Sean Ghazi — from LA with love

KUALA LUMPUR: Sean Ghazi may be a Los Angeles-based international Broadway singer but that has not stopped him from putting aside his busy schedule to perform in Dama Orchestra's musical In Perfect Harmony.

His admiration for the award-winning theatre company played a big part in his decision to take part in the show.

“I have been a big fan of Dama for years and we have talked about collaborating before but never had the chance.

“When this offer came, it was hard to resist as it seemed like a good fit, with renowned singers Zainal Abidin and Datuk David Arumugam taking part.

“In general, you can always count on Dama Orchestra to put on a good show. They are noted for their top notch production values. Their music arrangements are worth the ticket price,” said Sean in an e-mail interview from Los Angeles recently.

Despite being thousands of miles away and unable to attend rehearsals with Dama Orchestra, the singer has been dedicating several hours each day to practise from his home in Los Angeles.

“I have been prepping on my own before turning up for rehearsals nearer the show dates.

“Dama Orchestra and I had meetings when I was last in Kuala Lumpur. We have been communicating online with regards to technical issues,” said the London-trained actor and singer; who is one of the first Malaysians to be featured on both the international stage (Miss Saigon and The King And I) and screen (Anna And The King).

Dama Orchestra music director Khor Seng Chew is looking forward to working with Sean.

“It is always an exciting and interesting proposition to meld the world of performing arts with commercial music works,” said Khor.

As for song titles, Sean was tight-lipped.

“Much as I'd like to, I prefer to keep this a surprise and let the songs unfold within the context of the concert.

“What I can say is that the songs will be presented in three different languages Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mandarin. Yes, Mandarin,” said the 42-year-old who recently completed acting in Zahim Albakri's feature film, Spilt Gravy On Rice The Movie, an adaptation of Jit Murad's critically acclaimed theatre show Spilt Gravy On Rice.

Sean said the musical served as the perfect opportunity to pay homage to four decades of evergreen and popular hits between 1970 and 2000.

“The way people listen to music today has dictated the way music now sounds.

“The more digital we go, the more altered soundscapes have become.

“I personally think that being subtle is much more seductive,”said Sean, citing actor-singers Frank Sinatra and Tan Sri P. Ramlee as his all time favourites.

In Perfect Harmony A Malaysian Musical Journey is a Dama musical production presented by The Star with SP Setia Bhd Group as the gold sponsor and UOB as the official bank. It will run from Oct 6 to Oct 23 at Pentas 1, KLPac, Sentul Park in KL. Contact the KLPac box office (03-4047 9000) for tickets. The 10% discount on tickets for UOB cardholders has been extended until Sept 30. For bulk or corporate bookings, call 03-7967 1388 ext 1432/1240. Visit thestar-inperfectharmony.com for details. Sean Ghazi will be the special guest for shows on Oct 12-Oct 16.