THE WEIGHT OF SILK ON SKIN by Esplanade’s The Studios: fifty

“A Raw Affection”

Reviewer: Gabriel Lim
Performance: 11 April 2015, 3pm

If you have seen Oliver Chong in Roots, you may agree with me that that monologues was quite amazing. Adrian Pang (as John) in Huzir Sulaiman’s The Weight of Silk on Skin is another example of how a well-executed monologue can enrapture an audience.

In Weight of Silk on Skin, John Au Yong, a middle-aged man from an upper middle-class family gets ready to attend a charity event. He finds out that his former sweetheart will be there. What ensues is a play which peels of its many layers (like the skin off an onion). The unpeeling reveals his past – happy and unhappy memories, and slowly exposing the fragile side of John as he remembers his life with the love of his life.

The set design was minimalist – a simple armchair and a clothing rack. But the simplicity stops there. Adrian Pang as John is brilliant. His John composed and exudes the confident. Amidst this composure stands a callous man who makes preposterous remarks on love and leather shoes; complete with the objectification of women. All the elements that went into playing this character are well-calibrated and well-executed. Pang’s performance also owes much to Director Tracie Pang who assembles a team that brings out a performance that rivals its predecessor.

As the play wraps up, no one knows for sure if John is willing to put himself out again and whether Anna will return. Perhaps as he pours himself another glass, as he hesitates to drink and leaves it on the table – he has already made up his mind, to let it slip away.