Patsy Rodenburg: Why I do theater | Video on TED.com

Patsy Rodenburg: Why I do theater | Video on TED.com

This totally made me re-evaluate my objectives for why I love theatre so much! And made me ask, if this without God, then how much more can Christian theatre speak into people's lives and let God start the healing process.

Please watch, its totally worth the ten minutes.

Theatre Review - The Manganiyar Seduction

When I first signed up to watch this, I was expecting a night of feel good Rajasthani folk music with maybe some dancing thrown in.

Nothing prepared me for the moving, seductive, emotional roller coaster that is the performance by 43 Manganiyar musicians into a realm of music that has the ability to build your psyche to a fever pitch.

Starting with a long string instrument, the performance starts with a simple layer of soul-strumming notes that build, layer, upon layer, instrument upon instrument, voice upon voice, to a complete symphony that hypnotised, scincillated and completely consumed my senses.

When describing it to my friends, I compared it to a hurricane, that starts of with a low pressure zone, and then picks up strength, and builds, spirally every upward, pulling everything in its vicinity into its all consuming vortex.
It was the best visual parallel I could think of at the moment, and it hardly does it any justice.

I did not understand the language, did not know what they were singing about, but I do know that for 4 or 5 days afterwards, the refrain kept ringing in my head. If they come back, I already know of a few people I will drag along to watch it with me.

Side note: President Nathan was there!He had apparently come the night before, for the gala, and loved it so much, he came back the next night. It was thrilling to know that I have the same taste in music as our President! Ha ha.

Theatre Review: Shakespeare - Reduced and Riotous

I went to the opening night performance by the Reduced Shakespeare Company last night with my friend-in-all-things-literary. The complete works of Shakespeare - Abridged, performed in 97 minutes. All 37 plays, some sonnets, some aprocryphal works and a whole lot of physical comedy, innuendo, quote massacre,puns and play-on-words thrown in.

While most of the plays were mainly touch and go,(All the comedies were lumped together under a skit titled "4 weddings and a tranvestite"), the entire second half was devoted to what is considered Shakespeare's greatest work of all time. (And if you have to ask which one, tch).

The most enjoyable was the incredible versality of the actors, whose multiple talents really kept you guessing at what they are going to come up with next. Adding relevancy with references to popular culture (who hasn't used wiki or google to research eh?), the performance reminded us of the Bard's innate talents as well as his absolute verbosity, his penchant to "distil" other people's works and to pair the most unlikely couples in his many plays (many of whom can be married in various states in the US, as astutuely observed by the players).

If you are planning to watch this, you are in for the laugh of your life. I can't remember the last time I saw the aforementioned partner in crime laugh so hard or lose it so badly.

If you weren't planning to watch this, let me assure you that dont need a knowledge of Shakesepeare's work to enjoy it. Go. Now.

Till 2 August 2009
Drama Centre
Tickets from $19 at Sistic.

Theatre Review - Kumar, Stripped bare and standing up

It's been two years since Kumar's last show (proper show, not his weekly stints at some dive), and I was pumped. My friend has bought tickets the minute they went on sale and we had been talking about it ad nauseum. And as expected, Kumar did not fail us.

From the time he walked on through the audience to the simple curtain call, we were in stitches - enthralled, enamoured and entertained. Nothing was reverent - politics, race relations, gender preference, sexuality, family, friends.... if it had a punchline, Kumar delivered it. His impeccable comic timing coupled with the dramatic hand gestures drove home every joke, every point, every poignant moment. And Kumar can do more with a raised eyebrow than Dawyne Johnson ever could.

But like every Kumar performance I ever attended, his monologue had its share of pathos. The intimate details of his childhood, upbringing, passions and desires were juxtaposed against the backdrop of loneliness, fear, doubt and the longing for acceptance.

Ever the consummate performer, Kumar weaves the sadness into his mayhem, playing it down, making it palatable to an audience who are there, primarily, to laugh.

My personal little moment came when I was heading home after the show. We had gone for a drink (or 4) at pump room and I declined a ride home from my friends and was heading in the opposite direction towards the taxi stand. And suddenly a vision in bright orange togs and heavy stage make up appears before me. It was the man of the hour himself. Emboldened by the mojitos and a genuine desire to meet him, I walked up to him.

N: Hi, Kumar!

K: (looked startled and ready to flee)

N: I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your show at the Esplanade tonight (stretch out my hand)

K: (Looks a little releived and takes it) Oh, thank you so much!

N: No, Thank YOU so much. It was brilliant!

Kumar bows a little, with hands in namaste position. I walk on, hoping that i don't fall in with the vast number of "biggest fans" that he is accosted by, probably on a daily basis.

Cos I don't want to be just another fan.

