“Secret struggles and a lost sea”

Reviewer: Teo Dawn
Performance: 24 January 2016

Priding themselves in giving the immersive theatre experience and inspired by last year’s art walk, Oh! Open House presents a show in Joo Chiat as part of the Singapore Art Week.

No Man’s Land is a site-specific performance directed by Alan Oei. This happening brings people into private and personal spaces to uncover the history of the land one stands on.

Crossing time and space, geographical and historical boundaries, the hour and 45 minutes long performance is engaging and a treat to the senses. It is a narrative trail made up of a mix of both fact and fiction – constructing and reconstructing the then and now.

There is a sense of exclusivity and intimacy with the audience from the beginning to the end.

The show begins right from the revealing of the location, which has been completed only a week before the actual date. From then, it establishes a connection between the audience and the performance itself, as well as suspense. The establishment of this relationship fashions the elusive nature of the atmosphere, and makes the audience want to know more.

The start and end points are different as well – expanding the theatre beyond the three confined spaces audiences are expected to travail. From sterile homes to travelling in the back of a truck, the atmospheres of each have subtle differences and characteristics.

All this spark an interest in discovery, and it does not disappoint.

With four characters – real or not, appearing one after another in different rooms, stories are exchanged and questions are asked. The most interesting is the migrant worker. Revealing shocking statistics about a plight that not many Singaporeans may know about, he also poses questions to the audience members – engaging them and essentially, making them part of the on-going conversation.

There are instances where questions provoke uneasiness and awkwardness but I feel it is interesting to listen to how politically correct we are and that we can be as ugly as what the script suggests. The discomfort is astonishing, and the honesty in the air is liberating.

Even though one may leave the show right at the end with no concrete answer, it is an experience that challenges and shows the beauty of the Joo Chiat spirit – in the forms of people, architecture and even desire.

“The much-needed conversation”

Reviewer: Teo Dawn
Performance: 22 January 2016

Upon entering the Centre 42’s Black Box, audience members are gifted with a flower each. Everyone is invited to make a wish with their small gift of nature and to drop it into the basket actor Sharda Harrison has in her hands.

It is a simple and gentle introduction of what is to come in the next 60 minutes within the confines of that cosy space.

Bi(cara) is a performance by Pink Gajah Theatre, as part of the M1 Fringe Festival commission of 2016. It is a new piece of work based on a talk called Why Do We Do What We Do? by zoologist Bernard Harrison. Questioning and challenging the status quo between man and animals, the performance reflects upon our society today in terms of human behaviour as well as our history and myths.

Just like the issues it is trying to tackle, the performance is multi-faceted with visuals by Sean Harrison and layered with an intricate weaving of the actress’ own personal experiences with animals as well as stories of fictionalised characters written by Harrison herself with co-writer Sabrina Dzulkifli.

From a cleaner lady that is crazy about cats to a zookeeper that is traumatized by his parents’ failed love, both characters turn to animals for companionship. These characters prove to be endearing and broke hearts with their plights of loneliness.

Harrison impresses with her physicality and characterisation as well as her interludes of dances and movements. I am drawn to the honesty as well as the beauty brought about through the combined language of speech and body. With a minimal set, it is easy to keep my attention on her and be part of the on-going conversation happening in between the lines.

One magical moment is the “shedding” of clothing in a dance of fluid movement, like a snake losing its skin. It reminds me of how similar we can be to species that seem so different from us. In subtle ways, from beginning to end, these realizations and questions keep coming into my mind.

And I think that is precisely what makes this a very successful performance.

Poetic and mesmerising, Bi(cara) tugs at heartstrings and is the promising start of a much needed conversation that needs to take place in our world today. Leaving more questions rather than concrete answers, this is a performance that will stay with me for many years to come.

“The Untamed and The Marginalised”

Reviewer: Teo Dawn
Performance: 20 January 2016

If you could be an animal, what would it be?

Well, the answer is “half-hyena and half-me” for Montreal-based writer-performer Catherine “Cat” Kidd, or her fictional character called Mona Morse – one who turns her back on the human way of life to take a ride on the wilder side.

From the misunderstood hyenas to a dying lioness, Hyena Subpoena directed by Paul van Dyck is a marriage of theatre, multimedia as well as spoken word poetry about bestiality within humanity. Morse recalls events from her life story to bring to light issues on mental illness, relationships between predator and prey as well as the plight of growing up with the use of seven poems performed one after another.

Held at the National Museum of Singapore’s Gallery Theatre, this space is ideal for story-telling. The space is completely transformed by the enthusiasm as well as energy of Kidd as a performer. Her confidence and her imagination entice the audience to follow her journey as Morse.

Despite slipping up on occasion, Kidd’s rapid-fire spoken word skills drive the entire performance. She is clear and as she is articulate. The bass beats generated by DJ Jacky Murda underscore the rhythm of the text – animating certain naturalness in the text. The poetry is also accompanied by footage of animals projected on a large screen that proves to be quite a distraction during the quieter moments.

Lastly, the minimal use of props and set is a bold choice and an interesting one. It thoroughly challenges the imagination of both performer and audience to stretch the possibilities of story-telling, and returns theatre to its story-telling roots. I enjoy how items are reused to represent different things and shown in more perspectives than just one.

Hyena Subpoena is a thoroughly liberating performance of artistry and creativity. Engaging and fun, though with its stumbles every now and then, it is a truly a performance to witness.