It is easy
to forget that the hottest ticket in town used to be one for a wayang
performance, and precious few remain enchanted by the regal dance and
lyric of Hokkien street opera. But as traditional wayang languishes,
a snazzy yet poignant evocation of its heyday thrives on the modern
stage.
Based on the Hokkien street opera of the same name, Titoudao
charts the rags-to-riches story of a loyal servant (Pam Oei) to Ti Boon
Long (Sebastian Tan), an impoverished scholar in ancient China. The
latter is left penniless in the wake of a family bankruptcy, and asks
his betrothed, the snooty, materialistic Teng Lay Qiao (Chua Enlai)
to lend him money for the upcoming imperial examination. Unsurprisingly,
his efforts are in vain, and it is Lay Qiao's benevolent stepsister
Swee Lian (Judy Tan) who comes to his aid. With the help of his loyal
servant and a lucky encounter with the Emperor (Beatrice Chia-Richmond),
his fortune and position in society are restored.
Titoudao intersperses these opera sequences with the life
story of writer/director Goh Boon Teck's mother and wayang legend, Mdm
Oon Ah Chiam. Essentially, there is nothing about Oon's rags-to-riches
story we haven't already heard. This feisty lady weathers gender inequality,
an impoverished childhood, abandonment and a stagnant marriage to emerge
as one of wayang's most iconic figures. Under Goh's inspired direction
the play casts aside such clichéd heroics, weaving an intriguing
tale of not only Mdm Oon's past, but also of backstage life and
everyday existences in Singapore half a century ago.
Central to Titoudao is the inimitable Pam Oei, who handles
Mdm Oon's multiple roles in life with aplomb. Her boundless energy onstage
belies her stature: she switches from spunky Ah Chiam complete with
faux ponytails to weary housewife to a hunched Mdm Oon accepting wayang's
sudden decline with admirable stoicism. But Oei's rendition of Mdm Oon's
life is also touched with warmth, restraint and true delicacy of feeling.
In one of Titoudao's most poignant scenes, Ah Chiam comforts
her little sister Ah Dui in the dark, unfamiliar confines of a wayang
troupe's residence after their father abandons them. Oei's Ah Chiam
dials down her typical loudness to ask for her sister's autograph in
a teasing whisper, giggling lightly before embracing her. It is a wonderfully
funny and tender moment and leaves a warm afterglow.
Given Oei's talent for capturing the audience's imagination every time
she is onstage, it is tempting to elevate Mdm Oon's character to that
of a heroine; a woman that single-handedly tackles some of life's most
brutal obstacles. Fortunately, Goh avoids such facile self-absorption,
acknowledging that Mdm Oon's life is typical of a period where community
was not so much essential as it was inescapable. Large families, housing
shortages and poverty meant that many Singaporeans - often too many
- had to live in cramped quarters. It is natural then that communal
living exerts a significant influence on Mdm Oon's life, and many
other characters - be they the wayang troupe, her spineless husband
or her motley crew of siblings - share in her griefs and joys.
Aided by a winning cast, Goh illustrates this beautifully in Titoudao's
ensemble moments. In a riveting snapshot of Mdm Oon's childhood, Ah
Chiam leads her siblings to a family plantation, where they engage in
round after round of good-natured bullying, banter and roughhouse. The
cohesive and finely balanced cast provides appropriate foils to Pam
Oei's loud, assertive character, deftly capturing the sense of community
inherent in the 50s and 60s.
Beneath Titoudao's casual artlessness is also a surprisingly
deep and honest examination of acting. A scene where Mdm Oon and reluctant
members of a wayang troupe audition for roles in an upcoming opera is
tinged with an amusing, if not wry, shade of realism: As each member
warbles the lyrics and goes off-key, acting is revealed to be just another
job, stripped of its glamour, art and skill.
Mdm Oon's final monologue provides a meaningful counterpoint to this
prosaic treatment of the craft. She claims acting to be "an addiction":
on stage, all "her worry and problem disappear". These expressions
are all too familiar, but uttered with such sincerity and conviction
that you can only believe her wholeheartedly.
Aside from the rags-to-riches parallel that runs through both narratives,
the dramatic purpose of weaving scenes from the opera Titoudao
into Mdm Oon's life story is not clear. While this opera might have
been crucial to Mdm Oon's success as a wayang actress, there is little
in it that is apposite to the central themes of the play. Also, some
of these opera sequences were poorly executed, further detracting from
Titoudao's focus. While the play does not set out to be an
incisive study of this precise and difficult art, these sequences could
have used a few more rehearsals and better training.
The cast's unfamiliarity with Hokkien is chief among the problems that
affect Goh's adaptation of the opera. While they do not flub lines or
make obvious errors, the predominantly English-speaking and -performing
actors struggle to grasp the nuances of the dialect. At times, awkward
pace and intonation take their toll.
