“Off Centre“

Reviewer: Jocelyn Chng
Performance: 9 February 2019

“Where is your heart? Where?!! . . . Now, use it before you forget how.”

When I chose to take on this review, I was nowhere near prepared for the extent of the emotional deluge that I would have to grapple with.

Off Centre gives its audience an idea of what goes on in the lives, minds and hearts of people suffering from mental illness. Seeing these lives concretised in the flesh is a powerful and emotional experience that I am finding hard to describe. At the risk of sounding trite, I am putting it down to the magic of live theatre.

The play was first written and staged in 1993, and this re-staging comes at a time of increased awareness about mental health issues in Singapore (the first Singapore Mental Health Film Festival takes place at the end of February 2019), and the internet abounds with discourse on the importance of self-care).

Since this re-staging sticks closely to the original text, some of the language and contexts in the play feel dated, such as “Woodbridge” or “WH” (abbreviation for “Woodbridge Hospital”); the protagonists phoning each other instead of texting; and students queuing to register for courses at university. However, these anachronisms appear small when the main issues addressed by the play remain painfully relevant. It is as though societally, nothing has changed in the past two decades – one of the thoughts that remain the most troubling for me.

For this re-staging, the lead roles have been reprised by the actors from the 1993 staging – Abdulattif Abdullah as Vinod, Sakinah Dollah as Saloma, and also Aidli Mosbit as Mak, Saloma’s mother. While the committed performances of all three are apparent, Abdulattif does start off this performance uncertain; his transitions between Vinod-the-narrator and Vinod-the-character are not always clear. However, his performance warms up. By the time we get to the middle of the play – during a flashback to Vinod in the army – his (metaphorical) nakedness as he stands alone, and helplessness as his Platoon Commander yells at him, are agonisingly palpable.

I am also aware of watching this play in the Victoria Theatre, as opposed to a black box space, where the play was originally staged. The set in this production is sleek and transitions are smooth. But it feels somewhat like watching a film – the moments of direct audience address fall flat and feel awkwardly “staged”; it is difficult for the audience to respond because of the proscenium set-up.

Nevertheless, the power of the play is evidenced at the end, after the house lights come on. Tentatively at first, several audience members make their way up to Saloma sitting alone at the edge of the stage, offering her a hug and exchanging some words. More and more people soon follow, all visibly shaken, some holding back tears. Watching this, I myself cannot help the flow of emotions. But I also wonder how much more intense the experience would be with a more intimate staging.

What makes the play nuanced is that besides foregrounding the issue of mental illness, it reminds us of other systemic issues in our society – race, social/economic class, the education system – that can and do cause suffering for certain groups of people. The scenes between Saloma and Mak are particularly revealing in this respect. Saloma struggles to deal with her illness and fights to get better, all the while negotiating her loving mother’s blatant lack of understanding about mental illness, and an environment of low socio-economic status and educational background. I am hit with an uncomfortable awareness of my privilege, as I can only attempt to imagine what someone in her shoes must be going through.

Two days on, I am still affected by this experience. Ironically, in a way this play will only be a success when it is no longer relevant. Until then, much remains to be done in our society.

“Off Centre hits the bull’s eye”

Reviewer: Sam Kee
Performance: 25 April 2015, 3pm

Faith Ng’s 2015 offering, Normal discusses stereotypes within our education system and what it means to be ‘normal’. Conversely, in Off Centre, written by Haresh Sharma, we see how director Oliver Chong envisages what it means to be different.

Siti Khalijah as Saloma and Ebi Shankara as Vinod skilfully slip in and out of their characters and doubling as narrators. This Brechtian split offers the audience some distance from which to observe and engage the two protagonists. Having said that, the distancing is not done at the expense of empathy. The two actors’ performances connected with the audience also on a concurrent emotional level. The many splinter narratives in the play are well dispersed, introducing peripheral characters strategically without distracting too much from the main characters. The audience attention is primarily focused on Saloma and Vinod.

Oliver Chong’s use of masks and the ensemble cast help depict the inner worlds of the protagonists. These intricately sculpted masks give a larger-than-life presentations of the main characters’ mental states. At certain points, these masked mascots parallel Vinod’s emotional triggers, amplifying the difficulties and dilemmas he faces on a daily basis. In my opinion, the masks are strangely reminiscent of some Robert Wilson’s characters in Peter Pan, but with slightly different impacts and effects.

The story progresses with Saloma’s becoming stronger and Vinod descending into madness. While the play began with Vinod’s solitary presence on stage addressing the audience directly, Saloma is the only one left on stage at the end of the play. She completes Vinod’s story for him, telling the audience that he is a free bird now (instead of the statue that Vinod has promised to be for Saloma’s sake). This juxtaposition of Saloma’s acceptance of her condition against Vinod’s denial gave the audience much food for thought. Oliver Chong’s Off Centre manages to hit closer to home than expected, given that most of us are probably unfamiliar with the ‘off-centredness’ discussed in the play.

The lingering question remains: Are we really that different?

“Memorable Rendition”

Reviewer: Gabriel Lim
Performance: 25 April 2015, 3pm

In 1993, when the Saloma character in Off Centre remarked, “They laugh because we are mental patient, off centre,” it echoed across two decades, even finding its way into the O level examination syllabus. Haresh Sharma’s Off Centre has been restaged many times and it still serves as a reminder of the prejudice against people with mental illness.

Vinod (Ebi Shankara) sits on a chair, smiling and waving to the audience as they make their way to their seats. I smile back at him. When the play starts, Vinod remarks that only a handful (he mentions 12 out of 87) respond to his greetings and waving. And to the rest? He assumes that they do not respond because they know that he is mentally ill. This is a very important and intimate prologue to the play. I feel the production can push the prologue a little further to mark the moment.

The story then unfolds: Vinod meets Saloma (Siti K.) at a halfway house, both sufferers of mental illness. They fall in love, and find themselves trying to adapt to society and gain acceptance from their family. Most of the time, Vinod appears well-adjusted and he protects Saloma who suffers from schizophrenia. However, as the story progresses, Saloma slowly overcomes the voices in her head and Vinod starts to crumble. It is an emotional ride for the audience, seeing the star-crossed lovers struggle to make sense out of everything in their life.

Siti K. gives a wonderful portrayal of Saloma. Her Saloma speaks with a feeble voice; she cowers when she hears voices in her head; but above all, she is tenacious. The result is beautiful and poignant.

Although the stars of the show are Vinod and Saloma, the rest of the ensemble is no less important. They introduced an underlying parallel to the play; often putting on caricature masks and making offbeat movements across the stage in the foreground and background. This externalizes what goes on in the head of a mentally ill.

The lighting by Lim Woan Wen is commendable. At one point, Vinod’s back faces the audience and he is stark naked. A warm glow of light is cast on him, heightening the intensity of the moment. I find this moment performatively strong but makes Vinod’s end unnecessarily ambiguous. It is only at the end of the play where the audience learns of his fate.

This staging of Off Centre may fall short compared to its predecessors, but the impeccable performance of the actors certainly make up for any shortcomings – and I really cannot ask for more.