THE name Kai Chalmers may not be big, but mention Eric Yong alias Balak of the celebrated musical "Ola Bola" produced by Enfiniti Productions in 2016 and many theatre-goers will fondly remember him.
In "Ola Bola The Musical", Kai, 29, rocketed to fame playing Eric, the Sabahan footballer who scored the winning Harimau Malaya goal against South Korea in a pre-Olympics football tournament held at Stadium Merdeka in 1980.
FOOTBALL LEGEND
His character was loosely based on Sabahan football legend Datuk James Wong, and the musical's director and producer, Puan Sri Tiara Jacquelina, chose him largely because of his uncanny resemblance to Wong during that decade.
"Haha! I'd call Ola Bola my big break, though it was not my first time in a play or musical," said Kai, who is of Scottish American and Malaysian Chinese parentage and hails from Kuala Lumpur.
CROONY CHRISTMAS
Kai most recently took to the stage to mark his first Christmas showcase in Bobo KL, Jalan Bangkung, Bukit Bandaraya, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.
From Dec 14 to 16 he serenaded diners at the popular nightspot as part of his first showcase there, titled A Croony Christmas Affair With Kai Chalmers.
"I actually performed with fellow artistes in Bobo KL over the last year or two, but A Croony Christmas Affair is my first solo showcase that comes with a holiday theme."
NAT KING COLE
The two-hour showcase saw Kai perform some 20 Christmas songs, including a German one titled "O Tannenbaum", which was made popular by the legendary singer Nat King Cole.
Kai also performed Christmas favourites, such as Bing Crosby's "White Christmas", "The Christmas Song" by Cole, "Let It Snow" by Frank Sinatra, "Last Christmas" by George Michael and "Fairytale Of New York" by The Pogues and Kirsty McColl.
STUDIED IN LONDON
Born in Hong Kong, Kai is the youngest of three siblings, and the only one in his family to pursue a career in the performing arts.
"My family loves music though, and my grandfather was a poet," said Kai, who studied acting, music and dance at London's Arts Educational Schools, graduating after three years with a diploma in 2016.
"Interestingly, my college's patron was acclaimed West End producer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, whom I have yet to meet."
MUD KL
Kai initially wanted to star in West End plays but Brexit put a stop to his plans (at least for now).
During his childhood, Kai learnt to play the piano and guitar, and during his schooldays he was also active in children's theatre.
"My first major play was Mud KL, also produced by Tiara and her company, Enfiniti Productions. It was staged for three years, from 2016 to 2018 at Panggung Bandaraya, Jalan Raja, Kuala Lumpur.
"I appeared in the long-running play for only two months, but learnt a lot of valuable experiences from Tiara and the rest of the cast and crew," Kai said.
HORROR FAN
Kai is writing scripts for short films and feature films, and hopes to have his first feature film out in cinemas or television next year.
"I have a short horror film in the pipeline, and it is scheduled to be screened in the middle of next year. Horror has always been one of my favourite movie genres."
FRANK SINATRA
A fan of director Denis Villeneuve, Kai also admires local filmmakers Adrian Teh, Dain Said and Nik Amir Mustapha, and his favourite films include "Malbatt: Misi Bakara", "La Luna" and "Imaginur".
He cites pop, jazz and rhythm and blues (R&B) as his favourite musical genres, and his favourite singers include Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sean Ghazi and Dasha Logan.
"As for Christmas songs, 'I always love I'll Be Home For Christmas' by Michael Bublé , 'Fairytale Of New York' and 'Last Christmas'. They're heartfelt songs with meaningful messages."
HOME COOKED FOOD
Kai normally spends Christmas with his family, and while they enjoy dining in popular restaurants, nothing beats "good old home cooked food", especially roast lamb.
"Lamb is delicious. I am not much of a turkey fan as its meat is bland, and needs the right stuffing to make it tasty.
"As for desserts, I love dark chocolates with cherry liquor, as well as plum puddings and fig puddings.
"Christmas is my favourite time of the year since it is a family tradition," Kai said.
STAR WARS
Kai's favourite place to celebrate Christmas is always Kuala Lumpur, as it has great places to go for Christmas shopping, and comfortable cinemas to enjoy great movies.
His favourite movies that were screened during Christmas thus far have been the "Star Wars" series and the "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy.
"I never get tired watching these timeless movies. They are two of the greatest movie series in cinematic history."
VISITED HONG KONG
Kai's best shopping centres for Christmas shopping are Pavilion Bukit Jalil, Starhill and Mid Valley Megamall.
"As for my best Christmas experience overseas, it was Hong Kong in the 1990s.
"It was there that I enjoyed watching world-class circus performers, admired some spellbinding Christmas decorations that transformed Hong Kong into a 'Disneyland' and helped myself to lots of scrumptious street foods."