Best Choice in Life?

By Tobey Wan Sin Teng

“Is leaving the best choice?” This is the main idea of “Leaving”, the first rock-and-roll musical production in Macao.

In our life, when we meet problems, we may try to evade them, as finding a solution is often difficult. “Leaving” features a group of Macao juveniles and the problems they are facing. The story focuses on three characters: the main character Lee, who thinks that he has killed his football coach and wants to escape to a place where nobody knows him; his girlfriend Jenny, who wants Lee to stay; and Mei Lei, the coach’s daughter, who finds out that Lee is the killer. The juveniles in the musical are fragile and need love; they reflect some of the characteristics of the post-80s generation in Macao.

Jordon Cheng, a 25-year-old amateur actor, portrays the character of Lee. “I go to the park and observe what teenagers do. They always come along and chat with friends; I look carefully at their gestures and postures, so that I can act like them on the stage,” he said. The teenagers are portrayed as naughty, immature and impulsive in the musical. When asked about the similarity between the post-80s and the teenagers in the musical, Cheng thinks that “post-80s” is a neutral term in Macao and they are simply teenagers. “I do not think that the “post-80s” is a negative or positive label for Macao teenagers. Post-80s teenagers also need to face their problems—they have to work and they have to build a family. If I really need to point out some characteristics about them, I just think that they are in two extremes, either too strong-minded or too afraid to express themselves.”

Fish Cheong, 24, is another main character in the musical. She agrees with Cheng’s viewpoint. “I think that in the drama, there is no separation between the post-80s and others. Juniors also need to learn from and respect seniors. The younger generation has more energy and creativity than us. ” She thinks that acting can bring her a colorful life.

Cheong has a regular work time, so she can only practice drama twice a week after work.  However, Cheng needs to work on shifts. He has to plan the timetable very well in order to make time for practice. “It is worth to do so,” Cheng said. “Many youngsters do not have enough patience to pursue their interest. This is also a weakness in them. I want to try something different in my life, so I joined a drama team during the final two years of my university life. Although I started late, I’ve gained more. ”

“Leaving” was successfully performed on April 14 and 15. Produced by the Macao Musical Stage, it was also performed in Hong Kong. The art director Mohamed Drissi said that he really wanted to develop the musical market in Macao, and the success of ”Leaving” becomes very important for them.

In our real life, we have different positions and characters to play as well. Our roles may be fixed, but how to face our problems and overcome ourselves is the question we need to address like the characters in the musical.