Hossan Leong takes us on a musical and theatrical journey through his life and times in the Singapore arts scene.

Who says the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) always needs to show off ‘atas’, head-scratching art forms? In a rather unexpected turn of programming, this year’s festival presents local entertainer Hossan Leong in his SIFA debut with Hossan-ah! In The High Arts, as he brings in longtime fans of his more mainstream, comedic fare to the festival. Over the course of the show, Hossan takes us on a journey through the rise of both his own career and the flourishing of the Singapore arts scene, utilising his own myriad skills in singing, piano-playing, storytelling and comedy to bring it all together in a single crowd-pleasing bonanza.

Directed by Glen Goei, and co-written by both Leong and Benjamin ‘Mr Miyagi’ Lee, it’s made clear early on that this is exactly the kind of new audience SIFA was intending for, when Hossan, coming out in a sequinned suit, does a quick hands-up survey on whether this is the first time the crowd at Victoria Theatre is attending a show at the festival. As it turns out, many of them are actually losing their ‘SIFA-virginity’ via Hossan, who is ready to ease them into the ‘high arts’ and lead them into a new world. Joined by his ‘Baogaliao girls’ (Audrey Luo, Denise Tan and Siti Khalijah Zainal), Hossan starts off by showcasing different forms of ‘high arts’, from opera to ballet to fine art to avant garde theatre, with the latter segueing into one of the earliest performances he watched – Theatreworks’ Descendants of the Eunuch Emperor at Fort Canning Park, with the Baogaliao girls walking around the stage in costume, and speaking their lines in a monotone, capturing the strangeness of the work.

It is from there that Hossan takes us from the professional to the personal, as he talks about how he even came to enter the world of arts to begin with. Recalling days spent watching The Sound of Music on television, begging his parents to buy him a piano and participating in a school Talentime competition, Hossan weaves a strong anecdote about how the arts became a place he felt he belonged, even when his parents disapproved of his dreams of becoming an actor. There is an earnestness to his voice when he remembers that simple ‘aha!’ moment when he saw Theatreworks advertising the role of Malcolm Png in Michael Chiang’s Army Daze, one he just knew he would be perfect in, and the deflated disappointment when he receives a rejection call the day after, and it is these sincere, authentic memories that endear us to Hossan.

As rough a start as Hossan has had, however, his fortunes change when he’s asked back to play Malcolm after all. From that pivotal casting in Army Daze, Hossan’s momentum never ceased, and from there begins a string of opportunities, originating roles with companies like Wild Rice and The Necessary Stage, appearing on national television, hosting gameshows like We Are Singaporeans, building a steady radio career on Gold 90 FM, and even being honoured with the L’ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France. Hossan’s life story rises alongside Singapore, where he’s been around to witness most of, and even involved in, some of Singapore’s most seminal productions and moments in art history, knowing so many people in the scene and establishing himself as a mainstay in the local scene, going from an awkward young boy with big dreams, to actually achieving them.

Despite not winning the school Talentime competition as a teen, Hossan and his Baogaliao girls prove that they have talent in spades with their well-choreographed musical numbers. In group numbers such as Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5”, the cast don ’80s officewear and trudge their way across the stage to show the office slog, while in “There’ll be a new you” from Beauty World, Hossan receives a makeover from the girls, and showcases a miraculous transformation from nerd to stud. And later on, Hossan even gets a beautiful moment to show off his piano skills, performing a solo rendition of Edith Piaf’s ‘Non, je ne regrette rien’, a rare pause in the show’s high-energy pace that offers vocal and emotional depth.

Among the musical sequences however; the highlight of the evening goes to a rapidfire medley of divas through the ages. With the Baogaliao girls supporting, Hossan arrives in stunning drag, complete with big hair and makeup, and performs Diana Ross’s ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’, Cher’s ‘Believe’, Whitney Houstons “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”, Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary”, and finally, Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”. Running backstage and doing a quick costume change after each song, these numbers prove that Hossan can do pretty much anything he wants to, with the right people supporting him, and amazes with the big costumes, epic choreography and sheer aura of confidence he brings with each number. It’s a directorial triumph for Glen Goei, who is able to construct and create such spectacles onstage, while balancing that out with enough intimacy and emotion from the more personal moments from Hossan.

What Hossan-ah! In The High Arts ends up becoming then, is a sharp show that is both educational and entertaining, portraying the personal story of Hossan’s life alongside the growth of Singapore’s theatre scene. Owing to its short runtime and wealth of content, it has a tendency to truncate a lot of the story, and especially towards the end, Hossan pulls back emotionally, maintaining a safe distance between his personal side and Singapore history. But at its core, it achieves what it sets out to do – to show a new audience how far the arts scene has come, to share his rocky story as a performer, and to remind us that we can achieve anything we want to, if we just put our minds to it and strive to make our dreams come true.

With glitzy costumes by Max Tan, Flex’s shimmery projections, a live band who knows every beat, and the combined talents of Baogaliao girls Audrey Luo, Denise Tan and Siti Khalijah Zainal as they sing their hearts out, Hossan-ah! In The High Arts brings the show to a close with Natasha Bedingfield’s ‘Unwritten’, signifying the road ahead for both the arts scene and ourselves, with so much potential to shape it into exactly how we want it to be. After taking their stage bows, Hossan thanks the crowd, and it feels as if we’ve attended a rousing service, only with plenty more sequins and glamour, before surprising us with a final number – the emotional ‘A Million Dreams’ from The Greatest Showman. And perhaps, while Hossan-ah! In The High Arts doesn’t fit with the traditional view of what belongs in SIFA’s programming, that certainly doesn’t make its presence any less warranted, and proves that there’s room for everyone in the arts – a scene that will let you discover who you really are, and embrace you – glitter, sequins and all.

Photo Credit: Ung Ruey Loon

Hossan-AH! In The High Arts played from 30th May to 1st June 2025 at the Victoria Theatre. More information available here

The 2025 Singapore International Festival of Arts ran from 16th May to 1st June 2025. More information available here

Production Credits:

Hossan Leong | Cast & Co-Writer Audrey Luo | Cast Denise Tan | Cast Siti Khalijah Zainal | Cast Joel Nah (Keys) | Musician Rizal Sanip (Drums) | Musician Daniel Chai (Guitar) | Musician Brandon Wong (Bass) | Musician Glen Goei | Director Benjamin ‘Mr Miyagi’ Lee | Writer Joel Nah | Music Director Gino | Choreographer Max Tan | Costume Designer Ashley Lim | Hair Designer Bobbie Ng | Make Up Designer Terence Lau | Set Designer & Technical Manager Sufiyan Adam | Assistant Technical Manager Shah Tahir | Sound Designer Sandra Tay | Sound Engineer Flex | Multimedia Designer Onion | Lighting Designer Xu Xin’en | Producer / Production Manager Anne Lee | Stage Manager Mara Karma | Assistant Stage Manager Shermin Chia | Assistant Stage Manager Nurhidayah Mahadi | Wardrobe Team Crab Michelle | Wardrobe Team Zaitun Mabalhin Ibrahim | Production Assistant / Followspot Jem Toh | Production Assistant Soe Win Tun | Production Intern Nor Syafiqah Binte Mohammed Zaini | Production Intern