From humble beginnings in the basement of a London pub to performing in front of teeming masses at Glastonbury music festival, Massaoke's story is as varied as it is colourful.
The UK collective are set to bring their sequinned costumes, dancers, light shows and fistfuls of classic tunes to Dubai World Trade Centre, with three shows – including a matinee – performed on Thursday and Friday, November 26 and 27.
Dubbed Sing the Musicals, the show has the group belting out more than 50 years' worth of Broadway and West End theatre favourite and modern hits from musicals such as Hamilton, Mamma Mia, Grease and The Sound of Music.
Backed by large screens that project the lyrics for all to see, the event is expected to be a mixture of raucous karaoke and rock show.
It is also a chance for the audience to be at their uninhibited best.
"That is really where the fun of the show is," says singer Mark Nilsson, who will be dressed as a cross between Hugh Jackman in The Greatest Showman and a circus ringmaster, complete with handlebar moustache.
"The thing about going to see the big musicals is that there are so many great songs, it can be frustrating. You want to sing along to them but obviously you can't, unless you are looking to be told off by the crowd and security people in the theatre. We remove that barrier for you with our shows. Come and sing along as much as you want."
And dress up, too. Massaoke gigs are known for their colour off stage, too, with audience members dressing up as characters from The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Grease.
Putting their mark on the classics
It was a vibe they were going for as far back as 2011, when the concept began as an old-fashioned late-night singalong in a London pub.
At that stage, Massaoke were a covers band operating under a different name. In order to forge a more personal link with the audience, Nilsson said the group passed out song sheets of '80s and '90s pop and rock classics so the crowd could sing along.
It was a masterstroke. While most of the audience knew the songs, clasping those sheets created a newfound intimacy within the gigs.
It was something the group ran with and it eventually landed them concerts so large that only giant lyrics screens would do.
Mat Morrisroe remembers one such gig well. He recalls sitting behind the drum kit during their 2019 Glastonbury set and watching more than 50,000 people sing along to their take on Brit-pop classics.
“Absolutely amazing,” he says. “Really, you can’t describe those moments.”
While the material in their show is more Mary Poppins than Oasis, it will be performed with just as much energy.
That said, Morrisroe vows the songs won't be reworked too much. For example, the melody for Let it Go from Frozen will sound the same, he says.
“It's fun to rock them up and perform them in a way that we can have our mark on them,” he says. “But we don’t need to do too much, these songs are so well crafted and well put together. That’s what makes a great song and why it can last for a long time.”
A time for healing
Nilsson says that being back on stage is no laughing matter. In what has been a torrid year for many, the chance to be safely back with a crowd and singing in unison could be just what many need amid the pandemic, he says.
“We want to really feel a kinship with the audience,” Nilsson says. “They know the songs and we love playing them and making many people relive those amazing moments from their past. This creates a lot of moving moments in our shows. So we want everyone to come together as one.
"Hopefully, what we do, in some small way, will provide that little bit of healing.”
Tickets are available online from Platinumlist and begin from Dh175. Performances start on Thursday, November 26 at 8pm, and on Friday, November 27 at 4pm and 8pm.
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Company%20profile
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
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RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
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6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Foah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Faiza, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: RB Dixie Honor, Antonio Fresu, Helal Al Alawi.
7.30pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Boerhan, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
The biog
Favourite Quote: “Real victories are those that protect human life, not those that result from its destruction emerge from its ashes,” by The late king Hussain of Jordan.
Favourite Hobby: Writing and cooking
Favourite Book: The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran
The biog
Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Favourite holiday destination: Spain
Favourite film: Bohemian Rhapsody
Favourite place to visit in the UAE: The beach or Satwa
Children: Stepdaughter Tyler 27, daughter Quito 22 and son Dali 19
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
List of officials:
Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.
Top tips to avoid cyber fraud
Microsoft’s ‘hacker-in-chief’ David Weston, creator of the tech company’s Windows Red Team, advises simple steps to help people avoid falling victim to cyber fraud:
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2. After installing the latest OS version, keep it patched; this means repairing system vulnerabilities which are discovered after the infrastructure components are released in the market. The vast majority of attacks are based on out of date components – there are missing patches.
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5. Make the right hardware selection and always refresh it. We are in a time where a number of security improvement processes are reliant on new processors and chip sets that come with embedded security features. Buy a new personal computer with a trusted computing module that has fingerprint or biometric cameras as additional measures of protection.
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net
