“A Play Gone Off-Key“

Reviewer: Cordelia Lee
Performance: 9 June 2017

Eugene Ionesco’s The Bald Soprano satirises social conventions as senseless alluding to the emptiness in man’s existence. The Martins pay the Smiths a visit at their middle-class abode, where a whole string of improbable events occur. The Martins arrive as strangers, somehow forgetting that they are married to each other. Along the way, the fire chief enters to extinguish a non-existent fire before recounting dubious tales nobody’s really interested in. Platitudes, aphorisms, and maxims of polite exchange infiltrate all discourse, emerging under inappropriate circumstances to reveal the futility of banal conversation.

At least, this is the message the playwright originally intended for his audience.

Yet somehow, in creating a “watchable play” with his cast from Young and Wild, Rodney Oliveiro’s direction dulls down the overarching message and critique of the human condition in Ionesco’s script.

Unfortunately, this renders the production little more than pure comedic entertainment.

It is unclear whether the audience realises the intent of the plot’s meaningless farce. An audience member is overheard saying, “I’m enjoying it, but I don’t know what the point of the play is. Yeah, maybe it’s not supposed to have a point.”

Well, I guess not.

While it is perfectly within the director’s purview to stage an absurdist play as “straight drama” for an audience’s amusement, it is nonetheless a pity that a script heavily imbued with important themes is not fully conveyed to its audience.

Shouldn’t theatre be more than just a few hours of gratuitous entertainment?

Furthermore, while their tireless energy and efforts onstage are commendable, the young cast can benefit from greater preparation and guidance from Oliveiro. One periodically trips over his lines, another drops his English accent, and others struggle to carefully transition between the extremes of their characters. Although exaggerated physicality is expected of absurdist drama, most of the cast – save for Mel Bickham – fall into the trap of blatant overacting.

Mel Bickham is a joy to watch as Mrs Smith, delicately balancing expected adult behaviour with moments of childish wit. She obeys conventional formalities of a proper British woman as she curtseys in one moment before gracefully transcending into a child-like innocence in the next. I can’t help but smile as she staggers forward to declare her profound realisation that the ceiling is above, and the floor is below.

Young and Wild’s rendition of The Bald Soprano wraps up as the nonsensical dialogue disintegrates into an incoherent cacophony of voices. With that, the cast take a final bow before an immaculately furnished drawing room, and complete drawing invisible question marks in their audience’s minds.

Unfortunately, a visually appealing set will not compensate for a meagre attempt at tackling absurdist theatre. The performance leaves the audience with a few cheap laughs that are soon to be forgotten, and no concrete message to hold on to.

“Sins and Salvation”

Reviewer: Muhammed Faizad Bin Salim
Performance: 13 May 2015

In a play that primarily comprises five vignettes that centre around Geylang – the one locale in Singapore which can simultaneously boast of having a rich history of Malay heritage and at the same time play host to a seedier underbelly of what is known to many as the nation’s red-light district – some narratives are more memorable than others.

The standout storylines were the ‘MYID’ sections (the longest of the five vignettes on offer and interspersed with the others in between) – detailing the efforts of a government agency in trying to relocate the residents and businesses of Geylang to make way for a new development in the area known as Casa Geylang – and the TVB-esque ‘Brothers in the Net’ section which portrayed the trials and tribulations of a gang leader and his triad of men as they surround themselves in vice rings of prostitution and drugs.

Generally the space in which the play was performed is not ideal for a full-fledged theatre performance – it has a very small stage with no proper rigs for lights and it does not have the traditional wings on stage left and right for the actors to make their entrances and exits, resulting sometimes in awkward blocking choices. Worst of all, the space lacks sound-proofing and when a public announcement is made in the mall that houses the space, the audience is rudely distracted from the production. But despite these challenges, the ensemble still manages to press on and deliver fairly committed performances. In fact, I believe that not having access to the technology usually afforded by technical production elements, works in their favour and allows the audience to focus on the acting and the quality of the script.

The production sure was wild – there were heaps of sexual innuendos thrown at the audience, some through double entendres and others through not so subtle physical actions and the audience (one suspects they are primarily made up of friends, family and supporters of the cast) lap up every single of one of them.

As if that isn’t enough, the audience is assaulted with over-the-top performances that were punctuated by F-bombs galore and lots of screaming and yelling that meander into amateur theatre-making territory. There is even a cross-dressing element thrown in but one questions the overall intent and purpose of such a directorial choice (apart from engendering cheap laughs) as there is obviously no dearth of female cast members to choose from.

Despite the hits and misses, it is ultimately very promising still to note new, young talents coming to the fore, despite the fact that there is still much room for them to grow and find their footing as actors. Principally, they must practise restraint in order to turn in more nuanced performances.

“Geylanggan – to twist, crush something to extract its essence”

Reviewer: Gabriel Lim
Performance: 13 May 2015

You cannot be more mistaken if you think Geylang is merely filled with Lorongs (lanes) that only come alive at night. What does ‘Serai’ in ‘Geylang Serai’ means? Wait, is Geylang Serai even Geylang at all? Its history is certainly far more complex. Even places like ‘Jalan Eunos’ and ‘Ubi’ literally emanate from Geylang.

Through five interweaving stories, young & W!LD’s latest production, Geylang, seeks out the audience and challenges their perception of Geylang as the stereotyped red-light district. The result is like rojak (an eclectic dish with a mix of ingredients) – there are plentiful saucy scenes filled with raunchy jokes, untold stories of fictional characters that make Geylang it is.

The play first introduces a conflict between the Chinese and the Malay community during the time of the Orang Lauts (Malay people living on boats). Two lovers are caught in this family feud, and are killed for their illicit affair. The dramatic sequence of events in this story foreshadows the racial conflicts between the Chinese and the Malays. An interesting inclusion is the origins of the of Mee Rebus (Malay noodle dish) which in itself is a Malay and Chinese hybrid – the augurs the possibility of a resolution.

Fast forward to present day, a government plan to relocate the people of Geylang to make way for urban development backfires. Wacky characters that live in Geylang from all walks of life appeal to a government official. Through tongue-in-cheek scenarios and light-hearted conversations, the story questions the possibility of co-existence between the new and the old, offering us the probability of a Geylang erased its heritage.

Towards the climax of the show, Sin Long (Leonard Tan) is featured as the triad boss, living a decadent life of drugs and sex. The story is pure comedy gold, straight out the 80s. A loyal follower of the triad will save the maiden from Sin Long who consequently loses his mind and starts killing people around him. What follows are unimaginably vulgar scenes so bad that it makes for a really hilarious play.

The production is just like durian, both sweet and bitter. It is an enjoyable show, no doubt. The young team of actors and actresses surprises with great chemistry, especially in intimate scenes. But I am keen to see this play push harder for what it is trying to convey (ie. the gentrification of Geylang). More often than not, I can hardly contain my laughter, leaving me to forget everything else.

Despite the rather small stage the large cast has to work around with, it pairs well with the close-proximity of the stage to the audience, providing an engaging experience. It feels like a Madhouse. The neon-lit stage is stunning. It definitely is Geylang in its quirky and quaint way. I watched the first night of the run which experienced some mishaps in the lighting cues and stuttering of lines. Nevertheless, this show holds great entertainment value.