Congratulations to Mr Miyagi on a brilliant job with the script. I am sure Kumar ad libbed like crazy, but I could tell that the material was well-researched and well put. Oh and thanks for the addition of Chinese jokes, we minorities appreciate it. lol

Theatre Review - Avenue Q

"It sucks to be me."

For at least two weeks before Avenue Q, I had to listen to my colleague sing this one line over and over. So the musical opened this song, I couldn't help but smile, then giggle, then all out laugh at the irony of it.

Yes,it sucks to be you. But its only for now.

That's pretty much the gist of the musical. This Rent-meets-Sesame Street Braodway hit was probably a lot more edgy before being politically correct became our society's all-consuming passion.

But the shennanigans of the puppets were definitely overshadowed by the pure talent of the human cast. Especially Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut's human. And Christmas Eve - My, that woman can sing.

I hope J and A enjoyed it as much as I did. The irreverent humour and keen wit are just what we need in this tremulous and sombre times.

Plug for Miss?ed? - a radical play about marriage in the Yindian Community

The play ‘Miss?ed?’ mainly highlights the importance of marriage and marrying the right person. At present, in the Indian community, a high divorce rate is more worrying than high single rate and yet, too often our society has a negative view of single-hood. The society sees single-hood like a state that cannot be changed - an immortal condition destined to bring unfulfillment. The play questions whether an individual’s happiness in life is based on their marital status.

The play examines if single women are given the time to make the right choice in their life when it concerns marriage or are they conformed by social conditions. With wit, the play explores how singles are stereotyped, stigmatized, and pressurized to get married and the many reasons for their singlehood.

Miss?ed?, a thought provoking play, looks into issues such as financial security, an individual’s potential for growth, relationships, trust, betrayal, autonomy, power and also the price an individual has to pay because of some selfish and inquisitive people in our society.


When: 3rd to 5th August 2007
Time: 8pm
Venue: The Arts House (Old Parliament House)
Cost: $21 (adults) $16 (Students)
For tickets: 9475 3392 / 9229 9649

Short and Sweet - Theatre Review

Last Sunday, I went to watch Short and Sweet, the inaugural instalment of a play writing competition organised by NAFA (Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts). Basically, a collection of 8 new and original 10-minute plays, written and performed by both professionals and amateurs in the local theatre scene.

Some of the plays were very very good. Notably:-

1) Remembering the Kites.
Performed by Lim Kay Tong (who looked alot like Gandalf in this role, according to Aarika) and Sonny Lim (who looked like the Kung Fu Master in KingFu Hustle). This play was about 2 old timers, who seemed to have problems remembering the past, even if their lives, or at least the life they were holding on to desperately, depended on it. Needless to say, with such illuminaries, and a fairly solid script, this was one of my favourites. Unfortunately they ran over 10 mins, so they were disqualified. Yes, we were all, like, WTH?

2) Exchanges
This one was a Wild card winner, meaning the audience didn't have to pick them, because the judges, who have veto, picked this one. A simple tale about a couple who meet after 15 years, and all the pain, joy and memories that accompanies it. Each has a gift for the other, and the play ends without telling the audience what she gave him. This totally consumes us for the rest of the evening. "What was in the bag?" Does anyone know?

And then there were the duds.

1) Haven't.
With a name like that, you have to expect some half hearted portrayal of an afterlife, and that's exactly what we got. I was happy to see that it put some Indian actors to work, but that's all that play was good for. I didn't understand the plot, one of the characters didnt even need to be there, and most of it was existential hogwash anyway. Maybe the playwright "haven't" got it yet. How it was shortlisted baffled me.

2) 4 seconds.
This was another Wild Card winner, but I didn't like it. It seemed like another attempt to exploit the pain and loneliness faced by homosexuals to sell a story. I hate the fact that plays like this armtwist you into accepting homosexuality as "normal". That if you didn't like it, then you were labelled homophobic. Much as I don't like watching 2 men kiss, what bothered me about this play was not the "Give the homo a chance" subtext, but the "homos are "normal" too" agenda. You are not. There is no "normal". Deal with it, the way the rest of us deal with our own failings and insecurities.

The rest of the plays were good, not great. Frostbite gets an honourable mention here because my friend Candice was in it, and she is an amazing and talented actress. Go see her in "ON North Diversion Road".

Short and Sweet is a marvellous idea, an event that we need more of, and publicise more. The audience turnout was dismal at best (although the organisers claim the finals are sold out). But look out for the next one. Local theatre needs this.

Theatre Review - Blithe Spirit

For a play that was written in 1941, the themes of noveau riche eccentricity, petty jealousy and marriage are very current in the black comedy by Noel Coward, especially when translated into the local context as well as Wild Rice’s production was.

Harnessing the talents of some of the best known names in the local theatre scene, Blithe Spirit was as entertaining for the wit of the original script as it was for the localization of names, places, media and culture.

