To say that this joint production by Dramabox and Zuni Icosahedron in this year’s Chinese Festival of Arts by Esplanade was controversial, is a little bit of an understatement.

After the 2-hour-ish performance (without intermission), a significant group of audience stayed back for post-show discussion that lasted another full hour.

Many audience who apparently did not enjoy how they just spent 2 hours of their lives and money on this performance, stayed back and were quick to raise doubts on justification of this production. While there were doubts on whether a group of young casts born and bred outside of mainland China could possibly have the appreciation of that era so as to deliver an accurate performance in a production with ‘Cultural Revolution’ in the title, most of the sentiment questioned the value of this production that many admitted that they found difficult to ‘understand’.

When the production was premiered in HK last year, a student audience was angry enough to create a Facebook page to request for stopping of HK government subsidy to the student shows of the production.

A friend expressed anger in an email to me after the show as to why a theatre performance has to be so ‘complicated’.

It was the first production in Dramabox’s history that a post-show discussion was offered and arranged to share with audience in greater details the creative process, a few weeks after the show.

I was told an audience brought his two young sons to the show and found himself wordless in justifying the value of this production to the seemingly bored sons. He feared that such production would actually ‘scare off’ people unfamiliar with theatre.

This is the 10th installment of director Danny Yung’s ‘One Hundred Years’ of Solitude’ series. As an audience who has attended a number of Yung’s past work, I am one to admit that I always doze off at one point or another during the performance. The typical slow moving gestures, the seemingly lack of storyline and dialogues, the many prolonged moment of silence on stage … all these make Yung’s work an audience challenge to focus without drifting thoughts, especially after a long day prior to attending the performance. But they did not prevent me from coming back for more. There were always moments or images on stage that hit me aesthetically, and many times, emotionally. They almost always draw on my memories – a place I had been to, a conversation I had before, or a story I once read. Yet they throw at me new emotions, new perspectives and new interpretations. They renew my way of looking at life.

I suspect the anger induced in some audience by this work is partly due to Yung’s status – considered a master in contemporary theatre circle of Chinese speaking world. Many probably expect themselves to be moved and touched in ways similar to watching Shakespeare or Cao Yu. The hesitation to dismiss the work as worthless considering the director’s name combined with the difficulty in pinning down what is good about the piece can easily frustrate many. Yes, in this way such work is intimidating, or in another word, scary.

But I don’t necessary think that it will scare off audience who are new to theatre. Many audience who felt dissatisfied were apparent regular theatre goers. What Yung’s work avoids to give are explicit ‘messages’ or ‘meanings’, or even sign posts to them that many theater goers are accustomed to. Instead, he constructs work that are like mirrors which if peeked into, each audience will discover something different but always personal.

To say that we are looking at the same thing but see different thing, can be hard to accept. But isn’t this how our world has always been?

Not because even a small black box theatre like one that The Substation has was only half filled.

I have to admit that I attended the show because I am a friend of Elysa, one of the two dancers in the show. I suppose most of the audience knew someone in the production, or knew someone who knew someone in the production.

At 7.45pm when the theatre was opened for audience admission, there were two big round tables i the middle of the stage. Everyone inside the theatre, production team or audience, were invited for a porridge dinner. You just helped yourself to the porridge – everyone was urged. For those who had dinner before coming to the show (like me), we were treated with tea, beer or wine. Until the show started around 8.30pm, the black box theatre was more like the courtyard of a big family having a daily home made dinner.

A photographer was snapping pictures away while everyone mingled around. Just before the show started, a group picture was taken with everyone (again, production team and audience).

The show began with a movement piece by Elysa and Scarlet. Then the Traditional Southern Fujian Music (南音）Society started playing and singing. While my ancestor did come from Fujian province, I must admit that I understood no words that were sung. Elysa and Scarlet were writing on the wall words I presumed to be lyrics of the singing.

While I did not understand the words sung, the music transported me, on a Sunday evening, in downtown Singapore, to a space on this island that seemed familiar and yet was not so. The music was slow in pace, non dramatic in tone. The players and singers were dressed like ordinary folks. They did not seem to be performing an act, but more like having a relaxing entertainment after a long day of work and a satisfying dinner. The songs must have been sung a zillion time but tonight was like any other nights that they had to be sung, since people were gathered together after dinner. It seemed that way to me.

