What does ah beng mean in English?
“Ah beng means handsome hokkien boy — me la,” chuckles Sebastian Tan.
The actor, who turns 43 this year, is the star of “Broadway Beng,” which has its 10th anniversary concert this year at Capitol Theatre.
Broadway Beng: 10th Anniversary Concert
So what can we expect for this year’s run?
“What’s new in this year’s ‘Broadway Beng’ is that it’s a concert, and it’s a celebration of ‘Broadway Beng’ and all the things we’ve done in the last ten years. It’s still going to be a brand new show, but we’ll also include the best moments that are worth revisiting,” said Tan.
True to its Singaporean roots, this year’s “Broadway Beng: 10th Anniversary Concert” will be a rojak of musical, cabaret, and stand-up comedy, rolled into one, in addition to being a musical.
A return to Capitol Theatre
One of the many benefits for choosing Capitol Theatre for this run is the availability of alcohol.
“My show is that kind of show where people can come, relax, be happy and have a drink. The more drinks you have, the funnier my show is,” quipped Tan. Drinks are allowed inside the show.
Capitol Theatre opened in the 1930s, and was recently refurbished in 2015, being a historical landmark for many Singaporeans.
“Since ‘Broadway Beng’ has a lot of retro songs and stories, we thought it would be a nice atmosphere to accompany the performance,” shared Tan.
“Capitol Theatre is a theatre I grew up with. I remember going there to watch movies, eat muah chee, and it brings back a lot of memories.”
A family of Lians and Bengs
“My whole family is ah beng ah lian,” joked Tan. “My mother’s name is Lian Huay, which is ah lian and ah huay mixed together. Her nickname is even Kim Lian, which means golden lotus. So she’s a golden lian!”
Tan is the youngest of four sons, and “they are all ah bengs,” he said. “But we’ve all adopted English names — Wilson, Mikel, and Max.”
“Not Max as in Maximus, but Max as in Maximum, because he got that as a nickname when he was doing sales, and he was like ‘I want a maximum sales!'”
He also said “My late father is also ah beng. I’m not trying to be ah beng, but I think it’s in my blood.”
Tan even had an ah beng name, Ah Piew. when he was young.
“My real name is Tan Swee Piew, so they always called me Ah Piew, Ah Piew. Tan Swee Piew is Hokkien for Chen Rui Biao in Mandarin, so Ah Piew is also Ah Biao,” said Tan. “This ah beng dictionary I found said that Ah Biao means baby tiger. Then this other ah lian dictionary said that Ah Biao means tiger with water.”
“In Cantonese, water denotes prosperity. So that means I’m a prosperous tiger… I think?” mused Tan.
“Broadway Beng,” having drawn many elements from Tan’s own life, would therefore be the story of a prosperous tiger — an apt tale that should be adapted for a Chinese textbook.
West End Beng
While the show’s title is “Broadway Beng” for alliterative reasons, Tan is actually a veteran from the West End of London, one of the best hubs for theatre alongside Broadway of New York.
Tan worked for Cameron Mackintosh in West End, doing “Miss Saigon” back in 2004/2005.
“I learnt a lot from them. But I also learnt that actors, local and abroad, same same but different. Same insecurities, rituals, and superstitious,” said Tan.
“But their scale is different. They can spend millions of pounds on a single set, because they have the luxury of running a show for years. You can play one role and that’s your life. Like Jon Jon Briones, the engineer in ‘Miss Saigon,’ he’s played it for over 20 years.”
Briones joined the “Miss Saigon” cast in its first run in 1989, and also in the recent run which ended on 27 February this year.
Theatre in Singapore
Tan returned to Singapore in 2006, when “Broadway Beng” started its first run.
“The differences between an actor in Singapore and abroad is that in Singapore, I can play so many roles. If you’re an actor in West End or Broadway, you might only get one lead role in your life time.”
“Here we also have the room to experiment. A show like ‘Broadway Beng’ is basically an experiment. I think we’ve come a long way for such a tiny nation, such a tiny place. Our arts scene is quite happening!”
And the secret to his inspiration?
“Life. I take a lot of holidays, because I want to see life, not just in Singapore, but all over the world. As an actor, the more life experiences you get, the better. Because it’s all about that, drawing out your experiences and presenting it to the audience.”
“Life inspires me.”
“Broadway Beng: 10th Anniversary Concert” opens at Capitol Theatre on 14 July. Tickets are available at SISTIC.
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