This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on December 7, 2015.

When composer Eric Whitacre graduated from the University of Nevada after gruelling seven years, he felt like he was ready to eat the city of Las Vegas. Thinking that it would be good fun to do something completely ridiculous to celebrate the occasion, Whitacre composed a piece of music he called Godzilla Eats Las Vegas!, where players are called upon to scream in terror, dress like Elvis and play in thirty different styles, from mambo to cheesy lounge music. The piece was written while he was studying at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York, where he completed his Masters degree. 

In November 1996, Godzilla Eats Las Vegas! was staged for the first time in front of an audience, and its combination of music, fun and frolic has been performed around the world, in all sorts of venues such as on the steps of the Capitol by the United States Marine Band, by the Scottish National Wind Symphony and even in Japan. The audience is invited to participate as well, following a “script” written by Whitacre simulating a campy, over the top Godzilla movie. 

This weekend, Godzilla Eats Las Vegas! will be performed by the klPac Symphonic Band, conducted by Cheryl Mah. The band is made up by a community of volunteers and music lovers. Pentas 1 will witness a fearless army of Elvises (Elvi) launching an attack after another using bombs and missiles to defeat Godzilla, but one wicked laugh from the mighty beast will send the army scattering like mice!

Mah said she fell in love instantly with this piece, saying “I love it because it is very over-the-top and witty. Whitacre wrote this piece with different styles from mambo to cheesy lounge music and even wrote a ‘script’ simulating a Hollywood movie scene.”

The band will also perform Lincolnshire Posy by Grainger — a wonderful repertoire that is exquisitely suited to wind bands, The Black Horse Troop by John Phillip Sousa, which is a compelling piece with various dynamic levels of trumpets and drums and Overture 2000 by Dutch composer Henk van Lijnschooten. 

Catch Godzilla Eats Las Vegas!, on Dec 12 and 13 (8.30pm, 3pm) at Pentas 1, klPac, Jalan Strachan, off Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur. Tickets are priced at RM66 for adults, RM46 for TAS card members, senior citizens and the disabled, and RM36 for students. To celebrate the end of 2015 and welcoming the New Year, the band is offering all patrons of the arts two tickets for the price of one. To purchase, visit www.ticketpro.com.my or call (03) 4047 9000.