Back to the main topic, Bugis Street in S'pore was infamous because it was a gathering place for many transvestites and supposedly social "degenerates". But the government has since cleaned up the place and these people have moved on to other places. Nowadays, other than the MRT station, you can see the advertisement for this "vapor shopping mall" called Bugis Junction. They borrowed this concept from Microsoft where they say it WILL have a HUGE theater complex and it WILL have a glass covered street. But you won't be able to enjoy it because the place is NOT there yet. You will be very disappointed if you are looking for this particular "attraction" because currently it's still under construction.
One of the most interesting places around Bugis street nowadays is this place called the Boom Boom Room. On Saturday night (I am not sure about the other nights) you can sit, talk and drink until 10pm. There is a DJ playing music during this time. If you want a seat, then you have to go there a bit early. After 9pm, it's standing room only. From 9pm to 10pm, they open up the dance floor. The place is not very big and neither is the dance floor. I have to admit the DJ and the music is not the best around. Actually none of us there liked the music and the DJ, but that's not the reason for going to Boom Boom Room. The main attract is the shows that starts at 11pm and continues on at 1am. There is this intermission in between midnight and 1am they open up the dance floor again so you can dance away your worries. The show consists of sketches, dancing, singing and stand-up comics. It is a must see for any tourist but it's more geared toward local S'poreans. Here's why.
First you get this female stand-up comic who uses lots of S'porean slang and Hokkien. Unless you are familiar with S'porean culture and at least some dialects, you will not have the faintest idea what she is talking about and why people around you are laughing. Since I have been in S'pore for a few months and I do know Taiwanses, I understood approximately 80% of the jokes. And that's a very rough estimate. But I have a feeling that people there laugh for the sake of laughing, not because the joke is really funny. I guess I won't know until I go back a few months from now once I have mastered Singlish 8-) Of course, there were lots of sexual innuendos which went "unappreciated" by the more innocent "kids" amongst us. All and all, it was good clean fun S'pore style.
Then there is this person called Kuma. "He" is very skinny and feminine. He is well known because of the local Ra Ra show which was recently canceled due to "unspecified" reasons. One speculation was that the content was too local to be "wholesome." And supposedly it was a good source to pick up Singlish. Too bad I didn't have the chance to watch the show or I wouldn't be suffering now with my Singlish lesson 8-) He is the main performer of the whole cast. He is basically an action comic, very similar to Benny Hill. Most of his acts are more perversive in nature. I won't give the whole show away but the show itself is definitely worth the trip.
In the first part of the show, most of the skits and dances are lip synced. Mainly because the humor is more action oriented. For example, they made fun of Aladdin and Michael Jackson. One of the thing they do best is to embarrass the audiences. They will get a few audiences on stages and embarrass the hell out of them. Thus, I recommend any one who goes to the show to fight hard for the front row. If you can't sit on the front row, sit on the dance floor. This way, either you will get really red faced or your friend will. Either way, the whole group can laugh about it all they want afterward waiting for the taxi to come 8-)
In the second part of the show, the raw talents of the entire cast were demonstrated. The singers perform with their original voice. There were quit a few impression singings, Tina Turner is one example, that were very good even with the standard in the States. They also sang songs in Malay and Cantonese. And of course, few more skits at the end.
The show wasn't as bad (humor understanding wise) as I originally imagined. Maybe because I were with some locals. On second thought, they were probably as confused as I were 8-) The whole thing wasn't that expensive. For S$20, you get entertainment, 2 drinks and some time to unwind on the dance floor. It's not a bad deal. What surprised me is that not all S'poreans are familiar with the place. Maybe it's is one the "dark" side of S'pore that local people tend to ignore.
10/5/94
