Centre 42 » Split Theatrical Productions

COLOURS by Split Theatrical Productions

Intern C42 — Mon, 03 Jun 2019 10:30:07 +0000

“In Rainbows”

Reviewer: Edward Eng
Performance: 19 May 2019

In the post-show talk after a performance of my favourite play, Simon Stephens’ Seawall, actor Andrew Scott dispenses a piece of acting advice: “Your job is to play the light; the darkness always plays itself.”

Split Theatrical Production’s latest self-funded production, Colours, chases that method aggressively. Writer-director Darryl Lim’s play is about personal meaning and the perilous journey to try and create it. It is specifically about the experience in the context of early adulthood, even though the average age of the company is well under 30.

Comprising the individual stories of its six cast members, Colours is set on a metaphorical airplane. Perhaps appropriately, we are flying on an Airbus 380, which will soon be ceasing production. The piece is also mostly told through physical theatre, which means the quarter-life crisis being brought to life is quite literally playful.

The cast starts off by singing pop songs like “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars, and other cringey things. They then chat with the audience, asking us about our day and why we feel that way.

By the halfway mark – the six acts bear titles such as “the Heraclitean river of time” and “words crack” – the journey has gone completely sour. We now have red glow-sticks to hold in the dark, like emergency lamps at a crash site. They are singing “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree” as someone remembers their mother yelling, “Out! Out! Out! Out!” A birthday song becomes a private litany.

Lim treds some classic paths in fringe theatre. Personal stories, check. Work-in-progress look and feel, check. Fearlessness, check. But I feel it could have done more – the effect of sketching is only somewhat compelling, because there is little complexity by way of the questions asked.

This is something that I felt was awry with other recent productions helmed by young directors as well, such as Performing Malay Sketches by Second Breakfast Company and Faust/us by Nine Years Theatre. Why does everyone feel this way? Can we do anything about it? Should we do anything about it? What are the axioms on which our fears, expressions and joys stand?

Lim’s choreographer (Hong Guofeng) and sound designer (Te Hao Boon) also seem too busy chasing beautiful moments to let genuine tension build. Coupled with the extremely disparate sequences, this makes for choppy theatre.

That said, in Colours, there is strong evidence of daring, vivaciousness and heart. This is theatre worth watching and I will be waiting for what Lim and Split Theatre come up with next.

Do you have an opinion or comment about this post? Email us at info@centre42.sg.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

COLOURS by Split Theatrical Productions
18 – 19 May 2019
Centre 42 Black Box

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Edward is a playwright whose work has been performed locally as well as in China and across the UK. He read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at university and is interested in using the lenses he has picked up there to celebrate the nooks and crannies of Singapore theatre.

Protected: FOURTEEN | by Split Theatrical Productions

Eugene — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 08:29:57 +0000

SPLIT by Split Theatrical Productions

Lee Shu Yu — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 11:10:53 +0000

“Emotional Rollercoaster”

Reviewer: Isaac Lim
Performance: 6 November 2016

Split is an intense 110-minute rollercoaster ride. And when this reviewer says intense, it really means intense. Imagine topless guys prancing around on stage, a soprano repeatedly hitting high notes, and lots and lots of shouting. In fact, the actors were breaking out in perspiration 15 minutes into the show.

The play, written and directed by first-time director Darryl Lim (whose day job is an educator with the Ministry of Education), centres on the theme of emotional splits. The ensemble of six actors are challenged to take on multiple roles. Often, the plethora of characters on stage at any one time appears to represent the different voices in one’s head.

The play starts off strong, with a group of actors asking the question, “Does every play need to have a narrative?” This work is devoid of a central narrative, and perhaps throws up too many questions.

The age of the actors also means they lack the life experiences to carry across the maturity some of the characters need. For example, the mother to the problem child, or the man with abusive tendencies.

It’s good to leave the characters’ actions ambiguous at times, but there are also instances where the actors themselves seem to be at a loss. Ambiguity does not equate to being unsure.

The director is too engrossed with story-telling, and while he attempts to pull off a certain style (think post-dramatic), he failed to take a step back and let the story breathe. The actions, sounds, lights, and lines all come fast and furious.

It is a step above school (and hall) productions, but a long stairwell away from being a polished production. That said, the actors clearly share a very strong camaraderie. I believe they have trained and rehearsed together as a team for a prolonged period of time. They have developed a sense of trust which is very apparent in their performance. This is especially revealing in the scenes which require intimate interactions.

Credits also go to Hong Guofeng, the choreographer of the dance-movements. If taken as a movement piece, the show is intriguing and lovely to watch.

At the end of the piece, this reviewer feels drained, and rather “split”.

Do you have an opinion or comment about this post? Email us at info@centre42.sg.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

SPLIT by Split Theatrical Productions
5 – 6 November 2016
Centre 42

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Isaac Lim is a third-year Theatre Studies major at the National University of Singapore who enjoys bustling in all-things-arty, gets crafty, and indulges in being a foodie