Elysa and Scarlet created some movement pieces while the music and singing went on. The movement pieces were so restrained, appeared to minimize any distraction or alteration to the slow music.

At the end of all the singing and music, stools were put on stage and the production team gathered. Let’s watch a show, Elysa exclaimed. A montage of all the moments captured by the photographer before the show started and during the show flashed in front of us accompanied by singing of 水调歌头. That encapsulated the whole evening which was quite succinctly reflected by the Chinese title of the performance – 相聚一刻 (together for a moment).

The photographer, I was told later by Elysa, is a filmmaker (Lei Yuan Bin 雷远彬).

A slow, seemingly ordinary, yet fast disappearing evening in our break neck pacing society. A reminder of an alternative to how life could be.

我出席了于1月28日晚上进行的最后一场演出。

这是本地华语剧场近年来少有的精彩之作啊。观后，我如是想。

舞台（黄志伟）、音效（Darren Ng)、灯光（林菀雯）设计师都交出了水准之作。所选择的翻译文本以及某些词汇都减低了翻译剧本不可避免的异质感，达到相当顺畅和口语化 － 这点除了因为演员们拥有厚实的语文操控能力外，更重要的是对人物说话的背后动机的清楚掌握。

当然，这不是满分之作。好几场戏出现了忘词现象，影响了戏的推展。对于一些经典剧本拥护者，这也许是不可原谅的过失。但长达两个小时没有中场休息的演出，让我目不转睛忘了时间流逝，演员们的演出绝对是观众的享受。

我也决定去找剧本原文来读。这是我常常用来衡量我有否被一场演出打动的温度计。

燊杰也提到寻找本地华语剧场资深演员的挑战。一些曾经引领风骚的演员都转换了跑道，要将他们重新召集一起，也非易事。

所以，怕的不是经典剧本。

怕的是有多少人能把这条路一直向前走。

As I walked into a fully occupied cinema hall on a weekday afternoon, even though it was not the one with the largest capacity in the cinema multiplex, there was no doubt that I was not alone in the reason to catch this movie.

After the show, I tweeted ‘一泡而红 #AlreadyFamous 是绝对诚意之作，且极富巧思。喜欢结尾的处理。’ (Already Famous is a sincere piece of work with some nice thoughts. Like the ending.).

Hence I was quite amused to be sitting next to a few local film makers some days later and hearing their fierce criticisms on this film. Some of the points I picked up:-

1. Story line was formulaic and not funny

2. Age difference between two leading casts is too obvious

3. Michelle did not give herself a role to showcase her talent enough

4. The directorial language is still more TV like than movie

I found myself not disagreeing with their views. Yet, I still stand by my tweet.

I stepped into the cinema with a frame of mind that I was going to watch a ‘local mass market’ movie by a theatre-turned-TV-turned-movie-artist, not forgetting this was her directorial debut (and possibly screen play debut). Having involved in two local productions in the past, I am guilty of having a lower expectation and benchmark when deciding on watching local movies (whether positioned as mass market or artistic).

But I was also genuinely touched by the movie when watching it, despite all the shortcomings. The writing while formulaic, did not feel forced. Being a Malaysian by birth, I could identify with the scenes set in Malaysia a lot. The actings were delivered mostly true to the characters (except for some caricature portrayals of Singapore entertainment circle). And the ending showed me the auteur in Chong.

In the chat with the local film makers, many bemoaned the disappointment that Chong did not capitalize on her popularity to create a piece of work which would bring her followers to a new level of film appreciation – instead she chose to create one that appeals to the current taste.

I am not sure if I can expect that from any film makers. But that would certainly set Chong ahead of other TV-Celebreties-turned-movie-artists in Singapore, if she is to do that with her next film effort.

If The Noose is a good indication of what Chong is capable of doing, then we can be hopeful that her next film work will not be Already Famous 2.

At time it is because there are too many fond memories of the past. Other time, it is probably because we have fear of the unknown future. As illustrated by two recent performances.

The first was a local Chinese musical entitled Remember To Say Goodbye (记得说再见). A musical largely based on, and probably written for, the journey of a local music production house/cafe – TCR Music (弹唱人).

