Very bold, very raw and very well executed. The synopsis reads, “A man stabs an MP at a Meet the People Session. But this is not their story.” Indeed. The play talks of three women linked directly and indirectly to the MP. The Chinese-educated wife, the Indonesian maid lover of the stabber, and the Peranakan employer of this maid. Three women crying out for power, citizenship and closure. Three women’s fate sealed by men by themselves.
My favourite line from the play from one of the women, Wendy. She says, “I speak English because I CAN”. Nothing reveals the power differential in modern Singapore as much as the power to wield English in the face of those who can’t. Despite being quad-lingual, Wendy exerts her power through English. The language we thought was supposed to bind us, to level the playing field for our children, to neutralize racial differences. No true.
Mrs Chua asserts – one day Singapore will be the capital of China. Tongue-in-cheek humour but not entirely untrue. She asserts – Chinese should be made compulsory for all citizens and immgirants. A bold assertion not entirely untrue either. It’s slowly playing out in our daily lives the importance of Mandarin. One day, perhaps?
Four languages used in the play, I understood three. There were sur-titles flashed atop; did it affect the theatrical experience? I’d say yes. Reading the sur-titles took our eyes away from the action’; slow readers miss out nuances entirely. The Francophone next to me were lost when certain parts were not sur-titled. The Singaporeans in the crowd celebrated our Singaporeanness unknowingly through such exclusions. Intentional? I don’t know.
It’s a pity this play is sold out – pity because no matter how much I plug this event, you can’t go unless you already have tickets. But I congratulate The Necessary Stage for the sold-out performances. Oh, but you can still get tickets for “Those Who Can’t, Teach” that will be staged as part of the Singapore Arts Festival (SAF) in May. For more information on that show, you can go to the SAF website or Sistic. I’ve already gotten my ticket.
Model Citizens
Very bold, very raw and very well executed. The synopsis reads, “A man stabs an MP at a Meet the People Session. But this is not their story.” Indeed. The play talks of three women linked directly and indirectly to the MP. The Chinese-educated wife, the Indonesian maid lover of the stabber, and the Peranakan employer of this maid. Three women crying out for power, citizenship and closure. Three women’s fate sealed by men by themselves.
My favourite line from the play from one of the women, Wendy. She says, “I speak English because I CAN”. Nothing reveals the power differential in modern Singapore as much as the power to wield English in the face of those who can’t. Despite being quad-lingual, Wendy exerts her power through English. The language we thought was supposed to bind us, to level the playing field for our children, to neutralize racial differences. No true.
Mrs Chua asserts – one day Singapore will be the capital of China. Tongue-in-cheek humour but not entirely untrue. She asserts – Chinese should be made compulsory for all citizens and immgirants. A bold assertion not entirely untrue either. It’s slowly playing out in our daily lives the importance of Mandarin. One day, perhaps?
Four languages used in the play, I understood three. There were sur-titles flashed atop; did it affect the theatrical experience? I’d say yes. Reading the sur-titles took our eyes away from the action’; slow readers miss out nuances entirely. The Francophone next to me were lost when certain parts were not sur-titled. The Singaporeans in the crowd celebrated our Singaporeanness unknowingly through such exclusions. Intentional? I don’t know.
It’s a pity this play is sold out – pity because no matter how much I plug this event, you can’t go unless you already have tickets. But I congratulate The Necessary Stage for the sold-out performances. Oh, but you can still get tickets for “Those Who Can’t, Teach” that will be staged as part of the Singapore Arts Festival (SAF) in May. For more information on that show, you can go to the SAF website or Sistic. I’ve already gotten my ticket.