YES, there's no mistake in the headline.

The number of video clips of getai shows on YouTube has passed the three-digit mark.

Most of them were uploaded this year.

And the majority seem to be the work of handphone-wielding youngsters whose curiosity has been piqued by the movie 881.

They talk about braving mud and rain to get a good view of the stage. They rave about the campy performances and 'colourful' Hokkien banter.

So, is this Hungry Ghost Festival highlight of Singaporean uncles and aunties enjoying a revival among the young?

Not quite it appears, going by a quick poll done by The New Paper on Sunday.

And getai veterans themselves say this year’s buzz is not likely to last, however big it gets on YouTube.

About a third of the clips on the video sharing website are related to the movie.

The rest were of getai performances across the island, from Ubi to Macpherson.

The clips included some familiar faces like veteran performer Liu Ling Ling, who also stars in 881 as Ling Yi (Aunty Ling). There were the Bao Bei Sisters performing a song-and-dance, a cross-dressing Lin Li doing a saucy number, and song bird Karen Lim.

One of the many who uploaded videos, who went by the name Rinaz, wrote: 'I was on my way home when I saw a getai performance. A getai is a stage performance, meant to entertain the spirits during the Hungry Ghost Festival. These performance are loud, with jokes and singing. The entertainers would typically wear garish outfits.'

Besides the usual tag words (keywords that describe a video) of 'roadshow' and 'singer', some also used 'gay', 'sex' and 'drag' as their tagwords.

MINI-DOCUMENTARY

User Nigellim68 even created a mini-documentary of sorts on the tradition of the Hungry Ghost Festival, incorporating factual anecdotes into his shots of a getai and auction.

But the excitement is not as infectious as one would think, judging from our poll of 100 Singaporeans under 30. Only about a third said they had been to a getai performance.

And all the 32 said they are not regulars and watch only one or two shows a year.

Three were catching a show for the first time ever this year - and two of them said they just happened to be passing by.

Half of the majority who had never been to a getai said they were simply not interested. Others gave reasons like not being able to find a getai in their vicinity, not understanding Hokkien, or having no one to go with.

'They are for aunties and uncles,' said student Shaun Choh, 21.

Undergraduate Joan Chew, 22, said: 'The kind of songs they sing don't attract me, since they're mostly in Hokkien. I can't be bothered to walk to the field to watch it, because it's muddy and dirty.'

Student Timothy Goh said getais did not appeal to him as they are 'associated with sleazy performances where performers are dressed skimpily. The way the performers sing are also very 'teh' (coquettish)'.

Mr Goh admitted that he has never been to a getai performance, and his impressions were formed by publicity from 881 and media reports.

Polytechnic student Elaine Wee, 19, is one of the minority to make it a point to catch the shows.

She said: 'I like it because it's very lively and vibrant, and the audience response is very spontaneous. I think the difference between myself and other young Singaporeans is that I don't frequent getais not because I detest them, but because I can't find anyone to go with me.

NOISY, UNCOOL

'Most young Singaporeans detest getais because they find them noisy, and they think it's not cool. The songs they sing at getais are also mostly for the older folks and don't appeal to the younger crowd.'

Veteran getai organisers acknowledge that it would be an uphill task to attract the interest of the younger crowd, especially after the interest generated by 881 fizzles out.

Ms Amy Goh, advisor for the Singapore-Malaysia Getai Artistes Association, said that while she's noticed more young people turning up at getais this year, she doesn't expect them to return next year.

'The trend is that the number of shows is decreasing every year. The older generation of performers and audience alike are not being replaced by the younger generation because they are not interested.

'There is temporary interest now, but I foresee that in the coming years there will be fewer shows, and less and less interest.

Getai organiser Francis Swee also felt the curiosity created by 881 is temporary.

'I don’t foresee the getai disappearing in the next 10 years, but I think it will have to change with the times if it wants to survive.

'What I think will happen is that performances, songs, costumes and stage design will change to attract the young. But we also have to attract high quality performers that will draw the crowds based on the strength of their performance.'

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