The songs? Most are from the era of XinYao 新谣 (in the 80s) with some newly written songs and  a few Taiwanese MinYao民谣 (songs written by young people in Taiwan, mostly students during 70s – which inspired the XinYao era in Singapore).

The story? Coming-of-age journey of three close friends who formed a XinYao group in the school. One of them left for Taiwan to pursue his music career but back eventually when it failed to take off.

The audience? I attended a matinee show on a Saturday afternoon in Esplanade Theatre. I estimated a near 70% house – which would be considered a great success. Based on the facial expression and words after the show, many were touched.

The performance? Not unlike another local musical on Xin Yao – If There’s Seasons天冷就回来 , what most audience will take home with them from the performance are the warm revisions of the songs they grew up with. Not the story. Not the acting. Not the characters. In other words, just the songs.

When the character journeys are generic and interchangeable (i.e., if you interchange the story of any characters and the play still goes on), or if you feel the storyline is heading no where and yet it is still no ending, you know that they are there to allow more songs to be sung. One might wonder why not have a concert instead.

That’s not to say that the story of the XinYao pioneers are not worth telling in a theatrical form. Quite the opposite. But letting nostalgia takes the centre stage, regardless of how many good songs and great singing packed in, does not make the story telling compelling. Saying too much, sometime, is not telling enough.

(PS. I strongly suspect this writer’s view is biased because he did not get to hear the one song he wanted to hear the most – 唇边的笑意).

The second performance is Gemuk Girls by The Necessary Stage.

It is not everyday that one would come across a play that not only is strongly written, but equally strong in performance.

For people familiar with Gilmore Girls,  Aidli ‘Alin’ Mosbit and Siti Khalijah bounced off each other rapid and witty lines similar to the TV characters. The fact that they were doing it live just add another notch to the wow factor.

But the similarities with the TV show ends there.

The playwright chooses a subject that is certainly not TV friendly; a subject that started in the past and continues to haunt those affected while (probably) ignored/forgotten by the great majority of the members of this society – Internal Security Act (ISA).

And among the story telling of how the character grandfather was detained under ISA and its impact to the rest of the family, the playwright gives Siti’s character (the grand daughter) some frank, loud and clear arguments against the use of ISA. So frank and in-your-face are the arguments that I stopped and wondered if the audience  were caught surprised (or even shocked). But putting this performance along with the fact that an ex-detainee (Teo Soh Lung) had contested in the recent General Election as well as publishing a book detailing her detention, I begin to see these as efforts to bid farewell to not just a past but also very much a presence of ours. However, for a nation whose majority have been taught to believe that the society has been made safe by the ISA, expect this goodbye to be an even more difficult one to wave.

As for emotional depth that the cast delivered, it made me want to read the script and watch the play all over again. That is what good actings do to you – they make great writing desirable.

Having had a chance to listen to the chat between my friends and the director Ali Zaidi, as well as the museum curator who brought in this show, I decided that I did like the performance of Journeys of Love and More Love by motiroti (UK) … as a museum piece.

Maybe it was because I have been watching many conventional theatre productions or film festival entries in the Gallery Theatre of National Museum, I found myself approaching this performance piece with no difference.

Story of a multi generation migration was unfolded through real life photos of Zaidi and family, accompanied by his narration. This was interluded with three plates of fusion food, recipe by Zaidi and prepared with a local chef.

The food was tasty and refreshing. The music, exotic. And Zaidi’s narration, soothing. The audience were polite, whether in passing the food around the table or responding to the story unfolded in front of us.

In other words, there was no dramatic climax or pacing in the performance. Even for the last story about the conversation Zaidi, a Muslim, had with a Hindu taxi driver on his way to Mumbai airport – one that started with a religious confrontation and ended with a hinted human utopia, was also narrated in an undramatic tone.

So in the end it did take me quite a while to realize that I had experienced a chapter of human migration, unearthed, installed and deliciously presented in a museum. I was not a theatre audience, but a museum patron.

That was some great entree for the museum.

I’m not sure if it is a derivative from Apple’s ‘Think Different’ slogan, but from the many negative comments I read on the internet with regards to issues encountered (e.g. numerous cancellation/postponement of films, change of venues, quality of film copy), it has uncandidly fulfilled its slogan.