Blithe Spirit is about a writer, Charles Koh (Lim Kay Siu) who, seeking material for his new book, invites a medium, Mdm Arcati (Selena Tan) into his house to conduct a séance. The séance summons his ex-wife Elvira (Tan Kheng Hua) from the other side and the mayhem that issues between her and his current wife Ruth (Neo Swee Lin) is what makes up the bulk of the play.

A lot of the reason why this play worked is because of the stellar cast. Few people would have been able to give the difficult words and phrases in the script a natural flow like Lim Kay Siu and Neo Swee Lin. They brought upper class elegance to the performance, while still maintaining their Singaporean-ness, without the need to break into a ridiculous pseudo-British accent.

And little Pam Oei, as the Filipino maid Edith, invoked laughter every time she was on stage, regardless of whether she said anything or not, although her rendition of “Unporgetable” was priceless.

Mdm Arcati’s partiality to cucumber sandwiches and strange use of idioms helped identify her as working class with aspirations to “atas-ness” and won the empathy of the Singaporean heartlanders (i.e. me)

The local references not only served to bring home this play, which was written during WWII to cheer up the British. It also took loving jibes at issues close to our hearts like the quality of the local press and our ongoing love-hate relationship with maids. My favourite line was this

Charles: Ah, reading the Straits Times, I see. Anything interesting?
Ruth: (snaps) Don’t be ridiculous, Charles!

In the same scene, Charles is seen being friendly to Edith, enquiring if she has had breakfast and Ruth quips,” Don’t be over familiar with the servants, Charles. It confuses them.”

There were a couple of gaffes too. The follow spot guy just couldn’t keep up with Tan Kheng Hua and there were times when the light trailed behind her like a ghostly train. Swee Lin sometimes forgot that she was not supposed to see the apparition and stared dead into Kheng Hua’s eyes before she remembered who she was. And the most obvious one was poor Lim Kay Siu, tripping on a piece of debris and falling (rather gracefully) when coming up for his curtain call. The audience audibly sucked their breath in and slowly released it as he waved and assured us of his wholesomeness.

Blithe Spirit was a black comedy which would have left a local audience high and dry with its extreme British verbosity and dry wit, if not for the wonderful adaptation, clever pacing and occasional physical humour thrown in by the cast and the Wild Rice team of writers. Glen Goei drew out his cast all that they were able to give, and that is to his credit.

Watch Blithe Spirit with the heart of an English educated Singaporean, and you will enjoy it. Go expecting Noel Coward’s original masterpiece and you may be disappointed.

Random Things

I don't have alot of steady things to write about today, so I will just ramble on randomly and hopefully, it will be worth reading.

1) Happy Birthday Sangeeta!!
A big shout out to Sangeeta, who recently proved she is not only stunningly beautiful, but also uber smart, by getting a scholarship to do her masters in the Uni of Sweden!

Good on ya, girl! Go make us proud!

2) Congrats to Shalini!!
Yes, my little cousin (as in short) has kept the theatrical flame burning by bagging the role of Assistant Director in the production of Play, put up by the prestigiou Raffles Players. Ok, I dunno about prestigious, but she is excited much.

I will let you guys know when it opens, you ALL have to go watch it.

3) On a totally random note, Holland Village rocks man. I happen to be in the vicinity yesterday and was amazed by how much it has changed. Just the total wealth of new restaurants that have opened up is so spectacular. I decided to stick with an old favourite and had chimichangas at Cha Cha Cha, but man, the choices are mind boggling.

I was at Holland V, because I went to the Verite Production Studios for a photo shoot. They are doing this ultra cool opening sequence for Mudhal Payanangal (First Journeys), the show I will be in. It was fun pretending to be a model for a while. I tell you, it helps to have no shame whatsoever when you are doing these things. I cannot imagine how actors and celebs can say they are shy. Hello!! Don't bluff, can?

4) It's the day before Good Friday! Most people have no idea what the significance of this is, but Good Friday coincides with the Jewish Feast of Passover. Passover marks the day that God brought the Hebrew people out of Egypt (watch the Ten Commandments for details). On the night of the Passover, Hebrews were told to kill a lamb without blemish, and smear its blood on their doorpost. Whereever the blood is seen, Death would pass over that house.

And Jesus dying on the Feast of Passover signifies how he is the ultimate Passover Lamb. Christians beleive that once His blood is smeared on our doorposts (hearts), no evil will befall us.

Cool huh?


Ok, end of random post. Please resume regular life activities.

Theatre Review - Multiple Personality Disorder

If you have not bought tickets for Hossan Leong's one man play, Multiple Personality Disorder, DO IT NOW.

Breaking ALL the rules about comedy in Singapore, this play took irreverence and taboo to a new comedic level.

Taking on subjects as sensitive as the water issue, foreign talent, rich Indonesians and *lowers voice* official contempt for gays, Hossan rips through all the pre-conceived barriers to take Singapore theatre further than our most remote foreign talent.

The show started right on time, which only happens with local acts. And played to a full house on a Tuesday night, which was extremely encouraging. He started with some small talk, stand up style, with very current issues, which shows this is not some dumb, "I just follow the script" comedian.

Basically the story is about this government servant of the (fictitious) newly formed Ministry for Attracting Foreign Talent (MAFT), who looks for ways to attract rich influential foreign talent to our fare shores. A large number of them happened to be celebrities who either have disappeared or are down and out. Like Kenny Rogers, Whitney Houston, Julio Inglesias and Joe Estrada. ALL played by Hossan Leong. To perfection.

Sure he made a few gaffs, missed a few cues, but which actor doesn't? And Hossan has this perfect little face that he makes when he is recovering, which is so comic, it lets you forgive him quite easily.

So yes, go watch it. It ain't no Forbidden City (thank God), but has so much more originality, creativity and just plain fun in it. And if you are Singaporean, it helps you realise that all the foreign talent that we need is right.here. After all, how many of us can trace back more than 3 generations in this country? That technically makes us all foreign talent, right?

And at the end, if the queue for autographs is not too long, Hossan just might smile sweetly for a picture with you. (even if you make him wait 2 mins while you teach you friend how to use your camera)

Theatrical Terms

I can't remember who originally sent me this, or where I read it, but it made me hoot with laughter at the accuracy of the definition.

Since we are in Christmas pageant mode, I thought it appropriate to post here:-

Theatrical Terms Defined

Eternity - The time that passes between a dropped cue and the next line.

Prop - 1. A hand-carried object small enough to be lost by an actor shortly before it's needed on stage. 2. Anything that gets in the way of a scene change.

Director - The individual who suffers from the delusion that he or she is responsible for every moment of brilliance cited by the critic in the local review.

Blocking - The art of moving actors on the stage in such a manner as to not collide with the walls, furniture, orchestra pit or each other. Similar to playing chess, except the pawns want to argue.

Quality Theater - Any show with which you were directly involved.

Turkey - Every show with which you were not directly involved.

Final Dress Rehearsal - Rehearsal that becomes a whole new ball game as actors attempt to maneuver among the 49 objects that the set designer added at 7:30 that evening.

Tech Week - The last week of rehearsal when everything that was supposed to be done weeks before finally comes together at the last minute; reaches its grand climax on final dress rehearsal night when costumes rip, a dimmer pack catches fire and the director has a nervous breakdown.

Set - An obstacle course which, throughout the rehearsal period, defies the laws of physics by growing smaller week by week while continuing to occupy the same amount of space.

Monologue - That shining moment when all eyes are focused on a single actor who is desperately aware that if he forgets a line, no one can save him.

Bit Part - An opportunity for the actor with the smallest role to count everybody else's lines and mention repeatedly that he or she has the smallest part in the show.

Dark Spot - The stage area which the lighting designer has inexplicably forgotten to light, and which has a magnetic attraction for the first-time actor. A dark spot is never evident before opening night.

Hands - Appendages at the end of the arms used for manipulating one's environment, except on a stage, where they grow six times their normal size and either dangle uselessly, fidget nervously, or try to hide in your pockets.

Stage Manager - Individual responsible for overseeing the crew, supervising the set changes, baby-sitting the actors and putting the director in a hammerlock to keep him from killing the actor who just decided to turn his walk-on part into a major role by doing magic tricks while he serves the tea.

Lighting Director - Individual who, from the only vantage point offering a full view of the stage, gives the stage manager a heart attack by announcing a play-by-play of everything that's going wrong. One who whines, throws fits, and says "This is the last show I'm doing here! I swear to God !"

Makeup Kit - among experienced community theater actors, a battered tackle box loaded with at least 10 shades of greasepaint in various stages of desiccation, tubes of lipstick and blush, assorted pencils, bobby pins, braids of crepe hair, liquid latex, old programs, jewelry, break-a-leg greeting cards from past shows, brushes and a handful of half-melted cough drops.

Stage Crew - Group of individuals who spend their evenings coping with 50-minute stretches of total boredom interspersed with 30-second bursts of mindless panic.

Strike - The time immediately following the last performance that all cast and crew members are required to watch the two people who own Makita screw drivers dismantle the set.

Actors - People who stand between the audience and the set designer's art, blocking the view. That's also the origin of the word "blocking," by the way.

Stage Right, Stage Left - Two simple directions actors pretend not to understand in order to drive directors crazy. ( "No, no, your OTHER right !" )

The only Christmas Play you should see this year!

If you need tickets, email me. I will be watching it on the 23rd.