words yvonne teh

A wish becomes reality as an ardent fan of musicals signs on as director of Hong Kong’s concert of favourite songs from stage and film.

Howard McCrary moved to the Fragrant Harbour a couple of years ago with the idea that he could become the Frank Sinatra of Hong Kong. Then last year, while taking a break from those professional pursuits, the 1985 Grammy nominee (for the gospel album So Good) found himself in the audience of the Musical Moments concert in aid of the charity Lifeline Express. “I watched with astonishment at how wonderful the production was because it was all my favourite musicals combined into one,” says the award-winning singer, songwriter, producer and musician. “And I said, ‘Wow, I would like to be a part of this!’”

Although McCrary emphasises, “It was just a silent wish,” the unuttered aspiration has come true. As the HKSAR-based former member of the celebrated California Raisins tells the tale, some time afterwards he was introduced to Chan Muk, musical director for both the inaugural 2005 and the 2006 Musical Moments concerts. “One thing led to another and Chan Muk asked, ‘How would you like to be the musical director for Musical Moments this year?’” And while McCrary’s initial reaction, as he laughingly recalls, was an incredulous “You’ve gotta be kidding!”, after he realised the offer was serious, “I got out all my musical books and started practising...”

And while he practised, the show’s executive producer Stanley Shen says, he wrote “two giant medleys” for the concert. In line with the show’s celebration of the timeless music of Broadway and the West End, one is a Porgy and Bess tribute while “the other one is a ’40s and ’50s medley of mainly ragtime, Irving Berlin, Gershwin type music”. And as Phantom of the Opera (with its “twisted emotional story of a love that can never be, of desire, hope and longing, and betrayal”) and Miss Saigon are two of McCrary’s favourite musicals, it was inevitable that tunes from those blockbusters would feature prominently in the production as well.

Nevertheless, the task of deciding what songs to include in the programme actually fell to executive producer Shen. And it was he who also cast the singers, based on the idea that anybody chosen for the concert had to have the talent to properly deliver their portion of the programme. And so he is quick to stress that every one of the professionals involved in this charity extravaganza is a trained musical theatre or opera singer.

Specifically, the truly international group who have committed to appear include Manila-born West End musical star Joanna Ampil (who McCrary describes as “Miss Saigon personified”) as well as local opera luminary David Quah (also the event’s producer) and his wife, HKAPA-trained vocalist Jovita Leung. Other confirmed performers McCrary waxes lyrically about are Dutch-Chinese singer Li-Tong Hsu (“My goodness, young Beyoncé!”), American veteran Brian Montgomery (“Wait until you hear this man shake the room with that baritone-bass voice of his,”) and the show’s conductor Woo Zun Hin (“That young man is going to be the next Leonard Bernstein!”).

McCrary’s enthusiasm for the concert is infectious: “It’s like the crème de la crème come to pay homage and tribute to some of the greatest musicals that have changed and touched and transformed our lives,” he says. “Life is filled with creating moments, and if you miss Musical Moments this year, you’re going to miss one of the greatest moments of your lifetime.”

Lifeline Express Hong Kong Foundation will present the Musical Moments charity concert on October 22 and 23 at the HK Cultural Centre’s Concert Hall. Showtime for both performances is 8pm. Tickets are $680 to $120 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.