Bring sexy back to getai

Bring sexy back to getai

SINGAPORE - Let's loosen up and party. If the rules for getai get any stricter, it may well take away the fun.

Flamboyant Taiwanese performer, Hao Hao, admits with a wary sigh that he is tired of always being asked if he'd get into trouble during the Hungry Ghost Month.

The heartland comes abuzz with these street shows on makeshift stages every year. This year's festivities run from Aug 7 to Sept 4.

And Hao Hao is a firm favourite with heartlanders.

Earlier this month, reports emerged that organisers hoping to set up stage at popular getai locations such as Geylang and Jurong have not managed to get their licences approved this year.

This was apparently due to concerns that getai had taken an increasingly risque turn with pole-dancing performers, skimpy outfits and male dancers baring their chests.

Some of these acts are not allowed under public licensing rules.

But Hao Hao flits with the regulations a little.

He prefers not to be reminded of past incidents, like one of his run-ins in 2009, when he hit the headlines for doing a Marilyn Monroe act at a getai show.

He did so without a permit to cross-dress, and allegedly flicked up his skirt to reveal a G-string underneath.

One of the conditions for getai performances is that performers must not be indecently attired.

He was hauled up by the police but let off with a warning. Hao Hao, 32, sighs again. He says: "Let's not talk about the past."

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He tries to toe the line and confesses that he has been trying to "change his show image" where he goes for androgynous dressing instead of just crossdressing.

He thinks that he's relatively successful at getting his fans to accept that he no longer cross-dresses at getai shows.

But earlier this week, photos of him wearing a skirt were splashed on the front page of the Chinese evening daily, Lianhe Wanbao.

He sighs again: "It's quite subjective. Does wearing a skirt mean you are cross-dressing? What about the Scots who wear a kilt?"

The problem, he says frankly, is that we often forget to enjoy ourselves.

"As an audience, I'd like to see a variety show of fun, lots of colour and value entertainment," he says, and hesitates for several seconds before he adds: "Too many rules can be a spoilsport."

Heartlanders this columnist spoke to in the past week at various getai spots empathise with Hao Hao's dilemma as a performer.

Madam Racheal Liang, 45, a sales promoter, says: "I don't see why people have to fuss over someone who cross-dresses as long as the audience enjoys a good show."

She does not consider herself to be a big fan of the effervescent performer but says: "He's really good, whether as himself or in an alter-ego as a woman."

Mr Eddy Wong, 58, a painter, is all for dramatic acts during getai.

He recalls "good old days" when the late Chen Jinliang or Lin Li would cross-dress and do "saucy stuff" to raucous laughter.

He says: "It is after all, a free concert. A free show. And these artists are very versatile and talented. Why try to restrict creativity?"

Sisters Cecilia and Candice Cheong, who have followed getai since they were in their late teens, wonder what the hullabaloo is all about.

Especially when, says 30-year-old clerk Cecilia, there are TV personas such as Aunty Lucy made popular by Dennis Chew.

She adds: "If they can do it on TV, what is the difference here?"

Candice, 32, who is not employed, agrees. She says: "We also had Liang Po Po and Liang Ximei (both acted by Jack Neo) who were very popular in the past. The rules are too strict. And it takes away the real colour of getai."

She is not entirely wrong.

Hao Hao, for all of his run-ins with the authorities, was voted Best Dressed Performer last year at the Getai Star Awards Presentations, organised by Shin Min Daily News and Lianhe Wanbao.

He also won Best Costume last year at Stomp's 6th Getai Awards.

His lure, I feel, is that he can sing in both male and female voices. And getai organisers love that too.

Organiser Jack Lee, 45, says: "Some of my clients specifically request for Hao Hao and they don't mind paying extra money to get him to crossdress.

It's not like he is being crude or vulgar, but that he can carry both identities flawlessly. "The clients love it, the audience love it, so I say, why not?"

The argument of whether to keep getai clean comes up every other year. To bare or not to bare.

And how much should a performer flash? Risque jokes or kiddy clean ones?

Organisers who don't meet the rules can face a fine of up to $10,000.

My stand is clear: Let the shows go on, or risk losing the favour of what getai is really about.

As it is, while the getai scene was revived following Royston Tan's immensely successful 881 - momentarily - the yuppie crowd has dwindled.

That initial spurt in interest was encouraging, say most of the veterans I spoke to.

But a veteran emcee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confesses there have been occasions he has been told to "tone down" on jokes that he does not even think are "dirty".

Interesting note there. But lest we forget - and like it or not - the getai circuit takes advantage of sex and sleaze, and packages it as entertainment.

Loud techno music, boisterous banter peppered with the uncouth nuances of the Hokkien dialect, sexy dances and psychedelic lights are what draw audiences.

How can any Singaporean - whatever the race - not be familiar with the premise of getai?

If a model in a skimpy two-piece can strut down Orchard Road or around shopping centres, I can't understand why the same can't be tolerated - once a year - on a getai stage.

Take away the raunchy, racy side of getai, and what you have is likely just another variety show one can easily get on TV.

So, do we really want to keep it tame and lose the appeal?


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