“A Raw Affection”

Reviewer: Gabriel Lim
Performance: 11 April 2015, 3pm

If you have seen Oliver Chong in Roots, you may agree with me that that monologues was quite amazing. Adrian Pang (as John) in Huzir Sulaiman’s The Weight of Silk on Skin is another example of how a well-executed monologue can enrapture an audience.

In Weight of Silk on Skin, John Au Yong, a middle-aged man from an upper middle-class family gets ready to attend a charity event. He finds out that his former sweetheart will be there. What ensues is a play which peels of its many layers (like the skin off an onion). The unpeeling reveals his past – happy and unhappy memories, and slowly exposing the fragile side of John as he remembers his life with the love of his life.

The set design was minimalist – a simple armchair and a clothing rack. But the simplicity stops there. Adrian Pang as John is brilliant. His John composed and exudes the confident. Amidst this composure stands a callous man who makes preposterous remarks on love and leather shoes; complete with the objectification of women. All the elements that went into playing this character are well-calibrated and well-executed. Pang’s performance also owes much to Director Tracie Pang who assembles a team that brings out a performance that rivals its predecessor.

As the play wraps up, no one knows for sure if John is willing to put himself out again and whether Anna will return. Perhaps as he pours himself another glass, as he hesitates to drink and leaves it on the table – he has already made up his mind, to let it slip away.

“Worth the weight”

Reviewer: Walter Chan
Performance: 11 April 2015, 8pm

Thought monologues were boring? Think again.

It is very, very rare that you come by a one-man show that keeps you riveted to your seat from start to finish. So excuse my excitement while I announce that this is indeed one such occasion: Adrian Pang delivers a scintillating performance in this play that is absolutely top-notch.

The Weight of Silk on Skin is a monologue detailing protagonist John’s unadulterated hedonism, in things and in life. Already in his late forties, John muses at the start of the play if he should attend a charity event where he would likely bump into his first ex-girlfriend, Anna. He then recounts his life together with her, back in New York.

Playwright Huzir Sulaiman’s script won Best Original Script at the Life! Theatre Awards 2012, and for good reason: it is at once poetically crude and crudely poetic; eloquently lascivious yet startlingly high-minded with the final revelation. If there is ever a model for transnational plays, this is it: The Weight of Silk on Skin straddles Singapore and New York, effortlessly transitioning between them with silky lyricism. Huzir even manages to slip in Wildean aphorisms like: “Sometimes, the most exciting part of a marriage is the real estate.”

But the star of the play is none other than the man himself, Adrian Pang. Although Huzir did write this script with Ivan Heng in mind for the part of John, Pang steps into the role for this re-staging with verve, and delivers a sensational performance. Pang traces his character’s trajectory perfectly: arrogant and playful as the alpha male at the start, but slowly revealing his vulnerability as he yearns to return to his first love; at all times maintaining his witty snark. This performance runs the gamut of emotions, and Pang runs with it: his cynicism as a middle-aged bachelor, his anger after the breakup with Anna. Pang even shows off no less than four accents.

Credit must also go to set designer Wai Yin Kwok and lighting designer Lim-Yu Beng. The set is exquisitely furnished, with glossy sheens of opulence. The lighting too is equally impeccable, with the background of the set achieving a magical transformation from black to red to cyan, all through the use of lighting. Kudos to director Tracie Pang for orchestrating such an incredible combination of stellar elements – this is a five-star performance that should not be missed.

Sometimes, you get a team of artists that are all in their prime, hitting peak form at just the right moment. The result? Pure magic. Poetry in motion. This re-staging of The Weight of Silk on Skin is perfection, redefined.