I'd read Dick Lee's autobiography (also titled Adventures of the Mad Chinaman), but this performance was a revelation for me. Director Jonathan Lim and solo performer Lee have crafted a vibrant two-hour show that charts the pop star's life history with full audio-visual context: we see black-and-white photos of Lee's family, watch video clips of his gawkish TV appearances in the ‘80s, and of course listen to the songs he wrote and the songs that inspired him, performed live on the piano – classic favourites like Kampong Amber, Life Story, Fried Rice Paradise and the hilariously silly Wo Wo Ni Ni.
What's particularly precious is the sense of intimacy: the Esplanade Recital Studio is transformed into Lee's living room, chock-full of colourful mod furniture and memorabilia, while Lee engages the audience like old friends (and pulls actual old friends out of their seats to honour their presence). His cheeky sense of humour is out in full force as well: we're giggling along to his tales of schoolboy mischief, his subtly dirty jokes and his remix of songs he "loves to hate" – though I can't help but feel that his insertions of political commentary into his Rasa Sayang rap and his rendition of Rihanna's Umbrella are a little out of character; much more characteristic of a Chestnuts revue than of his early CDs.
There is, however, something missing from the piece. Certainly, there's a wide spectrum of emotions evoked, from sorrow when Lee describes his sister's death to awe when he narrates how he was hand-picked to be a Talentime guest performer by Vernon Cornelius of The Quests. But there's no anger, no point in the pleasant evening where the performer stands at a climax and loses control. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that Lim and Lee have decided to end their narrative with the star's first Japanese tour, rather than exploring his later, darker days. Will the star tell Part Two of his story next year? One can only hope.