ABOUT
Bug Symphony, the award-winning musical, is based on a story by Leanne Nicholls with music and lyrics by Nick Harvey and Scott Ligertwood. Featuring British comedy duo Scotty & Lulu and a stellar cast of 40 actors, singers, dancers and musicians in a stunning array of bug costumes, Bug Symphony is a must-see show for all the family!
Discover musical wonders
in a bug’s world!
THE STORY
Bug Symphony tells the hilarious tale of two humans (Scotty & Lulu) who are interrupted by a bug orchestra while having a picnic in the forest. They then find themselves on a quest to find the missing notes of the golden orb spider in time for a performance for the Queen Bee's coronation. During the search, they encounter a cockroach on jazz saxophone, a Broadway stinger and a deadly killer bug!
Credits
Music & Lyrics Nick Harvey & Scott Ligertwood
Story & Additional Lyrics Leanne Nicholls
Arrangements & Additional Music Nick Harvey
Orchestrations Simon Whiteside
Producer Leanne Nicholls
Presenter City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong
SYNOPSIS
ACT ONE
Supplies packed and ready to go, Scotty and Lulu set off for an adventure in the forest. On arrival they feel peckish and decide to stop and have a picnic. While they are eating, some of their food mysteriously disappears. Puzzled, they begin to investigate who is taking their food and through a clearing in the forest encounter an incredible spectacle of bugs playing in an orchestra. Bees, cicadas, ants and butterflies are all seen buzzing, clicking and jiving to the music! Astounded by their discovery, Scotty and Lulu observe the bug orchestra quietly from the distance. Maestro Mantis then appears to conduct a rehearsal. As he swings his baton, a mosquito flies out and bites Scotty, his scream bringing the rehearsal to an abrupt halt. Maestro Mantis is shocked to see the two intruders and demands an explanation. Feeling very much out of place in a bug’s musical world, Scotty and Lulu are not sure what to do and come up with an offer to assist the Maestro as orchestra managers. As they take charge of rehearsal they quickly acquaint themselves with each section of the bug orchestra while also singing the praises of Maestro Mantis as “Lord of the Leaves!” Maestro Mantis then announces rehearsal for the Bug Symphony, a new composition he has written for the Queen Bee’s coronation to be held on the same evening. As rehearsal starts, eight notes are discovered missing and discord abounds. The Maestro delves into his score to find that the eight missing notes belong to Miss Orb the spider who plays the oboe, the Queen Bee’s favourite instrument. As a substitute is out of the question, Maestro Mantis urges Scotty and Lulu to commence a search for Miss Orb as soon as possible and appoints Stag, his assistant warrior beetle, to accompany them on the search. Fear of spiders aside, Scotty and Lulu brave themselves up for the spider hunt. The journey begins!
ACT TWO
Deep in the forest Scotty, Lulu and Stag are searching for Miss Orb but she is nowhere to be seen. Its dusk and the forest looks magical with dancing fireflies. A cockroach arrives on the scene and lures Scotty and Stag away with her catchy tune on saxophone. As night descends and the moon is full, an assassin bug emerges from the dark and attempts to bite Lulu. Stag comes to the rescue, fighting off the venomous bug and saving Lulu from its deadly bite. Meanwhile in another part of the forest, Scotty discovers a scorpion who claims to be a Broadway Stinger. Scotty, Lulu and Stag finally reunite during a perilous moment as Lulu is pulled out of a sticky spider’s web. Shortly afterwards the missing eight notes are heard from the distance and Miss Orb is seen spinning a mesmerizing tune from her spectacular web site. Scotty, Lulu and Stag put on a brave front and approach Miss Orb about her coming to play for the Queen Bee’s coronation. The mention of Maestro Mantis and the ladybirds stirs up mixed emotions for Miss Orb. She disappears without making any promises. As time is running out, Scotty, Lulu and Stag rush back to the bug orchestra to prepare for the Queen Bee’s coronation. At the stroke of midnight when the ceremony is about to commence, Miss Orb makes a surprise entrance playing her eight-notes. The bug orchestra soon follows, and everyone is heard playing the bug symphony to glorious effect. Delighted by the sweet sounds of her coronation music, the Queen Bee appoints Maestro Mantis as Master of the Queen Bee’s Music and Miss Orb as Royal Oboist of the Queen Bee’s Court. Maestro Mantis is thrilled by the success of the evening and subsequently invites Scotty and Lulu to become permanent members of the bug orchestra. Scotty and Lulu politely decline but thank their bug friends for allowing them to explore musical wonders in a bug’s world. They promise to keep in touch via inSTAGram and by viewing the bug symphony regularly on OOUUTUBE!
THE
CAST
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Scotty & Lulu
Award-winning British musicians and entertainers Scotty & Lulu have been writing, performing and recording children’s music for more than 20 years. Known for their energetic style combined with musical comedy, acrobatics and fun, Scotty and Lulu have produced many of their own kid-friendly shows with great success and popularity both in the UK and in Hong Kong. They have written over 200 original and traditional songs, 15 original musical shows and have released 5 CD recordings and 8 CD/DVD sets. Scotty & Lulu have a strong background in early childhood education. Scotty (Scott Ligertwood) is a qualified teacher and has seven children aged between 12 and 27. Lulu (Nick Harvey) writes music for television and has two children aged 7 and 10. He has composed the music for hundreds of television productions, from BAFTA and Emmy award-winning dramas and documentaries to light entertainment programmes and TV commercials. In 2003 Scotty & Lulu performed on the same stage as the Rolling Stones for an audience of 10,000 at the Hong Kong Harbourfest. In 2012 they narrated 5 shows of The Snowman & The Bear with the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. That was followed by their highly successful performance in Bug Symphony in 2015.
Rick Lau
Stag
Rick Lau graduated from NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art, Australia) in Music Theatre. His professional theatre credits in Australia include Hair, Thoroughly Modern Millie and the understudy for the lead role of the Engineer in Miss Saigon. In Hong Kong he has played lead and principal roles in 3AMI’s Smokey Joe’s Cafe and The Pajama Game, Yat Po Singers’ Our Immortal Cantata, Save the Next Song for Me and Pica Pica Choose, Hong Kong Sinfonietta’s The Amazing Filmphony and The Passage Beyond in Concert, Theatre Noir’s Animal Farm and Actors Family’s The Good Person of Szechwan and A Beautiful Day. For Chung Ying Theatre he has performed lead roles in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and The Underpants; and for Hong Kong Ballet he has hosted Cinderella, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and Carnival of the Animals for children. Other performing credits include Le French May’s Cabaret des Années Folles, Hong Kong Arts Festival’s June Lovers and the world premiere of Stag the Warrior Beetle in City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong’s award-winning Bug Symphony.
Tim Elliott
Maestro Mantis
Tim Elliott received his Bachelor of Music Degree from The University of Southampton in the UK where he majored in singing and composition. He has performed leading roles in over 25 musicals and was the Musical Director for High School Musical in the UK. Tim Elliott moved to Hong Kong in 2011 to work in retail. His theatre credits in Hong Kong include the role of Bud Frump in a production of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying by The Hong Kong Singers in 2015. In the UK he performed numerous roles including Motel in Fiddler on the Roof (Wycombe Swan Theatre), Billy in Anything Goes (The Alban Arena), Anatoly in Chess (Camberley Theatre) and Lieutenant Cable in South Pacific (The Desborough Suite). Tim Elliott is delighted to have the rare opportunity to combine his acting and music director skills in the role of Maestro Mantis in Bug Symphony!
RONALD LAM
Maestro Mantis (2019 Production)
Ronald Lam holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) where he studied under the Norwegian bass-baritone Dr. Derek Anthony. He received a number of scholarships for his singing including the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation Scholarship, the Exxon Mobil Scholarship, the Clarins Scholarship and the South China Morning Post Young Post Prize. His operatic credits include major roles in Carmen, The Marriage of Figaro, L’Elisir d’Amore, Cosi Fan Tutte, The Barber of Seville, The Magic Flute, Don Pasquale, Die Fledermaus, Orphée aux Enfers and Una Cosa Rara. More recently, in 2018, he sang the role of King Melchior in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors for Musica Viva. On the concert stage he has appeared as soloist for the Hong Kong Bach Choir, City University Choir, the University of Science and Technology Choir, Bel Canto Singers, Hong Kong Teachers’ Chorus and the Hong Kong Youth Choir and as narrator in Peter & The Wolf and Thrill of the Orchestra for City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. In addition to performing Ronald Lam has been highly sought after as a vocal trainer and a specialist choral conductor. He has served as the choir master for The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Choir, vocal master of the HKAPA’s Musical Theatre Department, Assistant Music Director of the Hong Kong Arts Festival’s production of Salomé and as a vocal trainer for the Hong Kong Youth Arts Festival. He has also taught singing at the Hong Kong Institute of Education and the Hong Kong 3 Arts Musical Institute. Ronald Lam is currently, Music Director of the Hong Kong Metropolitan Chorus, the Hong Kong Women’s Choir, the Hong Kong University Alumni Association Choir, the Lai Cho Tin Choir and the La Salle College Choir.
Lena Cuglietta
Cockroach
Lena Cuglietta comes from British Columbia in Canada and has been based in Hong Kong for the past 11 years. She is currently very active on the Hong Kong music scene as both a saxophone performer and teacher. Her performing credits include concerts with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and the Macao Orchestra, and in 2015 she premiered the role of the saxophone-playing Cockroach in City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong’s award-winning Bug Symphony. More recent projects include performing modern contemporary saxophone works with SaxoElectro at the World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb, Croatia in 2018. Lena Cuglietta can be seen regularly performing in Hong Kong with DJ/Vocalist Ela Alegre in VoSSa. In 2018 the duo released their first album entitled Soulfully Jazztified.
Jordan Cheng
Scorp the Broadway Stinger
Jordan Cheng is a professional musical t