“用一杯咖啡泡出变与不变的矛盾”

Reviewer: Zekson Tan | 陈迦笙
Performance: 26 May 2016

《㗝呸店》是戏剧盒的青年支部——艺树人的毕业制作。这部约一个小时的短剧以两代人对于传统咖啡店是否应随着时代的变迁而做出改变的争议为主轴，凸显了老一辈和年轻一代对于“保存”和“改变”的观念冲突和矛盾。

由于这部剧绝大部分是由艺树人的年轻学员参与制作和演出，整体的演出水平无论是对白的表达抑或肢体的演出多少还是看得见些许生涩。再加上这部剧原本就是以面向中学生观众为主，在表演层次和内容深度上属于浅白易懂的类型。但是这部剧在表达其中心主题和引起观众思考激荡上来说是成功的。至少已经脱离中学生这一身份良久的我在踏出剧院的时候，脑袋里也一样的在重新审视“改变”之于我的定义和意义。

在面对时代洪流的时候，《㗝呸店》里的传统咖啡店其实只是其中一个例子。身边的人事物以至于价值观其实都一直站在变与不变的十字路口前面。而现实就和剧里一样，保留原样并不全然的意味着故步自封; 求新求变也不一定是生存的绝对法则。而剧末并没有直接透露咖啡店最后的命运是如何其实也在诉说着，改变与不改变事实上并没有绝对的对与错。在面对着改变的十字路口，矛盾与争执其实是各自对于人事物的看法和个人情感因素下的产物。而《㗝呸店》恰到好处的把这么样的一个开放式论题抛给了观众，让观众能够在看剧的当下一直不断的去思考”变与不变”这件事。而这样的思考激荡并不会随着观众离场而结束。

有意思的是这部剧把目标观众锁定在中学生和年轻观众群上。而这群年纪较轻的观众普遍上，并没有真正体会过因时代变迁等种种因素而必须在改变与否之间做抉择。年轻一代会很自然的认为，为了社会和国家的进步与繁荣，乃至生存和利益而做出改变和妥协是理所当然也是无可避免的。但是相信通过剧情和演出后的交流，能够让年轻的观众有机会去思考和检视对于“改变”这件事。

这部剧虽然不是什么让人拍案叫绝的作品，但是它至少做到了以剧场有限的时空间，去开启了观众对于身边事物的重新检视和思考。尤其在这个变化非常快的小岛国，改变的痕迹尤其明显。相信有一部分的年轻观众在走出剧场，抬起头看着本该辽阔的天空被一栋栋耸立的高楼所阻挡的时候，会开始去思考，在改变的当下，自己心中的量尺所度量和衡量的，究竟会是什么。

“KopiO or AmericanO”

Reviewer: Lee Min Jie
Performance: 26 May 2016

The clash between a man and his grandfather is at the heart of Kopitiam.

This performance is adapted from Cultural Medallion recipient Kuo Pao Kun’s 1986 play. It is the graduation production of ARTivate, the youth wing of bilingual theatre company Drama Box.

Specifically targeted at secondary school students, the programme booklet comes in the form an activity sheet – although I am not sure if the answers are can be found from the play.

A girl (Melody Chan) decked in futuristic white garb and hair opens the play, anxiously looking for her grandfather’s red notebook. As she sits and silently reads his writings, the stage conveniently presents the enactment of the chapter.

Jiacai (Toh Wee Peng) is the girl’s grandfather. He returns from Canada to see to his father’s funeral as well as deliver the news of his decision to immigrate. He attempts to convince his grandfather (Julius Foo) to sell the coffee shop and retire comfortably.

Differences in perceptions is the main cause of the riff between grandfather and grandson. What Jiacai sees as working to the bone is merely a daily routine that brings comfort to his grandfather. The way the coffee shop conducts business is considered backward and inefficient by Jiacai, but it is traditional and personable to his grandfather.

Toh fails to deliver the frustrations of a man sandwiched between the opportunities modernisation has to offer and the traditions of the past. His actions are almost perfunctory and he literally speaks to the wall while he is delivering his lines.

Foo is occasionally convincing in fleshing out the desperation of an old man struggling to grapple with change. Perhaps in his attempt to engage Toh, who faces the wall, he too presents his back view to the audience for an extended period of time, compromising the clarity of his lines. There is little chemistry between the two of them.

The erratic interjection of the audiovisuals is distracting and disconcerting. The presence of four other actors clad in white zentai suits prancing about is superfluous too. Instead, their final positions in the closing scene were so badly marked that they actually blocked the running Chinese calligraphy words in the backdrop.

The only saving grace is the set of table and chairs oft-found in older kopitiams occupying centre stage. It is completed by a boombox and traditional coffee cups. It cleverly transformed into a well preserved artefact within a museum towards the end. That moment made me realise that the power to keep these kopitiams around.