Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Something about Melayu

Today I watched 'Something about Melayu' with Angie, Tham, Clem, and Jimmy. It was really good. They covered so many issues about being malay in Singapore. There were a great number of scenes that just killed me with the funniness! Like the Malay Taxi driver, the subconsciously gay malay guy. I can't describe it, i wouldn't do justice to it.

The delivery was amazing. There was this scene where the Mother was talking about her frustrations with her daughther and her useless drunk of a husband, and there was so much emotion, i mean, real emotion, in her voice. I didn't have to look at her, I could just listen.. it was like really listening to someone sharing her troubles with me: for awhile, the stage disappeared and I was right there with the angst-ridden and tired mother, listening to her pour out her heart.

I really wish i understood malay, then i would get the jokes and other parts of the play so much better.

This is probably the best play i've seen in ages...so far there's been nothing quite as genuine, honest, bitingly funny and as refreshing as this play. I guess coz' the actors were working with what they knew, rather than re-enacting some play written by some big-name angmoh playwright from somewhere like America or the UK.

I liked the penultimate line in the play, it went something like, 'you thought this play would be about malays, but actually, it's about Man, who just happens to be Malay.'

So true.

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