TIGER OF MALAYA by Teater Ekamatra

“We didn’t start the fire…”

Reviewer: Christian W. Huber
Performance: 13 September 2018

Celebrating its 30^th anniversary, Teater Ekamatra has staged one of the strongest theatrical experiences seen by this reviewer so far this year. Helmed by its artistic director Mohd Fared Jainal, and penned by prominent English and Malay language playwright, poet and short story writer, Alfian Sa’at, Tiger of Malaya is a very strong, funny, and powerful piece. It looks into one’s history, and reinterprets it through the eyes of a new generation of artists who are mindful not too stray too far away from the original intentions of the material – in this case, a 1943 Japanese propaganda film.

A play-within-a play concept works for this piece thanks to its no-frills approach. The set is kept as a black box, and you get to see the actors prepare on stage. The original movie is projected on movable white screens as the artists reinterpret the scenes simultaneously. The staging is simple, but it takes some very good coordination with the production team to ensure that all cues and effects are timed to the very second, which earns this reviewer’s respect.

Strong performances by the cast showcase the characters far better, and not to mention much more authentically, than the movie did (the film had Japanese actors playing Malay characters in brownface). Over the course of the play, the three Singaporean and two Japanese artistes respectfully bring about their cultural differences, as well as the confusion about their understanding of their countries’ history of the Second World War. The cast members have good synergy, and their repartee in between the re-enactments are entertaining throughout the 90-minute piece.

The only bugbear is a scene where the three Singaporean artistes sit and interrogate the Japanese artiste’s re-interpretation of the film, which parallels a recent episode between a historian and one of the men in white’s high-handed questioning of alternative views of history. Whilst showcasing subversion, it feels unnecessary and is a sequence that this reviewer could have done without.

Nonetheless, Tiger of Malaya is a thought provoking and relevant piece in today’s society, and it is a saving grace in the rather ‘ho hum’ productions this reviewer has seen this year.