I caught the self-called “Broadway-like” musical “Broken Bridges” at PenangPAC on Friday night, and even though its run has finished, I thought I’d give my take on the production.

Here’s my grades:

Set: A- (Very good use of space. Nicely decorated to bring Ipoh to life.)

Music: A- (The lyrics and musical numbers were good. Lively, vibrant, moved the story along, and were just, overall, enjoyable.

Production: A (There was a constant flow to the production which was encouraging to see here. With such a large cast – about 25 – the dancing, music, set-piece-moving all contributed very well to the storyline.

Writing: C+ (The actual storyline was average. The first act, especially, was extremely simple. A son, not happy with small time life, goes against the advice of his father to find his fortune and happiness in Singapore. That’s the premise. And that’s about it.  The second act became more substantial and actually became much more of a morality tale, teaching us about the choices we make and the consequences of our actions. It also showed how culture can be crippling and unforgiving.

But I can’t fault the writing too much because the focus was definitely on the songs and the dance routines which were done with energy and purpose.

It’s probably my favorite musical that I’ve seen at PenangPAC since it opened two years ago. A solid production with a simple, timeless story.

I hope to see more productions like this in the future.