Stay gold as Broadway Beng celebrates his 50th birthday.

50 is the new 40, at least according to Sebastian Tan, better known by his stage persona Broadway Beng. Playing the iconic character for 17 years now, Sebastian has returned to celebrate his 50th birthday with revue show Broadway Beng: Growing gOLD, containing his signature mix of Hokkien songs and musical numbers and charisma in spades.

Growing gOLD starts off already keenly on them, with James Bond theme song ‘Goldfinger’, sung by chobuus Denise Tan (who was one of the original chiobuus back in 2006), Hannah Nordin and Sarah Smith, serenading us with their voices. Throughout the show, each of the chobuus have their own specialty and unique character, their vocal prowess showcasing exactly why they deserve to be up onstage. But moving on from the moody, orchestral number, Sebastian himself shows up and really gets the party started, as he hypes us up and shows that he’s still full of energy.

Sebastian is by now, an expert at playing it up for the audience, and shows off how confident he is telling us the entire Broadway Beng story, starting from his time on Mandarin television when Mediacorp was still TCS, where he sang the theme song to hit series ‘The Price of Peace’. Brimming with pride, that’s his cue to take us back to simpler times as he launches into a medley of local TV theme, from ‘Kopi-O’ to Mavis Hee’s ‘Cheng Li De Yue Guang’. Dressed in gold, his shining jacket seems to spread light across the entire audience as he sings his heart out.

Diving into his childhood, we learn about his idol Michael Jackson (with Sebastian even demonstrating his smooth moves by doing a moonwalk), while sharing personal, heartfelt stories about his mother. Filled with sincerity, he dedicates the next song ‘Mei Gui Mei Gui Wo Ai Ni‘ to all the mothers, all the ah lians and the ah huays in the audience, and impresses by how quickly he code switches into multiple other languages of the song, joined by his chiobuus. Still on the theme of flowers, he segues into a heartfelt rendition of ‘Bunga Sayang’, and with both the chiobuus and Sebastian’s voices coming together, we feel the emotions of the lyrics and melody come to the fore.

Now in his young adulthood, Sebastian recalls how he was just 21 when he first experienced snow in London, triggered from how he saw snow again this year when he travelled to Niseko, Japan for his first ever ski holiday (and definitely not his last). With snow on our minds, Sebastian brings us into. theworld. of Frozen The Musical, narrating the story with the help of Tuck Lee Ice. Chiobuu Denise Tan performs a splendid rendition of ‘Let It Go’, complete with theatrics and powerhouse vocals, and when Sebastian comes out in the finale with a spectacular costume change, it left the audience warm inside and smiles on their faces.

The energy is maintained even after the intermission with the band getting. us going again, and Sebastian reminding us this is a celebration, raising our glasses to cheers or specifically, ‘Yum Seng’ to the occasion, as beer girls went around the theatre to top up our drinks. The mood is kept light and fun, and as we settle down, it’s time to go into concert mode, as we wave our handphones while Fabian Lim plays the saxophone with finesse.

It’s not all glitz and glamour however, as Sebastian isn’t afraid to show that he can let out his evil side as well, with a confession that he feels a certain affinity to iconic villains, from Ursula in The Little Mermaid, the Phantom from Phantom of the Opera, to the dentist in Little Shop of Horrors, before singing the comic number ‘Master of the House’ from Les Miserables.

In his final medley of the night, Sebastian leaves every single bit of himself onstage, giving it his all as he finds away to connect to every single audience member in the theatre. We are so moved, we crave an encore, while we watch a montage of his photos from his humble beginnings to where he is now, proud of him for how far he’s come and all he’s achieved. This is a career worthy of a celebration, and being there with him to commemorate this milestone, it is clear how much love, passion and emotions he gives and is surrounded by.

Sebastian ends on a high note with Hokkien classic ‘Ai Pia Cia Eh Yia’, so enthused and so spirited that the entire theatre rises, singing along and giving him a standing ovation. Broadway Beng: Growing gOLD is in many ways, a quintessential Broadway Beng show, giving you hit song after hit song, brilliantly performed alongside gorgeous and talented chiobuus by his side, and plenty of theatricality in every number. This is indeed a worthy party that shows why Sebastian is so loved, how his songs transcend language and age, and a beautiful tribute to the man and the fans that have stuck by him through thick and thin, in a birthday blowout I’m glad to have been invited to. 50 isn’t old at all – it’s just the start of another chapter, and a milestone to remind Sebastian of all he’s achieved, and so many more great things to come.

Photo Credit: Dream Academy

Broadway Beng – Growing gOLD played from 13th to 29th July 2023 at Capitol Theatre. More information available here

Production Credits:

Director: Selena Tan

Cast: Sebastian Tan, Denise Tan, Hannah Nordin, Sarah Smith

Music Director: Joel Nah

Band: Joel Nah (Band Leader/Keyboard), Colin Yong (Bass), Chee Wah Yong (Bass #2), Joshua Tan (Guitar), Wayne Lim (Guitar #2), Rizal Sanip (Drums), Fabian Lim (Saxophone)

Choreographer: Hafeez Hassan

Costume Designer: Frederick Lee

Hair and Wig Designer: Ashley Lim

Make-up Designer: Bobbie Ng

Sound Designer/Engineer: Shah Tahir

Lighting Designer: Reuben Ong

Art Direction: Tripple

Multimedia Design: Fictionshore