OOCL is dedicated to providing charity relief for the needy and cultural entertainment to the whole community. In 1997, The Chief Executive elect, Mr C.H. Tung, together with the founding Chairman, Mrs Nellie Fong inaugurated the Lifeline Express, a purpose-built eye hospital train offering free operations and treatments to poverty-stricken cataract patients in the Chinese mainland.
The power of music is boundless. It soothes the mind and inspires hope. It also has the power to raise money for people in need, through events such as Musical Moments, a timeless extravaganza celebrating the best hits from Broadway and the West End. Lifeline Express is the chosen charity to benefit from proceeds raised by Musical Moments 2007. This show’s aim was not only to enthral Hong Kong audiences; it also brought immeasurable moments of hope by raising HK$2.8 million for the charity.
OOCL was proud to support Musical Moments and Lifeline Express.
The greatest moment of them all…
Living in Hong Kong, one quickly learns the art of seizing precious moments in a world of hectic schedules. Executive producer Stanley Shen has brought this art to the stage with his charity musical extravaganza Musical Moments.
Most of us have our favourite moments from the great musicals of Broadway and the West End; the beauty of Musical Moments is that it delivers them all in one sitting. From the first breathtaking seconds of “This is the Moment” (Jekyll and Hyde) to the captivating sadness of “Memory” (CATS) to the riveting last encore of “Dancing Queen” (MAMMA MIA!), the audience were spellbound into silence, moved to tears, and brought to their feet to dance along with the rhythm of the HKMA Orchestra and the Musical Moments Band.
Musical director Howard McCrary’s suave demeanour and piano skills added a distinct Sinatra-esque flair to the evening. The 40s and 50s medley, which he arranged especially for the show, had the crowd tapping their feet and feeling nostalgic for bygone eras.
The dazzling gleam of Prince Jewellery’s diamonds did not outshine the talent of the ladies. Joanna Ampil revealed her star quality with her rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” (Les Misérables) and the show stopping songs of “I am Changing” and “And I am Telling You” from Dreamgirls and various hits from Miss Saigon; Li Tong Hsu was simply stunning and earned thunderous applause for “Listen” (Dreamgirls). Jovita Leung’s magnificent soprano voice on Kismet’s “And this is My Beloved”, together with Marsha Yuan’s sultry "If I Love You” and her tap dancing on "Putting on the Ritz” added another dimension to the whole concert.
The gentlemen did not disappoint. Brian Montgomery’s baritone-bass reverberated and added a touch of operatic drama throughout; producer David Quah’s “Phantom of the Opera” can only be described as spine-tingling and “Love Changes Everything” (Aspects of Love) made more than a few hearts flutter in the stalls. Director Robert Vicencio’s dynamic interpretation of “Memory” (CATS) and the tear jerking Miss Saigon duet with Li Tong was the highlight of the evening. Thirsts were quenched by the rousing appeal to Drink! Drink! Drink! When all the male singers were joined by Albert Lim and Alex Tam to sing the “Drinking Song” (The Student Prince).
Read some comments from the audience…
I just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS!! I very much enjoyed the concert last night. I would be interested in attending anything similar so please keep me in mind in the future. Once again, amazing performances - well done!!
Jackie Osborne, Project Director (Asia Pacific) RSP Ltd.
Stanley: The show was brilliant; you are truly the musical man, without music, without your contribution, the world would be so boring and plain (congratulations on the successful fundraising for Lifeline Express!). My friends and I enjoyed it very much, looking forward to seeing another great show in the near future.
Ada
What a “momentous” performance! I have been singing along to the tunes all day. Congratulations to all the talented performers in such a great concert.
Douglas Ferguson
Musical Moments was a great production, thoroughly enjoyed it.
Ramon Lo, Jr. Director, Symphony Asia Limited
We really had a blast. I particularly loved the performances from Les Misérables. Thanks for a great night and “well done!” to everyone involved in this production.
Moy McConnell
Just to let you all know that many of my friends who attended the Musical Moments Concert called me today to say how much they have enjoyed the concert and asked me to convey to everyone who's made this possible - a big THANK YOU. This should be done more often, irrespective of whether it is to be tied to charity. Stanley, please tell us that you will bring this lovely music to us once again.
May Tam
The show was awesome!
Alex Dagalea, Disney
Let me echo May's words that the two shows were absolutely fabulous. Our friends, relatives and our family all enjoyed the musical tremendously. I really treasured the experience of such a meaningful fund-raising exercise!
Clarie Lo
Excellent Show…the best MM ever! It was excellent! Everyone did an amazing job. I was thoroughly impressed. It was great to watch from the audience side. You should be very proud.
Marsha
Thank you so very much for your fabulous musical. It was the first time I have seen a singing production. I loved it. We are still talking about your mesmerising ensemble today.
Kirby
