Five Reasons Why I Watch The Kitchen Musical

11.08.2011

Five Reasons Why I Watch The Kitchen Musical

Categories: ABS-CBN, Asian Drama, Studio 23, The Kitchen Musical, TV

TTHE FIRST Pan-Asian musical TV series, The Kitchen Musical, has already been showing in over 19 countries in Asia. I wasn't able to catch the first episode but I have seen episodes 2 to 5 (I started looking for uploaded videos of the first episode but there is none yet, at least I haven't stumbled upon one) and I decided to stick to my new Saturday evening habit -- watching The Kitchen Musical on Studio 23.
Here is what to watch out for on Saturday:

Let me list down five reasons why I love watching The Kitchen Musical:

I love Music. Well, of course, I wouldn't be keeping this blog if not for my love of music. Each episode of The Kitchen Musical is spiced with the show's own arrangement of popular songs. With no less than Gerard Salonga in command of the music, The Kitchen Musical can not go wrong. I already have favorite performances and among them are their versions of Faith, Freedom, Can't Hurry Love, Losing My Religion, and Every Breath You Take.
I love Food. I know everybody loves food. Who doesn't? Raise your hand. Each episode of The Kitchen Musical features food and wine that will excite your palate. If you're asking, the cast actually trained culinary arts before shooting. According to reports, the lead cast went on a boot camp to learn how to be a chef in thoughts, ways, and feelings, to better portray their roles.
It's top-billed by talented Pinoys and other Asians. Karylle Tatlonghari plays the lead role, Maddie Avilon, a fresh graduate, who serves as sous chef in his father's restaurant, The Avilon. Christian Baustista plays another sous chef, Daniel Ray, Maddie's childhood friend who has the thing for her. Malaysian Stephen Hughes plays head chef Alex Marcus, who enters into a love triangle. They are backed by other talented artists and they sing and dance in beautifully choreographed performances.
It's an ambitious idea. It's the first of its kind. Others say The Kitchen Musical is like Glee meets Hell Kitchen. It is definitely a new dish on television. Its 13 one-hour episodes were shot entirely in Singapore for four month and is shown in 19 Asian countries through AXN, nTV7 in Malaysia, Metro TV in Indonesia, and Studio 23 in the Philippines.
It's something we can call ours. Although the cooking and the music are mostly Western, the production is definitely Asian. The choice of music agrees with the choice of the majority of the people; those that we are familiar with. There was an episode on Bollywood madness and episode 6 that is to be shown on Saturday features karaoke and a more Asian ambiance. News has it that Ben Silverman plans to bring the musical to the US. That is something I am looking forward to.

Honestly, I find some scenes awkward. I feel like that actors were really acting. I don't know how to explain it, but I feel nervousness at many points in the episodes I've seen. Other actors also don't deliver their lines very well. Sometimes, I don't understand what they are saying. The writers should work harder on the dialogues and the actors should also improve their delivery if they are going to have another season when this season ends. Another thing, when they are not singing, the kitchen feels like a dead space -- it's a little too quiet. I imagine a kitchen being in a frantic mood as the chefs and cooks accommodate the requests of their diners. And oh, I wonder who they are cooking for.

I am excited to know how the story will unfold. I crave for more conflicts between the characters. The stories of the other characters should also be brought in the spotlight. If it will just go on the way it does now, I'm sure it will lose its current audience. The publicists should also be more aggressive in creating buzz about The Kitchen Musical, it's website alone is bare.

Here's what to watch out for on The Kitchen Musical on Saturday: