Never send a clueless non-Keling to do a Keling Kia’s job. That was the first impression I got when I read the reviews of the Kalinga Trilogy –Separation. The review on the Straits Times on Tuesday (14th Nov) for example was obviously written by a non-Indian, non-Tamil who did not understand the nuances of language, the importance of dance and the ubiquitous nature of song in the play that are central to the Keling soul. Instead she spent time being distracted by the science of theatre, rambling on and on about “narrative”, “internal monologue”, “expositional dialogue” and “surrealistic mediation”.
You totally missed the forest for the trees, honey.
For those of you who don’t know the story, here is it in a nutshell – starts from 1946, immediately after the war. It continues the story of Letchumi and the trials and tribulations she experiences right up to the separation of Singapore and Malaysia in 1965. The Separation is the second installment of Trilogy but this production stands alone. Even without knowledge of the first part, audience can still enjoy the performance.
Anyone with a keen interest in Singapore's history and unique culture will not want to miss this journey into the country's past – from the citizenship drive in the 1950s by the Indian community to the emotionally charged 1964 racial riots, from ugly incidents like the Hock Lee Bus riots to the Maria Hertogh controversy.(Synopsis courtesy of Esplanade website )
Kalinga Trilogy, directed by Vadi PVSS, is a play that sings right into the heart of every Singaporean Indian. Besides the careful research into our history, Vadi also made sure to represent the popular culture of the time to its truest. For example, he chose to insert a sing-and-dance item- a typical “aruvadai” song from cinema in the 1950s, which brings back memories of the stars of the time like Sivaji, MGR and S Muthiah.
We are all familiar with the patriotic songs from that era and the Kalinga Trilogy has a few orginal songs, in local context, that added oomph to the patriotism of the play. The strike song, the resistance song, the “every dog has its day” song – they all resounded with what we know of our turbulent history.
The actors were well chosen for the parts, although I was surprised that not more Indian actors were hired. (Read: Why didn't they hire me?) Maybe it was to maintain the multiculturalism of Singapore in the play. And get more multicultural bums on seats, of course. Some of the faces that we are used to seeing on the small screen, like Vickneswary and Sivakumar actually translate well onto the stage.
Vickeswary’s classical dance background came through with her overdramatic sadness and larger than life decision making (Think Saroja Devi). Sivakumar is a natural and gifted actor, who really should explore his stage career a lot further. And the non-keling actors were just as good. Joanne, Sani and Rodney, you all have honorary Keling membership now.
After the play, Mr Vadi decided to have a open dialogue with the audience, hoping to get some intelligent dialogue and feedback. This turned out to backfire in the most embarrassing way. It was like having one of your once-a-year Deepavali guests tell you why everything about your house is wrong and that you should have consulted them before you bought it.
Why, Mr Vadi? Why open yourself up to that kind of heartache? Especially when you saw that the audience contained people who liked the sound of the own voice so much, they wouldn’t let anyone talk? Even when you took their mic away! Especially when what they had to say had nothing to do with the play or with real life. . I mean, does anyone really need to know the 6 Sanskrit words for Lion? You should have just had Mr Samuel Doraisingam share his experiences of the time, and thus add truth to the beauty that was the Kalinga Trilogy.
For those of you who decided to invest the $25 on Black Cat and fags instead of a ticket, please start saving now for Part Three. It will be worth it. It will at least give you an extra bounce in your step the next time you are reminded you are Keling Kia.
Top Ten things that made Kalinga Trilogy - Separation the ultimate Keling Kia event
1) The event started late.
2) The girls were dressed to the nines and the guys looked like they just crawled out of bed. Esplanade? So what?
3) You laugh at grief. Yes, it’s your coping mechanism. Laugh so you won’t have to look like a pansy for crying along.
4) You don’t notice that the actors say “wery”, instead of “very”, or stare-y instead of starry.
5) You clap along to the songs, even though your seat mate stares daggers at you for rocking the whole row.
6) You read the subtitles, even when the characters are speaking Tamil.
7) You don’t flinch at strobe lighting or bright spotlights on the audience, thanks to the lighting designers at Amaran.
8) Half the audience is related, friends with or knows someone who knows someone who is a cast/ crew member.
9) You rue the fact that there was no love song scene daydreamt by the hero or heroine in the play.
10) The programmes were free, because no self-respecting Keling will pay $10 to buy one.
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