REVIEW: The Kitchen Musical is Gastronomical!

REVIEW and FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Yep. I'm offiicially hooked. I just watched The Kitchen Musical and, let me tell you, I'm very, VERY, impressed. Some first impressions before I go to sleep (SPOILERS AHEAD, Beware!)

STORY: The concept and premise about this young sous chef, Maddie Avilon, coming back to work in her family's restaurant, The Avilon, and trying to make a difference creatively in a very rigid kitchen environment managed by executive chef Alex Marcus, is fresh and well thought of, and I'm sure a lot of people will be able to relate to the situations presented. The characters were memorable (although the perky receptionists are quite stereotyped and played too cutely) and it's a breath of fresh air to see these well acted, fully realized characters which will hopefully be consistent in the next few episodes.

MUSIC: It was a surprise to find out that Gerard Salonga was the musical director for the show, and certainly, his arrangements for the songs sounded different but still very familiar. His arrangement of Matchbox 20's Unwell was very inspired, and it is the best of the four songs in my opinion. However, Art Acuna's singing in Unwell was too theatrical when paired with Karylle's pop rendition, and the result was an uneven performance. The choice of BEP's Boom Boom Pow was spot on and showcased the talents of most of the cast members. The introductory songs for Selena and Alex, which were Nelly Furtado's Maneater and Adam Lambert's For Your Entertainment respectively, were full of glam and theatrics, but personally, I prefer the sweet, emotional performance of Karylle with Unwell. It was nice that the songs were picked to reflect the emotional state of the characters and to further explore the narrative, rather than just being gimmicky (hello to you Glee!).

ACTORS: Stephen Rahman-Hughes performance as Alex Marcus was top notch. He was intense and exuded confidence in his craft, and he was able to show both the rigid and soft sides of the perfectionist executive chef. Rosemary Vandenbroucke as Selena Argon was sexy and daring, and certainly deserving of the title, Maneater. Karylle as Maddie Avilon was a bit too bubbly for me, but that was required in the script, and she was able to channel a lot of emotions through her singing and dancing. Christian Bautista needs to work a bit more on his English, which sounded really stiff, but then the show is set in Singapore, which is a melting pot of language, so I guess it fits. He plays Daniel as Karylle's best friend, and he certainly acted like a genuine one. Art Acuna played Harry Shaw too intensely; I wish he tones down his acting a bit in the next few episodes as it comes off too strong, as if he was trying too hard to be a stern general manager. The rest of the cast and crew had little time to show off their acting chops but their characters had promise and I hope the next few episodes will develop them more. Thumbs up to the guy playing Mr. Masters, the infamous critic, who reminded me of the critic in the animated film Ratatouille, a guy with a commanding presence who is not easy to please.

PRODUCTION: The production is slick, just like a perfectly done puree. The kitchen looked immaculate, the restaurant exuded elegance, and the food was certainly appetizing! The scenes looked glossy, but I wish the editing would be more snappy, and the musical numbers to be integrated more into the scenes, just like the one with Karylle singing Unwell. The Maneater and For Your Entertainment numbers were a bit disconnected and the transition to the songs were jarring because of all the glam, but then I guess it was intentional since the songs were intended to be a reflection of the subconscious of the characters.

All in all, this was a great viewing experience and I am ready to have more servings of this deliciously done, gastronomical TV series. Congratulations to The Group Entertainment and all those involved in the production for the very impressive pilot episode!

The Kitchen Musical will be aired regularly on Studio 23 starting October 8, Saturday at 730pm. For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kitchen-Musical/163925620334369