Hall-Reppens in Singapore: Seeing "Barbie Live" at the Marina Bay Sands Theatre

When I returned to Singapore, I immediately started seeing ads for a musical called "Barbie Live". Because I am a Barbie addict, I was very interested. While reading the Sunday paper, I saw that I could get a seat in the center of the theatre while only paying for a seat on the edges. I was in! However, as is usually the case, I had trouble dealing with Sistic, Singapore's version of Ticketmaster. Because I hadn't used Sistic in several months, I had forgotten my password. I submitted my "Forgot Password" request, and waited for an email. When I got the email, I copied and pasted the password, and was still told that my password was wrong. Thank goodness there are still people that you can call in those situations. I was able to buy my ticket over the phone, and would pick it up at the theatre box office.

Tuesday was a wet, miserable day. It poured all morning long. Thank goodness that I had made plans for the day, or I would have just nested in my apartment. And it was doubly good that the plans were for an inside event! It did not take me as long to get to the Marina Bay Sands as I had anticipated. Even though I had to change train lines several times, the transfers were quick and easy, and I arrived inside the Marina Bay Sands complex. Because I was there quite early, I briefly thought about taking a detour to the Gardens by the Bay to become a member, but decided to wait for a dry day when I would actually enjoy my visit to the Gardens.

I noticed while picking up my ticket that there was a queue for Groupon ticket pick ups. Oh, how I wished that I had been paying attention to my Singapore Groupon emails when I was back in Chicago! I picked up my ticket, but couldn't enter the theatre because I was so early. I went into the gift shop for the show, and saw all kinds of merchandise geared to little girls - including a fold up "Malibu Barbie Beach House with Furniture" for $400. I have gotten similar ones from Goodwill for $10-$15! So, parents keep that in mind, and save yourselves hundreds of dollars. It was also interesting to note all of the little girls saying, "Daddy, I need this..." I guess that just translates all around the world.

There many small children dressed in their best party clothes and tiaras waiting to enjoy the show. Even though I was significantly older, I also dressed in my pink dress, shoes, and purse, and waited for the show to begin. The show was actually quite good. It was the story of Barbie trying to give her best friend, Theresa, confidence to do a dance routine in an upcoming musical. Barbie incorporates several movies that she's done, including "The Swan Princess"and "The Princess and the Rock Star". However, the really interesting thing about the show was that there were so many blonde cast members, and the villain was an Asian character. Also, the villain's sidekick was a redhead. And the little Singaporean children really did not like that villain - even she looked much more like them than Barbie, Ken, and the other blonde cast members. Hmmm...

When the show was over, I wandered through the Shoppes at the Bay, looking for a gift that I asked Rich to get me for Mother's Day. There was a kiosk in the mall that sold aromatic oils and diffusers. There was one that I saw in April that looked like a bird's nest. I found my way back to that kiosk, but, alas, the diffuser was no longer there. As my sister says, "You should just get those things when you see them." Actually, it was all Erin's fault. She was with me when I saw the diffuser, and she hates birds, and she wouldn't let me get it. I fully intended to go back without her. I didn't intend to wait 4 months for my return trip!