizarre characters, like a Tiger beer bottle.

Tan sees Geylang as a sort of melting pot. ‘A lot of things happen in Geylang, not just, you know… A lot of different people converge in Geylang, different nationalities. It just became an interesting place to put us all in. There could be Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans… a nice mix of people.’ Also, in a telling reversal of economic woes elsewhere, the red-light district’s businesses are booming, as people search for a way of drowning their sorrows. Tan matter-of-factly states: ‘When times are hard, you kind of hit the bottle…there are some businesses that help the problems go away, I suppose.’

'The musical is like a South-East Asian version of Chicago, with ‘a sort of go-out-there-and-grab-it kind of style, but with a very Asian kind of feel'

While denying any particular affinity for the popular beer, Tan couldn’t resist writing herself into the production as the Tiger beer auntie. ‘I’m quite a Hokkien girl at heart. So, when I was writing it, it became natural for me to write myself in [using] this intonation,’ she says. An older woman who is struggling with an unending stream of younger competition from overseas, Tan’s character is desperate to hang on to what’s hers, making her a particularly ferocious competitor for the up-for-grabs loot.

Tan, Oei and Yong’s cabaret-style comedy trio the Dim Sum Dollies delights in satirising Singapore’s eccentricities, but before $ing Dollar! Tan had never attempted to write a full-length musical. However, she has stuck with what she does best – orchestrating cabaret-inspired song and dance scenes, spiced up with elaborate costumes and witty commentary on topical local issues. Comparing the numbers in $ing Dollar! to one of her favourite musicals, Tan says that she sees the production as being a South-East Asian version of Chicago, with ‘a sort of go-out-there-and-grab-it kind of style, but with a very Asian kind of feel’. Some of the songs sure to steal the show include ‘White Collar Criminals’, which mocks a host of infamous newsmakers and ‘Lorong to Lorong’, which explores the different vibes and services being offered on each street.

After spending all this time creating a fantastical escape from real financial problems, Tan isn’t immune to dreams of winning the lottery or stumbling across her own bag of mystery cash. If a cool half-mill were to appear on her doorstep, she plans to take it and run. ‘You know, I would hole up somewhere and just write something and not think about money at all,’ she says. Without money on the brain, who knows what she’d come up with next.

$ing Dollar! The Musical Comedy About Money runs at the Esplanade Theatre from 23 Jul to 5 Aug. See the event listing for more information