Say Goodbye to Hello Kitty

AFTER what must have seemed like months of waiting excitedly for the 'Hello Kitty Fantastical Adventure' show, yesterday, the organisers announced that Hello Kitty is not coming to Brunei.

The emergency press conference hastily called by GoodMILES, the organiser of the musical, attended by several members of the media and website owners was emotionally-charged, although the organisers and performers tried to keep a calm disposition. A sweeping glance of the Plenary Hall at the International Convention Centre (ICC) where the show was due to take place this weekend showed stage and sound equipment which were in the process of being installed, but now, will have to be dismantled and repacked and shipped back to the Philippines. The cast and production people of over 50 people were all sitting down forlornly when I walked in. Imagine the disappointment, after months of rehearsing and preparing the whole production set-up, from the props to the costumes on top of the sweat and tears the production team and cast went through only to have the show called off. Most of the cast and production team had planned their trip to Brunei months in advance, some hailing from the Philippines, and others coming from as far as United Kingdom and Australia. Everyone would be disappointed, from the many charitable organisations in Brunei who were given free tickets to watch the world class performance to those (especially families with children) who had purchased tickets to the musical. GoodMILES even has a charter flight of tourists who will be flying in on a travel package incorporating both the show as well as to visit Brunei. So what has exactly transpired to cause such an unfortunate cancellation of the show?

TC Chun, managing director of GoodMILES, explained that the ship which carried over a hundred 40-foot containers, one of which stored the costumes and props of the musical, was impounded by the Singapore Government earlier this month, in lieu of some payments or claims by the vessel owner, a shipping company based in Singapore. The container containing the costumes and props was supposed to be released yesterday and TC Chun had even arranged for a cargo plane charter which was said to cost a couple of hundred thousand US dollars, to be on standby to deliver the container. However, the court in Singapore had set another hearing date, making it virtually impossible for even the charter flight to be executed in order for the show to happen. When queried on how much expenses was spent in organising the show, in TC Chun's own words, he said, "I could have bought three houses with the money. That's a lot of money, but it's not only about the money. There are other factors and expenses like marketing which run out to hundreds of thousands of dollars, venue rental, food, salaries, lighting and equipment, transportation and other logistics costs."He added that since the show was cancelled, he would arrange for the cast to have a full city tour and visit the sights around Brunei Darussalam.

Ticket buyers can expect refund and arrangements will be coordinated by GoodMILES which will be advised to the public, perhaps by next week. For more details, contact 2335777 or 2337500.

Courtesy of Brunei Times