Buttons In The Bread

(picture courtesy of Pangdemonium Productions)

Event: “The Rise & Fall of Little Voice” presented by Pangdemonium Productions
Venue: Drama Centre Theatre
Run: 2nd – 18th May 2014

The Voice Within

Pangdemonium’s second production of the year sees them adapting a fairly little-known West End play “The Rise & Fall of Little Voice” into a Singapore context circa 1974.

“Wait, what’s this…Pangdemonium adapting a play into a Singapore context?” you say?

Yes, you heard correctly.

“Little Voice” marks the first time Pangdemonium is adapting a play into a local context, and it stars Mina Kaye in the lead role of LV, Denise Tan as her nasty mother Mari, Siti Khalijah as the genial neighbour Fatimah, Adrian Pang as the sleazy talent scout Ray Say, Rishi Budhrani as the nightclub owner Boo, and Shane Mardjuki as LV’s shy love interest Billy.

Most of the play centres around the run-down Katong shophouse which only LV and her mother inhabit, having lost her father many years ago.

Mari spends most of her time downstairs in the living room and kitchen, while the extremely reclusive LV spends all of her time cooped up in her room upstairs, drowning herself in the old records of legendary divas such as Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, and Édith Piaf.

Even though the music would play a substantial role in the show as it represents LV’s only source of solace in a life devoid of joy, “Little Voice” is essentially a play and not a musical per se, as the songs aren’t entirely ingrained into the fabric of the plot, nor do they help move the story along.

LV starts off being very reticent and soft-spoken, but the major revelation comes one fine day when Ray suddenly overhears her belting out pitch-perfect Shirley Bassey numbers up in her bedroom, which totally blows him away, thus making him want to exploit LV’s incredible talents for personal gain.

Perhaps the most riveting moment in the play is this very moment when we first hear Mina Kaye singing like Shirley Bassey so impeccably well, after being so quiet the entire play, and if you didn’t know better you would have thought it was an original recording instead of a live rendition.

The shocking contrast from the soft, nasal speaking voice to a full blooded belt was nothing short of extraordinary, and it’s one of those moments that remind you why you step into the theatre.

My admiration of Mina Kaye’s considerable singing talent has been well documented, having seen her completely nail “Another Hundred People” from Dream Academy’s “Company” a few years back, perform in “Edges The Musical” as well as in more recent shows such as “The Last Five Years” and “A Singaporean in Paris”.

With the quality and versatility of voice being of huge consideration in this production, I struggled to come up with another name who could possibly have played LV’s role as well (if not better) than Mina Kaye and I simply couldn’t.

The fact remains that Mina Kaye possesses a rare combination of stage presence, good looks, acting prowess, and a singing voice which is incredibly hard to find.

Denise Tan gives it her all in the role of the boozy, selfish and irresponsible mother who struggles to keep her life in order, although she looked a bit too young to me to pass off as a legitimate mother of LV.

Siti Khalijah plays the perfect counterpoint to Denise’s out-of-control persona as the genial and accommodating neighbour who never loses her cool, while Adrian Pang seems to be perfectly at home in the role of the slick, greasy-haired cad of a talent manager.

Ultimately, “Little Voice” tells of the story of a girl who, through a series of misadventures, eventually manages to finds her true voice and true identity as well.

The set and props do a good job in trying to recreate the authentic 70’s setting, and seeing elements such as old-fashioned telephones, vinyl records, 70’s-printed Straits Times and bell-bottoms on stage certainly helped in giving one a highly nostalgic feel.

The full length play does seem to drag on quite a bit especially in the latter stages of the second act, but what a journey it turns out to be.

A great deal of the play hinges on the abiltiy of the lead actress, and boy have Pangdemonium nailed the casting this time.

If there’s just one reason to witness this production, it would be to see Mina Kaye take on the role of LV and seeing her transform from shy, quiet girl to magnificent diva.

“Little Voice” is a wonderful production with a stellar cast, an impressive revolving set, great music, clever adaptation, and most importantly, an uplifting and triumphant story which warms the heart.

(photo credit: Singapore Repertory Theatre)

Event: “Rising Son” by the Singapore Repertory Theatre
Venue: DBS Arts Centre
Run: 27th Mar – 12th Apr 2014

Dangerous Liaisons

I was particularly excited to view this play for a number of reasons, one being that it is the first serious play ever written by prolific songwriter and musical composer Dick Lee, two being that it touches on an important aspect of Singapore’s history which is not often portrayed on stage, and three being that it stars three of our bright up-and-coming talents in Tan Shou Chen, Caleb Goh and Seong Hui Xuan.

The three actors probably need no further introduction, with Caleb Goh recently appearing in Toy Factory’s “Romeo & Juliet”, Seong Hui Xuan having starred in multiple productions with Pangdemonium the past few years amongst others, and Tan Shou Chen being a regular fixture on both the stage and TV screen.

“Rising Son”, part one of a three-part family trilogy, is set during the Japanese occupation period, and tells the story of 18-year-old Sunny (Shou Chen) and his awkward three-year friendship with Colonel Hiroyuki Sato (Caleb), who happens to be a high-ranking Japanese military lawyer.