The fact that I could not get hold of a programme booklet from Sistic counters until the festival has started had made me lowered the expectation on the organization and attendence of this years festival. In addition to this, as well as partially due to difficulty in pre-determining whether I would be in town during the festival period, resulted me in choosing a different tactic:- I would just turn up at the various venue and buy tickets at the door to whichever shows that are being screened (and still available).

That turned out to be fine for me, in terms of not getting too much disappointment. In fact, many pleasant surprises to the shows I managed to catch.

1. Saha (The Precinct), Azerbajian 2010 – a you-can’t-run-away-from-your-past tale told in a strange tongue (to me). It has an exotic sense of humor (to me). An enjoyable watch on a Saturday morning at Arts House with less than 10 audience.

2. Little Ghostly Adventures of the Tofu Boy, Japan 2011 – Japan’s answer to Monster Inc. In 3-D! Love the Japanese touch of monsters and the adventures in 3-D.

3. Pina, Germany 2010 – I was told at the door that one last ticket was left. I consider that as one of the biggest blessings in my life, to be able to catch this unforgettable document on Pina in 3-D. That is as close to an actual performance by a legendary choreographer who refused to perform in Singapore due to our ‘lack of respect for artists’. If this documentary ever come to a cinema near you, do not hesitate.

4. Matching Jack, Australia 2010 – I caught this because the other show (Bunny And The Bull, UK 2009) which I intended to catch was postponed. A very touching story about two children fighting terminal illness. Great performance from cast, especially the young actors. What was even more touching for me was the post screening talk with director Nadia Tass. She shared with the audience the hard decision of forgoing the film production via Hollywood studio in exchange for artistic integrity, for this film.

5. Snabba Cash (Easy Money), Sweden 2010 – if you enjoy Scandinavia film, you will enjoy this. A rather main stream movie but made with typical sleek ness that one can find in many Scandinavian products, such as furniture.

6. Abel, USA 2010 – I have seen this listed on the Singapore Airline inflight entertainment programme many times but never actually tuned into it. A proper cinema environment proved to be a more inviting premise to enjoy a strangely moving tale of a young child who decided to fill the big shoes of an absent father figure.

7. Super, USA 2010 – I have read about this movie before and was glad to have caught it eventually. When ordinary people try to play super heroes … it has a dark and at times twisted humor played on the super hero genre films. Much to ponder about but not for the weak hearted though (but a good one to end my 3-movies-day after Easy Money and Abel).

8. Hell and Back Again, UK/USA 2011 – How real can a civilian living in a peaceful island (read: me) get to know about a war and its impact? Through a documentary by a photojournalist who followed a troop through an actual war, and subsequently followed an injured soldier back to his hometown to document his (attempt) recovery. One of the precious find in this festival, for me.

9. Hi-So, Thailand 2010 – Thanks to Eva who FB me the evening prior to the screening of Hi-So, I ended up catching this gem. Nothing epic about this tale of two relationships of a Thai film star who returned from USA. No big statements announced nor message forced. Yet, the impact of globalization on modern human relationship was illustrated beautifully via the eye-candy casts.

10. Donor Unknown, UK 2010 – An enjoyable documentary to end my second 3-movies-day and this festival for me. Interesting topic and interesting case presented.

In the end, I did enjoy this year’s film festival.

How would you like to spend HKD500 per night for a boutique hotel room within walking distance of MTR station in central area of Hongkong island, surrounded by great food choices, which also promises true experience of Hongkong living?

It is a steal! But it is not for everyone, based on the comments I read on the internet about Mingle By the Park in Wanchai.

You need to travel light – there is no lift in this 7 storeys refurbished building.

It would help if you are not claustrophobic. Then again, unless you are paying for business traveler hotel chains, most reasonably priced boutique hotels in HK have innovative ways of optimising the use of space. That to me, is a key essence of Hongkong living (having visited a number of friends apartments there).

I stopped over for one night in end Aug, which might be a low season (is there such a thing for HK?). The smallest room, Lite (‘A room with character. Live like it was in the 1960 — when people squeezed an entire family into a space like this!’ – on the hotel website), asked for HKD 500 per night. I went for a little ‘luxury’ – HKD 650 for a queen size bed room.

