NEWS

           THE ROYAL LAKE CLUB 
                     KUALA LUMPUR

 International Artiste from Down Under
                   UNFORGETTABLE
            Omar Shah
                                       By Amar Shobha Sarna
 
I have been waiting impatiently for Saturday, 7 May to arrive. I first caught a glimpse of Omar Shah in the lift on the way to the Batek Bar. His schoolboy charm radiated from the advert and he looked so appealing that I forgot to step out of the lift! A Malaysian-sounding name and an international artiste, to boot- I was very intrigued. It took two trips to drink in his face plus his pseudo yoga postures and of course, the pertinent info for his performance.

7 May arrived. We managed to manoeuvre a little interview time before Omar's performance. As I entered the GC room, he rose from his chair and strode purposefully towards me, with a lovely smile  etched on his face. He was so gracious that he even delayed his dinner to give me those few moments. As he unfolded his story, my interest was piqued even more. It is a classic case of a simple boy making it big in a foreign land, with much toil and labour and with lady luck smiling down on him. A Malaccan boy, he actually grew up in Segamat. His favourite subject as he put it, was 'missing school' It was no surprise that this 'favourite subject' of his saw him ensuring a place in Montfort Boys Town. He studied graphic arts and decided to try his luck elsewhere. Sydney saw him arrive with only A$50 in his pocket. Fate was kind and took him care of him. He enrolled at the Elly Rap Academy of singing and trained to be an opera singer. He used to sing German and Italian classical songs, with the never-ending vocal scales, night in and night out for three years.

"It came to a point where I wanted to quit. By sheer chance the song Ol' Man River by Paul Robeson and fell in love with it." That was Omar turning point. He decided to pursue a singing career and found himself appearing at the world famous Debbie Reynolds Star Theatre in Las Vegas, USA.

The Orchid was perfect, with the ambience just right for Omar's selection. His rich, melodic bass baritone was a reminiscent of elegance, style and class. White-clad and accompanied by young black-clad but capable musicians, Omar delivered with finesse and pizzazz. The timbre in his voice belied his lean and hungry (albeit after dinner!) look. The Orchid reverberated with his resonance. The diners were treated to Begin the Beguine, End of the Rainbow, Exodus, Some Enchanted Evening, Love Changes Everything, Unforgettable and of course, Ol' Man River. His 'aperitif' tale before he rendered each song and some light banter made me realize that this man had a fine sense of humour too. 

His power-packed vocals must have impressed the diners. How would I know this? Simple. It so happened that there was a reunion of some sort being held simultaneously at the Orchid. Perhaps it must have been catching up with old times that made these few diners forget the volume of their conversations. Anyway, the other diners 'ssshed' for silence because they wanted to enjoy being verbally seduced by Omar.
The dazzling entertainer made himself a firm favourite with the ladies when he presented them with a beautiful red rose. What's more, he even generously gave the diners a complimentary copy of his CD All I Have to Offer You Is Me. Sigh ...what a lovely way to cap the night.