Jessinta Cheng
A lone figure stands in the centre of the stage, on a perch high above the stage. She stands there alone, unmoving. Water drips on her constantly. She stays there for the entire play, representing the reflective memories of the characters.
The lights dims, and 4 figures slips onto the stage. Music by The Observatory starts playing, and the figures begin swaying, drifting.
Directed by the award-winning director Kok Heng Leun, Drift: The Play, is a collaboration between Singapore’s Drama Box (???) and the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre (????????), commissioned for the Singapore Season 2007 and the ongoing season of the Singapore Arts Festival.
Drift Off
An old man, Wen De (??), has taken photographs of the same house and same time everyday for 40 years due to a promise he made to reunite with his wife. She left for Shanghai 40 years ago to escape arrest, and he still pines for her.
Collapsing one day, he’s sent to the hospital by Yin Ling (??), a study mama who has lost her job and her daughter, Yun Yun (??), has been missing for a few days.
In the hospital, they find a connection when Wen De awakens. UrbanWire could sense their wonderment as they found that connection, as light, happy music played while ever-changing bright lights was shown in the background. Wen De’s daughter, Hui Ying (??), then visits him and her contempt of China women is revealed.
The Stories Unfold
The story switches to that of Hui Ying, and her husband Victor. He has a mistress in China, Qian Qian (??). She demands a divorce, refusing to suffer any more, while her husband refuses, wanting to be in control of her and the marriage.
Longing
The story of Chang Ming (??), Wen De’s father, and the prostitute seems to unfold in a dream, yet might only exist in Wen De’s memories. Set around the time of the Japanese Occupation, it tells of Chang Ming’s devotion to the prostitute. Even though he married another women, he still comes back for her.
At this point, you can’t help but pity the prostitute. All she longs for is someone to care for her and not just her body, yet that’s never fulfilled because Chang Ming is killed just before they can get together.
After Yin Ling finds Yun Yun, they leave for Shanghai as the latter wants a place where she won’t faced discrimination.. Wen De soon visits Shanghai, in hopes of fulfilling the promise he made to his wife 40 years ago.
They meet in Shanghai, one longing for acceptance, the other longing for a reunion with his wife.
Nowhere They Belong
When the developers came to force Yun Yun and Yin Ning to sell their restaurant Yun Yun told her mother that they are despised everywhere, and her home country was no different. There was no need to hang onto the restaurant, as they are still despised despite being native Shanghainese.
Victor chose money and career over his family, leaving Gerald crushed and determined to be a loner. “Maybe all journeys are to be taken alone,” he said,.
UrbanWire could sense that they belonged nowhere, and the palpable sadness in both the characters.
At The End of It All
Towards the end, a few of the characters lost control completely. Wen De didn’t manage to fulfil the promise to his wife, and returns home dejected, falling sicker each day. One day, he dies. Some part of him is left behind, as his silhouette is left on the screen in the background when he walks away.
Victor goes to China after filing for divorce, and looks for Qian Qian, seeking company. Frantic, he wants to possess her, as he now has no career and no family. When she tells him that she has a husband, who turns a blind eye to her affair but whom she loves, he tries to win her over. She laughs in response, rejecting him. He loses control, smashing her head with a stone.
Your heart starts pounding because you don’t know what he’s going to do next. His emotions are unstable, and his behaviour erratic.
At this point, he gets into a car and speeds off. When the car was moving at breakneck speed, he tries to drift. Time seems to slow down. He then sees Wen De, and abruptly dies when his car crashes.
At the very end, an old Shanghainese man brings the ashes of Wen De’s wife back to Hui Ying. As they scatter her ashes into the ocean, they wonder where will the ocean carry her ashes.
The cast then sway on the spot, with music playing in the background as it ends.
UrbanWire’s Verdict
The lights, music and acting came together to bring a disconcerting sense of being set adrift, like trees would without roots.
The stories of the characters were unfolded in fragments, giving UrbanWire a sense of “drifting” from one person to another.
The music was touching and very fitting, elevating the play to a deeper level. It was a little disconcerting at first, with it being slightly eerie, but as you watch the play, it all fits. It evokes that longing in you, as if you are trying to find hope while lost in the world.
The actors portrayed their roles very convincingly, even though they had to switch very quickly between characters. The characters have their own personality, which helped in identifying them when their roles changed.
UrbanWire would also like to applaud Patricia Toh, the thespian who stood on the platform throughout the whole show without moving, for her incredible endurance. Her role adds an extra dimension to the play, and gives you something else to think about.
Audience Reaction
However, some members of the audience were struggling to grasp the message in the play.
Student Lim Hui Ting felt that it was very confusing. “It goes back and forth, with no semblance of an order. I can’t really understand it.”
You Wei, who was there with his friend, feels the same. “I couldn’t catch the switches in stories and timelines”, he says. He then concurs saying, “Looking at the title and concept of the play though, I think it does bring across the message.”
On the other hand, Ng Ken Kern, who’s waiting for National Service enlistment, feels the theme of Drift: The Play acutely. “The sense of isolation and being lost in this urbanised world could be felt through the fragmented stories and quick shifts in time,” he says.
Photos are courtesy of Drama Box .
This article is part of UrbanWire’s 9-week Singapore Arts Festival 2008 special. Get all the latest Arts Fest updates and reviews on UrbanWire.