SONS Choir Pot Luck Gathering
Last night, our choir had a pot luck gathering cum pre-birthday celebration for our choir director, Mdm. Yap. The gathering was held in her house as well. Her actual birthday falls in August but we celebrated her birthday earlier since we're having our 2 weeks break after the musical play. Before we started our dinner, we had the cake cutting session first. A birthday song was sung by the one and only SONS choir...haha! Then we took group pictures after she cut the cake. After that, we started our dinner. While enjoying our dinner, we viewed the video and pictures taken during our play. We ate and laughed at our own actings during the play which we thought was funny. It was such great fun. We ended our gathering at about 10pm with everyone going home with big, fat bellies after all the food we ate...lol!
Chu Chin Chow
Simfoni Orkestra Negeri Sarawak Choir (SONS) presented a musical play entitled 'Chu Chin Chow' in Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce Auditorium, Batu Lintang at 8pm last night. The play lasted almost 2 hours. Under the guidance of choir director, Mdm. Yap Chiew Phin, the play was very successful. Here's the storyline of the play:
'Chu Chin Chow' is based on the tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. The setting is the magnificent Eastern palace of Kasim Baba who welcomes the Chinese merchant Chun Chin Chow. He is, in fact, not who he seems to be but the rascally Abu Hasan, a robber come to glean information that will enable him to rob his host. Hasan has a slave, Zahrat, already spying in the palace. She has made friends with Kasim's chief wife, Alcolom, who in turn is loved by Kasim's poor brother, Ali Baba. Another friend is the slave maid Marjanah who loves Ali's son, Nur Al-Huda. The downfall of Kasim would solve a lot of problems!
Marjanah recognises Abu Hasan and enlists him in a scheme to get rid of Kasim - she wants her freedom and Alcolom wants to be with her beloved Ali. In exchange, Abu Hasan's identity will not be disclosed. Kasim entertains his guests royally. Abu Hasan tries to buy Marjanah as intended, but drunken Ali Baba offers a fortune, forty thousand gold pieces, - which he does not possess - to buy her for his son. The offer is accepted.
Next morning, Ali can't remember anything, but wakes up in a cactus grove with a hangover. Meanwhile, Marjanah and Nur Al-Huda are preparing to escape when they overhear Abu Hasan and his men coming out of a concealed rock entrance. Abu has ordered Zahrat's lover, Omar, to be brought to the desert to ensure her loyalty to him. When the robber band has left, Marjanah and Nur tell Ali about the concealed cave, its treasure and its password - "Open Sesame". Later the incantation works for the three as well. Now they can acquire enough money to buy Marjanah from Ali. At the sale, Chu Chin Chow believes his identity has been revealed by Zahrat. He proposes to put Zahrat to death. She exposes his real identity and he leaves with her, his robbers and all the bid money.
Ali visits Kasim, his brother, tells him of the cave and brings the promised bid money for Marjanah, who can now wed Nur. The lovers return to the cave, where they discover a chained Zahrat. They are unable to release her as Kasim is ushered in. He goes mad at the sight of the treasure but is captured by Abu Hasan and put to death. Hasan has brought along Zahrat's lover to die with her. Eventually, Zahrat is freed; the robbers are killed by boiling oil, and Hasan is stabbed to death. All that remains is for the young lovers to be united - and so are Ali and Alcolom.
Here are some pictures of the play:
