CHRISTMAS 2011: Home For Christmas
CN PHOTO: Jason Lee.
Growing up playing miniature army toys, Timothy Wan was really best suited for the role of Tezzo, the macho toy soldier. He had to train three times a week for four months to get into physical shape to play the beefcake. “I focused a lot on the upper body exercises to get the right look for the role. But the hardest part was actually learning the combat moves like rolling around, crouching and the commando crawl. Thankfully I had Yongzhi, one of the dancers in the show, to teach me the kicks and other moves.”
To complete the “look” of a macho combat pro, there were also props to be carried. “I remember when we started rehearsing; the props and costume crew were adding on new ‘equipment’ for my character every single rehearsal. So when it came to the actual performances, putting on my costume was a long process.”
Wan says the role he would have picked for himself was “the evil pirate captain because I’ve always wanted to play a villain. Besides, he got to dance and sing (Bruno Mars’) ‘The Lazy Song’, which was a lot of fun. The pirate hat and hair were hilarious too—I’ve always wondered what I look like with long hair.”
Home For Christmas was a fun experience, says Wan. “There were many comic moments in the show. We were given a lot of room to go over the top with our character interpretations, since they were all toys. That made things a lot more fun during the show.”