Review: A Spoonful of Melodies Serves Good Food and Great Performance

A Spoonful of Melodies is a musical dinner experience presented by Elysium and Jaksical. The show runs every Saturday evening at 18.30 PM until August 31, 2024 at Copper 30, Lippo Kuningan. After their initial run featuring classic Disney songs, their second set features showtunes from musical movies, including La La Land, Mamma Mia, The Greatest Showman, and more.

The event is RSVP-only and offers three different seating zones with differing views. The Main View zone goes for Rp350.000 per pax before taxes, while the semi-restricted zones of Mezzanine and Cityview go for Rp250.000 per pax before taxes.

The dining show opens with, appropriately enough, The Greatest Show from The Greatest Showman. The high-energy number executed with surprising finesse showcases the performing waiters’ prowess and whets the appetite for an evening of entertainment.

The lean cast consists of four highly capable performing waiters: Christian Davin, Heidy Maslim, Mitch Hadju, and Resa Kawatu. Each performer has played roles in other musical productions around Jakarta, in shows like Company, Legally Blonde, Polarisasi, Journey Through Time, and more.

Considering the small size of the cast, it goes without saying that each of them is a triple threat, capable of singing, dancing, and acting throughout the 3-course dining experience. That being said, the format highlights their vocal capability the most. The setlist affords a chance for each performer to showcase their beautiful and masterful voices, especially through various belts and high notes.

Compared to the Disney setlist, this iteration of A Spoonful of Melodies also features a much more involved choreography, with Lisa Reideka as the choreographer. The choreography made good use of the very limited space, with energetic movements and fun moments of playing with blocking. Lisa was also the choreographer for Jakarta Art House’s 2023 production of Mamma Mia and she included playful nods to that production’s choreography.

There is just little bits and pieces of acting between the songs, typically serving as a segue to the next musical number. I couldn’t catch some of the dialogue, but the story is basically about one of the performers trying to muster up enough confidence to join an audition to pursue her dream.

It is apparent that the setlist is crafted with due consideration. There is a rich variety in terms of mood and source. Upbeat songs are interspersed with slower ballads, creating an experience that still felt comprehensive despite the show’s comparatively short runtime of 90 minutes. The source movies span from old classics like Grease to newer movies like Dear Evan Hansen.

The menu, which has also been updated from the Disney setlist, consists of an appetizer of mushroom soup, a pasta main course with the selection of alfredo or aglio olio (with a toppings  selection of grilled chicken, grilled prawn, or king mushroom), and a dessert selection of avocado chocolate mousse or pumpkin cake.

The creamy mushroom soup tastes sufficiently earthy and savory, served with a slice of garlic bread for texture. The aglio olio pasta has a delicious salty taste and just the tiniest bit spicy (for some reason, most Indonesian aglio olio tends to be very spicy). The accompanying grilled king mushroom is buttery, with a satisfying chew and smokiness from the char. And the dessert mousse is smooth with a good balance of bitter and sweet. Overall, the menu is a definite improvement from the Disney menu, although the appetizer and main course are still not as hot as they could be.

The show is well-paced between the plates and the songs, with the next course coming after sufficient time from the previous one, even for me as a slow eater. The non-singing waiters are always on the lookout to clear the table after a course, to prepare for the next course. And both the singing and non-singing waiters are ready to top off your glass of water.

The relatively small space brings with it its own opportunities and challenges. The singing waiters can get close to the audience and will sometimes have small moments of light interaction with them. It’s not really an immersive theater, per se, but the physical proximity does help make the show feel more intimate and personal.

On the flip side, some seats get a very limited view due to the venue’s layout. The cast most often performs on the stage at one end of the room. When they’re on this stage, they can be at least somewhat seen from all seats. But whenever they go on the elevated mezzanine, the sightline gets much more limited, especially with the towering tree in the room. If you have the extra cash to spare, it’s worth upgrading to the best view seats just to get the optimal experience.

Moreover, as it was not initially designed to be a performance venue, the sound system is not exactly ideal. The cast can be heard okay, but the sound quality is not great. And the sound quality also varies depending on where you sit, due to the placement of the speakers.

As for the lighting design, although it’s not complex due to the limitations of the available equipment, the show does make use of what’s available to highlight some moments. In particular, the installation of a new lighting feature (that I won’t spoil here) gives the show an extra wow factor, amping up the fun even more.

The evening comes to a close with Hairspray’s You Can’t Stop the Beat. For the closing number, the cast gives it all they’ve got, tirelessly singing and dancing along to the upbeat song, ending the A Spoonful of Melodies with a bang.

All in all, A Spoonful of Melodies is not only a unique experience, but the performers make it a truly enjoyable spectacle.

The singing waiters know how to work a crowd with their spectacular singing and all-out dancing, performing hits after hits from musical movies. The food is quite nice and fulfilling. Although the technical quality might not be top notch, the spirited showmanship and intimate setting more than make up for it.

And if you’re going anyway, I recommend going for the Main View zone, sit back, and enjoy a memorable and fun-filled evening with the singing waiters.

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