Despite his acting debut in play, cellist Leslie Tan says he’s still a musician first
‘It takes time to hone a craft’
By Tan Kee Yun
December 15, 2009
HE is a purist, one who does not believe in overnight successes.
STAGEBOUND: Leslie Tan, a member of the T’ang Quartet, plays the title role in The Composer.
PICTURE: SPARE ROOM PRODUCTION
So, even though he is making his acting debut on Wednesday, don’t bet on Leslie Tan carving out a second career in drama.
The 45-year-old cellist of homegrown classical group T’ang Quartet turns acting rookie in the play The Composer, directed by theatre veteran Tan Kheng Hua and co-starring actress-host Andrea Fonseka and dancer-choreographer Tammy Wong.
Leslie plays the leading role of a composer whose dark past – involving his wife and six other lovers – returns to haunt him.
While he is visibly psyched up for his new project, he insists he is ‘primarily still a musician’.
‘It’s still a piece of classical music that can give me goosebumps and make me excited,’ he told The New Paper.
‘As for acting, I’m just dabbling in it. It wouldn’t be feasible for me, after just a month of rehearsals, to enter the world of acting.
‘It takes time to hone a craft.’
‘First love’
He does not hesitate to show his disapproval of people who ‘spend their whole lives making tons of money as bankers, et cetera, then one day, decide to drop it all to make music or go into theatre, which they claim is their ‘first love’.
‘Frankly, such behaviour irks me,’ Leslie said.
‘To be good in the arts, you need to slog it out in schools dedicated to providing you with a solid foundation.’
He might not be a stranger to live performances, but The Composer will be his debut stage gig – without the safety of his cello.
A self-confessed ‘total newbie with zero drama experience’, Leslie laughed when asked what made him take up the challenge to spread his wings on an entirely different artistic platform.
‘When Kheng Hua approached me with the role of the main protagonist, I guess it appealed to my curiosity, vanity and admittedly, my ego,’ he said, chuckling.
‘I’ve always been quite an experimental person, game to try new things. Also, I felt very comfortable with Kheng Hua directing and playing my wife, she guides me along well.
‘I felt genuinely safe in her hands.’
He has the wholehearted support of his director and co-star.
For Kheng Hua, 46, Leslie was the perfect choice right from the start.
Surprising
She could have used an experienced actor, she said, but for this project, she was ‘looking for something surprising’.
After two meetings and a major audition workshop with the man, she was sure ‘Leslie was the one’.
He had all the qualities she wanted in the character, said Kheng Hua, namely ‘a mature man in his 40s, someone who has lived, loved, lost; someone intelligent and intriguing enough to keep my attention, and curious and foolish as I am to jump off cliffs’.
So confident of him was Kheng Hua that she said: ‘No matter what happens on this acting debut, I would put my money on him all over again.’
While Leslie is looking to ‘have fun’ in his debut theatre gig, he isn’t sure of how the other members of T’ang Quartet will react to his performance.
They are his brother Lionel Tan, who plays the viola, first violinist Ng Yu-Ying and second violinist Ang Chek Meng.
‘No one has really congratulated me yet, for venturing into acting,’ he said jokingly.
‘I guess they (referring to the three guys) are all too settled in their jobs.’
All four teach at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore.
‘They’d most probably just have a laugh about it.’
FYI
WHAT: The Composer
WHERE: Esplanade Theatre Studio
WHEN: 16-20 Dec
TICKETS: $30 (for 3pm show) and $35 (for 8pm show) from Sistic (www.sistic.com.sg or 6348 5555)
The NewPaper