SINGAPORE — When Ah Boys To Men (ABTM), the two-part comedy film revolving around a group of army recruits in Singapore, was released, it became the country’s highest-grossing film of all time.

Well, fans who didn’t get enough of the “Boys” — Tosh Zhang, Noah Yap, Wang Weiliang, Maxi Lim — the last time round can now see them again when they reprise their ABTM roles. No, it’s not a sequel — it’s a stage musical, called — wait for it — Ah Boys To Men Musical at Resorts World Theatre.

Organisers Running Into The Sun said that while it’s based on the movie, it isn’t just a translation of the Jack Neo film, it’s a brand new story and script. But more importantly, it gives the chance for the gang to show of their dance moves and flex their vocal cords. And at the press conference on Wednesday, they should that they could hold a tune when they performed the hilarious song, Tekong Tekan.

“But if you want to compare all of us in terms of dancing, you’ll definitely have Tosh (winning), then Weiliang, Benjamin, me, and then there’s Maxi (in the last place),” laughed Yap, who plays recruit I P Man.

Not all of the original cast will be back though: Joshua Tan, who played recruit Ken Chow in the movie, couldn’t take on the role due to overseas academic commitments. Instead, Benjamin Kheng of local indie band, The Sam Willows, will be stepping up as the “new Ken Chow”, as Jack Neo said.

According to Neo, who said he is finally fulfilling a 30-year-old dream to produce a musical, staging the musical brought up a whole new set of interesting challenges for him. “What’s challenging is that in a movie, everything is real. The set and props are there for you: If you want a scene of Pulau Tekong, we simply just go to Tekong. In a musical, however, you need to learn how to make the stage look like the Tekong army camp, which is something really interesting.”

Joining the cast will be one of theatre’s most familiar faces, Chua En Lai, and one of Singapore’s zaniest female stars, Patricia Mok, who, in an interesting twist, will play Yap’s character’s girlfriend, taking over from Sherraine Low, who played the role in the movie.

“Personally, I want the whole world to see that Noah’s girlfriend is (now) Patricia Mok,” laughed Zhang about this switch in casting choices.

This camaraderie and jocular tone is what the cast and crew are determined to bring to the stage. But why should anyone who has seen the movies watch the musical? “Ah Boys To Men part 1 is a film; part 2 is also a film. And since we don’t have a 3D movie, you have to watch Ah Boys To Men Musical; it’s in 4D — you get to watch, hear, feel, touch and smell us,” said Lim.

What: Ah Boys To Men Musical

Where: Resorts World Theatre

When: Apr 18 to 27

Tickets: S$98, S$78, S$48, S$38 from Sistic.