Yes, it’s official. After taking 2 years off from the theatrics following the phenomenal success of hit musical Cabaret, the queen of the stage has returned once again. This time, she’s back at the helms of yet another production titled Sleepless Town.

In Ngee Ann Polytechnic earlier on this February for a talk show with Radio Heatwave along with fellow cast member Karen Tan, this UrbanWire reporter took the chance to catch up with actress-turned-director Beatrice Chia on her inspirations behind this new musical that bases itself around a seemingly over-pursued theme of fantasy and superheroes.

Sleepless Town speaks about the tale of 12-year-old girl, Nora Mowwend – played by singing prodigy Julia Abueva – who has been tasked to save an imaginary dark, criminal-infested Sleepless Town from the clutches of the evil villain, a notorious queen known as the Black Azira.

The plot mandates that she alone isn’t up to the task, so she tries as best to engage the help of a peculiar set of superheroes, all of which drew influence from the grim reality of her odd and unhappy life in the real world.

A concept that was originally conceived by husband Mark Richmond almost one year back in January 2008, Beatrice initially had many reservations towards the notion of getting superheroes to groove along a musical, finding the whole suggestion an “absurd” plan to begin with.

However, she worked her way around the theme, choosing to instead humanise these superheroes – very often thought of as superhuman beings without any problems – into personalities that too are no stranger to the daily struggles many in today’s society may find themselves facing.

One Tit-less, One Ball-less, The Flying Fox and even The Incredible Bulk – these are just some of the paradoxical names that adeptly reflect the physical handicaps or untold discriminations these superheroes otherwise face. Due applause must thus be given for their persistence in sticking to their guns.

“At the end of the day, I guess we wanted to stress the point that anyone can really emerge as superheroes in their own regard, so long as you had the courage to be one,” Beatrice explained.

Like the characters themselves, Sleepless Town was not at all a smooth-running production to begin with in any sense of the word.

It had to undergo a name change from Superhero Diaries; they had to reluctantly see the departure of the original lead, ’80s pop star Debbie Gibson, due to huge sponsorship cuts; the musical was even postponed last June, which saw the cast being out of work for a full three months, in addition to having to take pay cuts when the musical resumed.

“It was crazy,” Beatrice recalls, “but I just couldn’t abandon the idea and the concept without taking my best shot at it.”

On the other hand, Karen, who plays the role of Diana, Nora’s mother, felt that “it was (the) friendship (they had with Beatrice)” that persuaded her and the remaining cast to see the musical through to its eventual completion.

“It’s true that my schedule was messed up and I didn’t have any money coming in. But But what would’ve been the alternative? Sue Beatrice Chia or Toy Factory? You can do that, sure, but will it help me sleep well at night? I don’t think so,” she said in a recent interview with TODAY.

That aside, she also cited the director’s non-overbearing personality as one of the reasons why the team still managed to have fun amidst the troubles and tight schedules (rehearsals only started on January 5 this year).

“One thing you really have to appreciate about Beatrice about a director is that she never says no. She allows for differences in the way an actor wants to convey the message being brought across,” Karen further noted.

Another reason, perhaps, why Sleepless Town will shine as an outstanding musical, even without the superstars – save for the director herself.

Sleepless Town currently runs from February 27 to March 14 at the Drama Centre Theatre.Tickets are available at all Sistic outlets. For more details, please visit the website at www.sleepless-town.com.