5 interesting facts about "Wonderful! Liang Xi Mei"
Writer: Casey Chong
Jack Neo as Liang Xi Mei in "Wonderful! Liang Xi Mei" |
The Chinese New Year season wouldn't be complete without a mix of festive-themed movies from Hong Kong/China, Malaysia and of course... Singapore, as evidently seen in the upcoming comedy titled "Wonderful! Liang Xi Mei".
The movie, which features Jack Neo in the titular role, is slated to make you laugh in the cinemas this 15th February.
With that, here is what you should know about "Wonderful! Liang Xi Mei".
1. Liang Xi Mei is actually based on a variety show
Prior to his successful career in feature-length movies, Jack Neo got his start on television by hosting and acting in "Comedy Night" back in the early 90s. The hugely-popular variety show, which also happened to be the longest-running Chinese-language of comedy series in Singapore, was particularly notable for one of Jack Neo's cross-dressing characters. That character in question is, of course, Liang Xi Mei.
2. This is the first big-screen appearance of the Liang Xi Mei character
Jack Neo's cross-dressing role of Liang Xi Mei is no doubt a well-known comedy character in "Comedy Night" as well as another variety series called "Happy Can Already!", which was originally aired in 2016. Despite the character's mass popularity among many Singaporeans, this is the first time Neo's Liang Xi Mei gets her big-screen debut in "Wonderful! Liang Xi Mei" after more than 25 years of a (excruciatingly) long wait.
3. The movie marks the return of the "Comedy Night" trio
Who is the "Comedy Night" trio, you say? The trio in question is Jack Neo himself, along with fellow comedians Mark Lee and Henry Thia. It's nice to see them sharing the same screen together in "Wonderful! Liang Xi Mei", but did you know it has been a decade since the last time this "Comedy Night" trio appeared together since "Money No Enough 2"?
4. This is not the first time Jack Neo is playing a character in drag
In case you are not familiar with Jack Neo's body of work, the veteran Singaporean comedian is famous for playing cross-dressing characters. Apart from portraying the popular Liang Xi Mei character on both television and the upcoming CNY movie, "Wonderful! Liang Xi Mei", Neo has previously appeared in "Liang Po Po: The Movie" back in 1999. In fact, Neo's Liang Po Po character is also originating from the same "Comedy Night" variety show.
5. The movie features some of the young cast from the "Ah Boys To Men" series
The upcoming "Wonderful! Liang Xi Mei" is more than just a reunion of veteran comedy trio between Jack Neo, Mark Lee and Henry Thia. Fans of Singaporean cinema also get to see a promising ensemble cast including Jaspers Lai, Gadrick Chin, Ryan Lian and Noah Yap who all previously appeared in Neo's hugely-popular "Ah Boys To Men" series.
"Wonderful! Liang Xi Mei" opens in cinemas nationwide on 15 February 2018.
Cinema Online, 14 February 2018