The Malay Man and His Chinese Father by Akulah Bimbo Sakti (A Review)

"In this staging, the Chinese father (Michael Tan) and Malay son (Yazid Jalil) are played by the same actors as the first. However, one prominent element which is missing is Asnida Daud vocally accentuating the helpless states of the characters, and suggesting the presence of the wife’s “ghost”. The presence of this “ghost” throws the contrast in ethnicity into sharper relief.

While the character development and psychological narrative of the father and son are much more detailed and layered in this realistic rendering, the contrasting ethnicity is downplayed in this staging. Nonetheless, I am not suggesting this piece is any less enjoyable.

I savour this work with disconcerting relish. The speechless and cyclic representation of life reminds me of film director’s Tsai Ming-liang’s Vive L’Amour. But this show is much more repressed and dysfunctional, as the world of the father and son is contained within a two-room flat."

Full review can be found here: http://centre42.sg/the-malay-man-and-his-chinese-father-by-akulah-bimbo-sakti/
 

Chained and Connected

My review of DARK ROOM by Edith Podesta

 "Dark Room, a docudrama written and directed by Edith Podesta, shares the true stories of former inmates of Changi Prison. They are based on recorded interviews which lasted an average of two hours each. The first incarnation of the play was entitled Dark Room x8 and staged as a work-in-progress in 2014. 

(...)

Amongst the cohesive ensemble of 11, Oliver Chong and Pavan J Singh constantly engage the audience with their adroit performances. They deliver their characters convincingly with a pertinent grasp of rhythm in their actions and speech, tinted with a sense of wretchedness and dark humour.

The other six male prisoners add diversity to the spectrum of personalities.  Nelson Chia and Noor Effendy Ibrahim play the long-term inmates who orientate and give advice to the newbies; Timothy Nga plays the gay inmate who is placed in the same cell as the other straight men; Ian Tan plays a discouraged ex-convict who struggles with issues of acceptance in the society; Mohd Fared Jainal plays the melancholic inmate; and Erwin Shah Ismail plays the inmate who sheds light on the life in prison with his composed, and occasionally perceptive account.

Shafiqhah Efandi, who plays the only female prisoner in the piece, sustains her acting with a poignant inner soul-scape. She delivers her final soliloquy compellingly, with each word piercing right into the heart of the viewers.

The script is a sincere and intelligent piece of writing, especially with its use of humour amidst the intense treatment of the subject. However, the overly-dense text of the play – which clocks at 2 hours and 15 minutes – falls flat at some moments during the second half of the show."

Full review can be found here: http://centre42.sg/dark-room-by-edith-podesta-2/
 

Joget, Abang, Joget (11 Jan) — NOT for you to relax & enjoy

Joget, Abang, Joget (Dance, Darling, Dance) is a disturbing piece with contents of sexual abuse and violence, directed by Noor Effendy Ibrahim under M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2014. The work also featured original music and songs by Angie Seah and Mohamad Riduan. The cast members are Elizabeth De Roza, Yazid Jalil, Mish'aal Syed Nasar and Noor Effendy Ibrahim. Lighting designer is Annuar Mohd.

It is not a piece that the audience can just relax and enjoy. However, if to provoke the audience and transport the audience to a realm of "otherness" is the aim of the performance, the creative team has perhaps achieved its purpose.

The performance started with a loin-clothed performer (played by Yazid) moving his body subtly with sounds of breath. It looked like a new life that was emerging under the wash of red lights, signifying the birth of suffering and violence in his life. After the first segment, a couple (played by Elizabeth and Mish'aal) entered, and they took turns to manipulate Yazid’s body. Throughout the piece, Yazid was like a puppet manipulated by the couple. In a fragile state, he was being thrown around, carried, embraced and tortured by the couple. 

The ensemble work between the three actors was strong and there was a high level of trust between the actors. Such trust was needed especially in the violent scenes when the couple twisted, threw and pushed Yazid around the space.While Yazid played the role of a victimized character that hardly stood on his feet throughout the performance, his articulation of body impulses, control of movement and acting were excellent. His expression changed every moment in a subtle and living way that portrayed his complex inner stream-- of fear, desire, release, suffering and guilt. He sustained his expressions and physicality well throughout the whole performance.

Lighting designer Anuar Mohd did a fantastic work on the lighting. Playing with red wash, red lamps, blue lights and shadows, the design gave a touch of discord to the psychological states of the characters. Themes of desires, fear, longing, guilt and violence were enhanced by clever use of lights in bringing forward the emotions of the piece. The red lamps that filled the ceiling added an aesthetic feel, and yet gave the audience a surreal feeling of entrapment in passion. It reminded me of film director Zhang Yimou's red lanterns in Raise the Red Lantern. Another strong imagery of blood/passion/violence was the red water that Elizabeth and Yazid bathed in.

The haunting singing of Angie Seah added a strong sense of longing and sorrow to the piece. Different sounds in the performance that comprised sounds of cutting, screaming, whipping, kissing coughing and breathing formed a soundscape that was both poetic and disturbing. Moments of silence were powerful in the performance too. They were like the interval of silence in music score before the next bar of music is played.

Overall, the director Effendy has managed to push the boundaries of theatre in terms of content exploration and production. His bold exploration of excavating "inherent and latent memories within the body through abuse on the flesh, and to understand concepts of guilt and desire as he negotiates his faith and his constantly shifting identities in a society" translates into a piece that provokes, evokes and invokes the thoughts and feelings of the audiences with an energetic cast.