Some critics have lauded the music of "Heading East" as being in the same vein as Stephen Flaherty's Ragtime The Musical. Personally, I do not think that the Heading East Premiere Cast Recording is worthy of such a distinction although it does have its own merits.

The score written by Leon Ko (music) and Robert Lee (lyrics) is of a decently good quality. It runs along the lines of other Asian musicals such as The Wedding Banquet -- pleasant, hummable but unchallenging tunes (especially for the male leads).

This is quite a pity because Paolo Montalban, who played The Prince opposite Brandy and Whitney Houston in Rodgers and Hammerstein's most recent adaptation of Cinderella, is actually somewhat established on Broadway. His opening song "Try To See Me As I Was" with his stage father, Yeh-Yeh, (sung by Ming Lee) is highly enjoyable. Another memorable song is the duet between Yeh-Yeh and a fortune teller (Jason Ma) in "There's A Ship...".

A synopsis and write-ups about members of the cast are provided on the CD cover but lyrics are not included. Unfortunately, a magnifying glass is required to read the text which is written in what must be a size 4 font.

Straining my eyes to read the synopsis over a period of two days, it becomes clear to me why this musical was never a success. There is nothing inherently wrong with the music and I would even venture to say that this cast recording is better than some cast recordings of still-running stage productions. However, the plot, to put it mildly, isn't very good. It follows a father recounting his past to his son, Siu Yee (Montalban), and Act I actually ends with the father realizing that he needs to go to the toilet. Act II does not fare much better and when a synopsis includes stage directions, quotes and stage jokes, something seriously needs to be revamped.

Listening to the cast recording, the collapsing plot seems inconsequential, which is something of a relief. The best song has to be "All We Can Do Is Remember" which is sung by the character Michiko (Christine Toy Johnson). This song can easily walk into the cast recording of more established Broadway musicals and this says a lot by itself. The finale, "This Is How A World Is Made", is another melodious song which features the voices of the entire cast.

This cast recording stands strongly on its own but unless the story is reworked on, it is doubtful that another stage production of "Heading Ease" will be mounted anytime soon. This is unfortunately given that the songs in the musical are so pleasantly enjoyable.

Reviewed on 1 January 2005