24 April 2009

Wanted: Marilyn Monroe look-alikes

SINGAPORE Ã¢â¬' The Marilyn Monroes of the world will have a brand new subway grating Ã¢â¬' complete with skirt-lifting updraft Ã¢â¬' to perform their classic Seven Year Itch pose, as Universal Studios Singapore embarks on an 11-city audition world tour.

Universal will be searching for the worldÃ¢â¬â¢s best stunt performers, stilt walkers, puppeteers, vocal impersonators, singers, dancers, actors and celebrity lookalikes for, among others, Charlie Chaplin, Princess Fiona (from Shrek), BeetleJuice and of course, the Hollywood screen legend Marilyn Monroe.

Auditions in Singapore will kick off the world tour on April 27-28.

The audition team will then travel to 10 cities Ã¢â¬' Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Manila, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Auckland, Orlando, Toronto, Salt Lake City and Hollywood.

Nearly 200 talents are needed for various attractions within the 20-hectare Universal Studios Singapore, which will open in early 2010.

Universal Studios Singapore is part of Resorts World at Sentosa Ã¢â¬' a new US$4.32 billion integrated family destination located on the holiday island of Sentosa.

The talents needed include stuntmen for the Waterworld Stunt Show, stilt walkers for street parades, vocal impersonators for the Shrek 4D show as well as roving celebrity lookalikes and animated mascots to meet and greet guests in the park Ã¢â¬' a signature of every Universal Studios theme park.

Andrea Teo, vice president of Entertainment, Resorts World at Sentosa, said, Ã¢â¬ÅâœWe are offering full-time jobs to a group of skilled performers who have traditionally relied on short-term gigs and ad-hoc performances as livelihood.Ã¢â¬~

Talents will be assessed on their skills-sets, adaptability and showmanship by a panel of judges from Universal Studios Singapore in the closed-door auditions.