8_Days__June_1_2017

what they never taught you in school
How to
scale
walls
NATHAN HARTONO, who’s
performing in an upcoming musical
about the Great Wall, spills about
the great firewall of China, hitting
metaphorical walls and, er, a giant
photo of himself on his bedroom
wall.
WHO IS HE? Nathan Hartono, 25, who is taking on
China once again, after his second-place finishing
in Sing! China last year. This time, the local singeractor
is scaling the Great Wall... in an upcoming
musical. The Great Wall: One Woman’s Journey is
a tearjerker about the legend of Meng Jiangnu, a
devoted wife in search of her scholar husband after
he’s conscripted to build the Great Wall of China.
“I’m playing the scholar Fan Qiliang. Spoiler alert:
I die! It’s an emotional role. It’s been a while since
I’ve done theatre, and I’m excited to go back to
it. [Acting] is not like riding a bicycle. My muscles
need to be exercised!” says Nathan. This is his
second musical after starring alongside Adrian
Pang in Spring Awakening in 2012.
70
8
Scale this: Nathan with his The
Great Wall co-star, West End actress Na
Young-Jeon, at the Great Wall. “I haven’t
been there since I was seven, and I had
no time to go when I was in Beijing for
Sing! China. I was going back to China
for work this time round so [the cast
and I] made a research trip to the
wall,” says Nathan.
DAYS
Yesterday once more: Nathan had to
don Qin Dynasty garb for his role in the
musical. “I’ve never had very long hair
so it feels different to have hair in my
face. When I put it on, my mouth moves
differently and
I don’t know if
that’ll change my
performance,
so it’ll be fun
to figure that
out.”