Note: This photo was taken by my mother and was posted on her blog (http://singtatter-corner.blogspot.com/)
Some may find the plot slow or mundane, but I felt that the play was effective in communicating its plot to the audience. As this play includes only one actor, the success of the production lies very much in how the costumes, gestures, words, props, lights and sounds are utilised to create the atmosphere and tone the director wants to create. The play narrates the downfall of the matriarch who dominates the household when her son, Richard, committed suicide and her husband estranged from her and lived in his mistress's house. Overall, I felt that the plot was self-sustaining and effectively evokes feelings of sadness and empathy in the audience.
Cross-dressing, as part of this production, poses a huge challenge to Ivan as it is not easy to act as a character of the opposite gender. He had to imitate the posture, tone and gestures of specifically a nyonya matriarch, all of which were done flawlessly, in complement to the make-up (everything from lipstick, eye liner to blusher) and the different costumes which included a kebeya that was hand sewn. The choice of the earrings, rings, diamond bracelets, necklace and the hand beaded slippers were carefully made to match the era in which the play is set in. One is amazed to know how striking the actor resembles an actual nyonya.
For Ivan to fit into his role, he had to sing a few traditional folk songs, which required good vocal chords in order for the role to sink into the audience's mind. His tone had to change according to the story, from one of anxiety, contentment, grief, despair, pretence to nostalgia, as well as the posture, gestures and facial expressions "transformed" and shaped how Emily's character changed with the passing of events. The volume of his voice also rose and fell with the development of events. For example, when Emily visited Salisbury to persuade Richard to give up working in the ranch, Emily's body and facial expressions were intense and her tone was full of anxiety as she wanted her child to have a bright future ahead. Though Richard was an "imaginary character" in the eyes of the audience, Emily's acting allowed us to visualise the character and how he would respond to Emily's pleas. Throughout the whole play, it was evident that we see and view the numerous characters whom we view as antagonists and side characters in the eyes of Emily. The strange thing is that from Emily's words and expressions, we are able to view Emily in the perspective of the other imaginary characters as well. This can only be attributed to the superb acting of Ivan in the role of Emily.
Out of all the elements in this play, I felt that the most significant one was the initial and final scene, in which the set was made up of a white box of telescoping frames. A slow melody was then played as Emily danced slowly and gracefully back to the door at the back of the stage, which was precisely how she entered the stage at the beginning of the play. As the two scenes are open to interpretation, I felt that the director wanted to convey the message that the story of Emily as a nyonya has long been "frozen" in time as this heritage of the Peranakans is an untold story that has long been forgotten by Singaporeans today. It is only through these books and plays that have been written that we are able to slowly unfold this heritage and appreciate the rich culture and heritage of the Peranakans.
As a personal reflection, I pondered over how theatre, in this case the production, Emily of Emerald Hill, is able to impart to the audience moral values and lessons, as well as the way of life and history of the Peranakans through a different and innovative way. In this production, theatre is able span across the fields of Literature, History and Performing Arts (Music & Dance). Elements of theatre were also effectual in conveying the different developments of the story to the audience.
Last of all, I would like to share a quote:
"A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water."
- Eleanor Roosevelt
Resources:
How to Write a Theatre Play Review. (25/3/2010). Retrieved from http://www.docstoc.com/docs/31359112/How-to-Write-a-Theatre-Play-Review
Play Review. (2009). Retrieved from http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/PlaWriting.html
Writing a Play Review. Retrieved from http://www.smu.ca/academic/writingcentre/documents/WritingaPlayReview.pdf
Emily of Emerald Hill. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.wildrice.com.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=203&Itemid=205
W!LD RICE. (2011). Emily of Emerald Hill programme booklet. Singapore: Allegro Print.
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