HAPPY WAITING by Grain Performance & Research Lab

“Happy Waiting”

Reviewer: Yong Yoke Kay
Performance: 13 July 2019

Happy Waiting, an absurdist play inspired by the works of Samuel Beckett, loosely follows the structure of Beckett’s Happy Days. Except that in the original, two days pass in idle succession, while in this adaptation, the audience is forced to sit through what seems like an eternity. Like Vicky (Sonia Kwek), we lose track of time, trapped in the space of our seats and her hole. The play progresses with seemingly no progress, successfully re-creating the experience of Waiting for Godot and Happy Days, and achieving a somewhat Sisyphean experience.

While Beckett’s plays keep the stage directions, setting and context ambiguous and universal, Vicky’s existentialism is very much localised, and Beverly Yuen’s script also contains certain motivations through the surfacing of topics of a mentally, physically, and socially trapped housewife, and even a hint of sexual abuse.

Despite the dark themes explored, superficially Vicky remains cheerful throughout. Each day begins with an alarm, with Vicky proclaiming how great and wonderful the day would be, and ends when she falls asleep. When she is awake, Vicky spends most of her time engaging in a cheerful one-sided banter with her husband, proclaiming her love and care for him. Only one moment of near hysteria occurs, when Vicky’s prolonged laughter at her own joke turns into piercing cries of agony.

Meanwhile, Bobo (Neo Yan Zong) flits in and out of the edge of Vicky’s world, his movements stringing the scenes together. With unpredictable entrances and exits, one is naturally drawn to his lines and exquisite movements. This dancer reminds me of Lucky in Waiting for Godot: wordless and seemingly making no sense at all, but embodying the essence of the mood of the play. The choreography brilliantly encapsulates the absurdity of an unstable world, desperate attempts to anchor and pick oneself up, and forcefully believing that the façade of normality is real.

The play’s strength lies in the creation of strong imagery, such as Vicky’s feet talking to each other and Bobo’s movements. Having been prepared for an absurdist play, I am somewhat disappointed that there is a conclusion of sorts, when Bobo makes eye contact with Vicky in the end. The build-up of aimless banter and pointlessness has gone to naught with a conclusion being made. But of course, this is perhaps also the least an audience member would expect after 90 minutes of non-reconciliation, and a complete disregard of any form of relationship despite the entire existence of Vicky being dedicated to serving her husband’s needs and wants.

Happy Waiting provides a relatively accessible entry point to absurdist works. It has sufficient content so that the audience would not throw their hands up (or leave the room) in despair. However, one wonders if the limits of this Beckett-inspired show could have been pushed further. This reviewer, for one, wishes that everything could have been more absurd, more jarring, and more uncomfortable.