The awkwardness of the situation is immediately apparent – a member of the enemy reaching out a friendly hand in what appears to be a conciliatory gesture to ingratiate himself with a member of the people whom his army has been committing vile atrocities against.

What exactly is his motive? Does he want something from Sunny? Or maybe he’s ultimately going after Sunny’s younger sister Ruby?

The potential for great conflict is certainly present in such a context, but sadly the play does not flesh this particular thread fully, and whereas Sunny spends most of the play being highly cautious of the Colonel’s intentions, after awhile it is apparent to the viewer that Colonel Hiroyuki is nothing more than a warm, gentle and honourable person with no ulterior motives whatsoever.

Which brings us to one of the main weaknesses of the play – that there is an apparent lack of danger in what could have been an explosively charged tale set right smack in the middle of the Japanese occupation.

Dick Lee does a great job in retelling his father’s experiences through the war (“Sunny” was his father), and the little epilogue at the end detailing what happened to the Colonel after he went back to Japan at the end of the war was a beautiful touch, but it is slightly unfortunate that the tale did not contain enough drama or conflict to truly enthrall an audience for a full 90 minutes.

Hui Xuan excels as the wise-beyond-her-years younger sister Ruby who has that rebellious and free-spirited streak about her, often providing moments of sheer magnestism onstage, while Shou Chen plays the role of the protective brother who remains highly skeptical of the other side.

Caleb brings out the awkwardness and inner conflict of the Japanese colonel who is uncomfortable in his own skin, and wishes he could break out of the militaristic role in which his nation has thrust upon him.

“Rising Son” is an endearing tale – a true story – of love and friendship during some of Singapore’s darkest years, and is both intimate, charming and funny at times (Dick Lee certainly knows how to write good humour).

And if this is anything to go by, I’m very much looking forward to the second and third parts of this trilogy.

(photo credit: Albert KS Lim; picture courtesy of W!ld Rice)

Event: “The House of Bernarda Alba” by W!ld Rice
Venue: Drama Centre Theatre
Run: 12th – 29th March 2014

The Black Mansion

W!ld Rice kicks off the 2014 season with yet another addition to their Masterpiece Theatre series, and this year it is Spanish playwright Federico García Lorca’s dark and powerful piece “The House of Bernarda Alba”.

One notable element of the play is the utilisation of an entirely female cast of characters, and boy what a cast it is!

How they’ve managed to put the likes of Claire Wong, Karen Tan, Margaret Chan, Jo Kukathas, Neo Swee Lin, Serene Chen, Sharda Harrison and more together on the same stage is anyone’s guess, but I cannot recall the last time I had witnessed a play with such depth of talent at almost every single role.

Which was just as well, because the play was both sombre and hard-hitting, often demanding the highest standards out of its actors.

The story tells of the household of Bernarda Alba (played by Claire Wong) shortly after the death of her second husband, and how the matriarch attempts to keep a tight rein on the entire household of five daughters by ruling with an iron fist and imposing an eight-year mourning period.

The entire family is forced to adhere to strict traditions, and the daughters find that they are oppressed both physically and emotionally, whilst at the same time learning to struggle through vicious internal family politics.

The emergence of a suitor for eldest daughter Angustias, played by Neo Swee Lin, sows the seeds for the ultimate tragedy that lies ahead, as other sisters such as the youngest one Adela (Glory Ngim) and Martirio (Noorlinah Mohamed) find themselves also falling for the same Pepe el Romano, thus resulting in a complicated web of lust and passion which eventually leads to the play’s dénouement.

The play is adapted by Chay Yew to give it a more Peranakan setting, and the set by Wong Chee Wai consisting of stately Peranakan-styled windows hanging menacingly on the sides, with the incredibly tall and imposing main door at the centre of the stage, is both breathtaking and foreboding.

Costumes in a production like this obviously play a large part as well, and costume designer Ivan Heng rises to the challenge with outfits featuring intricate detailing on veils, shoes and jewellery, and not just for the main characters but for the close-to-thirty members of the ensemble as well.

While Claire Wong expertly holds court as the ruthless and tyrannical Bernarda Alba in a rendition which no mere actress could expect to easily pull off, other notable performances include Jo Kukathas as the all-knowing servant Poncia, and Glory Ngim, who perhaps comes of age in this performance as the torn and emotionally-charged Adela.

The all-star cast easily rises to the exacting demands of the script, although I couldn’t help but find it awkward seeing Neo Swee Lin play the eldest daughter of Claire Wong, as it didn’t seem to me like the two of them looked very different from each other in terms of age.

A part of me had also wished to see another version whereby Margaret Chan would play Bernarda Alba, with Claire Wong playing Angustias, and I think that might have worked just as well too, if not better.

But while those thoughts remain merely pipe dreams, what is certain is that “The House of Bernarda Alba” is easily one of the most powerful and moving plays we’ve seen in quite awhile – both in dramatic content and execution – and in the hands of the W!ld Rice creative team, this 78-year-old play has been vividly brought to life once again in manner which is both relatable and frightfully relevant to a Singaporean audience today.

They say the best plays are always timely and relevant, and “The House of Bernarda Alba” is no different.