The room was literally a queen size bed room – not much bigger than a queen size bed, that is. A queen size bed stretched from window to approximately 2 meter from the entrance. Between the bed and entrance, they managed to squeeze in a work table of one (average) body width (I appreciated my Macbook air 11 inch more) and a toilet/shower.

But with approximately 5 minute walk from Wanchai MTR station, 10 minute walk to The Pawn (an old building refurbished into a Pub restaurant), and a great Char Siew restaurant nearby, this is a great find for a one night stop – just check in and leave the luggage in the room, a quick shower maybe, and plenty of choices on what to do, with or without a MTR ride.

And at the end of the night, rest yourself in this 1960′s ambience room and rocked into sleep (and out of it) by the traffic sound outside the window.

Truly Hongkong.

Unlike other forum theatre performances that Dramabox presented before – in which Dramabox work with professional cast to craft and present an anti-model for engaging public in the forum theatre process, the anti-models of This Is Home? were crafted and presented by the public who participated in a three-day workshop.

As the facilitators, Hui Ling and Kenneth explained that instead of choosing just one anti-model for the forum theatre process, the outcome of the workshop was so varied that they compel all of them to be presented.

Not only was this forum theatre performance interesting in the sense of inducing the public into the early step of the process, i.e. creating of anti-model via workshop, the composition of workshop participants are exciting too. While the aim of the workshop is to discourse on the meaning of Singapore as a home, the participants include both Singaporean and non-Singaporean residents. In other words, anyone who are interested to make Singapore, home.

Five pieces were presented:-

1. A group of Singapore undergraduates protested against tuition fee hike, resulting in one of them being expelled.

2. A Singapore worker tried to build bonding between his colleagues who migrated from India and China, to no avail.

3. A student migrated from PRC to Singapore, ran into multiple issues with school, landlord and unfriendly local parents.

4. A Belgian who came to Singapore due to economic difficulties back home. He managed to find a job but could not find a way to connect with the local colleagues socially.

5. A Singapore student tried to encourage his peers to sing national anthem during school assembly but was rejected and teased.

Judging from the response of the audience, it was a pity that there was only time to allow audience intervention on the last piece. The audience are as diverse as the participants who presented the 5 pieces, in terms of race, age and nationalities. So were their views. One mentioned that judging from the online forum, there seemed to be greater resentment against PRC and India immigrants while less on the westerner, among Singaporean. Another mentioned that she seemed to be more lucky compared to the anti-model she was watching, in meeting many warm hearted locals for the years she has been living in Singapore.

And then there were some responses simmering in the audience but not put forward for forum – while the piece on Belgian working in Singapore was being performed (with a Belgian on stage), I could hear a local young audience standing not far from me constantly hissing lowly: go home! go home!

For me, it was a precious occasion where people can freely exchange views on an increasingly hotly debated national agenda, that of foreign immigrants. A young Singaporean audience gave a line which summarize the evening for me. In responding to the last piece on getting young generation to sing national anthem, she pointed out that to her and her peers, singing national anthem or national day songs akin to more of a show than real feeling. The real question to ask, she said, is Where Is The Love?

I suspect that was the question on the mind of everyone present, Singaporean or not.

(Note: This blogger is an Associate Artist and Board Member of Dramabox)

Because even though the play is so uniquely Singapore (in all true sense), its existence is not to be taken for granted.

Because it is one of the most honest local writing in a long while … I suspect for a long time to come as well. And in a country where many issues have not been discoursed in the public domain (until the emergence of social media), honesty equals dare.

The play is set in an army camp during a Chinese New Year when two shooting occurred resulting in death of a Chinese corporal and a Malay store man. The investigation spearheaded subsequently by a Eurasian officer through a series of interrogations on an Indian duty sergeant and fellow Malay corporals revealed plenty lies, and even more versions of truth, which begs the question:- in our relentless quest to achieve racial harmony, have our society become even more racist?

It is a play not to be missed, if you really care about what Singapore is facing … and if it is being restaged again. Failing which, you can get to read the script in a newly published collection of Tze Chien’s play. Though some uneven performance made the playwright’s voice louder than the character’s, the play never lost a moment of attentive engagement from this audience.

That’s what i call a strong writing.