Shoddy vocals also mar Goh's adaptation of the opera. Judy Tan in particular
seems ill suited for one of the opera's key singing roles, and her scene
partners frequently drown out her threadbare vocals. With neither vocal
power nor prowess, Tan's portrayal of Teng Swee Lian robs her of her
subtle indignation and moral courage and turns her into a shy, forgettable
girl next door.
Even if it did tend to stall sometimes, Titoudao sparkles
with clear ideas about art and life not only in the 50s and 60s, but
also in present times. In paying homage to Mdm Oon's life, Titoudao
is also a sentimental tribute to the fortitude of those devoted to theatre.
It is a celebration of the stage, demonstrating the value of a theatrical
sensibility to both art and life. Different modes of theatre may wax
and wane, but one cannot deny, especially after watching Titoudao,
the timelessness of theatre's gift.
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"Titoudao sparkles with clear ideas about art and life
not only in the 50s and 60s, but also in present times"
Credits
Cast: Pam Oei, Beatrice Chia-Richmond, Sebastian Tan,
Karen Tan, Chua Enlai, Aidli "Alin" Mosbit, Gordon Choy and
Judy Tan
Playwright and Director: Goh Boon Teck
Choreographer: Gordon Choy
Opera Instructors: Tan Li Qi and Gwee Lay Hwa
Set Designer: Wong Chee Wai
Lighting Designer: Dorothy Png
Costume Designer: Moe Kasim
Wig & Hair Designer: Ashley Lim
Makeup Designer: Beno Lim
Musician: Johnson Yee
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From: The Editor (matthewlyon@myway.com / Thursday, March 29, 2007 at 22:02:04)
Got anything to say about the review or the production? Click the button above to let us know.
From: Ng Yi-Sheng (ng.yisheng@gmail.com / Friday, March 30, 2007 at 04:28:45)
Pleased to report that after a month of performances, the show I just watched (Thursday 29th) featured rather smooth, if imperfect, renditions of Hokkien lines and operatic vocals - movement was on occasion a little dodgy, but this seemed to befit a recreation of opera rather than an opera per se.According to the box office, in fact, of the whole cast, only Sebastian Tan speaks Hokkien. Was rather amused to attend a party where Chua Enlai entered, sweaty from the greasepaint, saying that the show had gone well, but he still wishes someone would tell him what it all meant.
From: aliya (black_cat91@hotmail.com / Sunday, April 15, 2007 at 17:18:45)
SPOT ON! i loved Titoudao and i think this review mirrors my feeligns :) Wonderful !
From: Nasyitah Thara Tan (tan_wah_ling@moe.edu.sg / Sunday, April 22, 2007 at 19:42:50)
I watched the matinee performance on 30th March and like the reviewer, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The actors were skilled, the direction was inspiring and the production aspects were magical. Though some actors are clearly stronger than the others, the ensemble supported one another well. I am no expert in Hokkien Opera so I can't comment on the way the lines are sang but I agree that some movements are executed rather unconvincingly. In fact, I found the Emperor played by Beatrice Chia the most disturbing of all. One question that I asked was also the link between the story of the opera and the story of Mdm Oon.
Regardless, I think Titoudao is still one of the MUST-Watch Singaporean theatre pieces.
From: Deanne (deanne.tan@gmail.com / Monday, April 23, 2007 at 22:46:11)
Would like to add my appreciation for the fine production. However, I found it inexplicable that English subtitles were provided during the sung Hokkien numbers, but none were provided during the scenes involving spoken Mandarin/dialect. While this didn't appear to be a deterrent to the handfull of non-Chinese audience members I spotted, perhaps an effort to provide full subtitling of all non-English dialogue would be a nice gesture and a way to reach out to a larger audience.
From: Bernice (bernicehuang.wq@gmail.com / Monday, April 30, 2007 at 23:55:34)
Would attribute my linguistic limitations to not being able to fully appreciate the play; suspect much humour lay in the nuances of the Hokkien dialect (everyone seemed to laugh after each sentence while yours truly was absolutely clueless). One big regret, this, and I would say this production added a greater incentive to start picking up my own dialect.
Also, noted the irony of Western-styled theatrical representation of the declining (declined) art of Wayang; attempt by the 'predators' ("my fat lady") to depict the very art form it devoured. Or alternatively, could see it as a tribute.
Loved the set, complete with an on-stage backstage where actors did actual costume change. Enhances authencity, creating a pseudo-Wayang experience for audiences (like yours truly) who have lost all touch with their cultural heritage and the like, with this being one of the first real exposures to Chinese opera (in a Western-styled theatrical setting by non-dialect speaking, Western-theatre trained actors, no less)
I say good theatre not only seeks to lead its audience to question and ponder, it also inspires one into action. And even though I hardly understood the teeniest bit of the play's non-English dialogue, it all inspired (or rather, shamed) me into beginning to seriously (attempt to) learn the declining/declined language of our grandparents.
From: Bernice (bernicehuang.wq@gmail.com / Sunday, July 15, 2007 at 23:36:48)
Gee, I know this comment/review is really backdated, and I hope someone sees this, but I have a little question that I hope someone could answer.
I'm doing some research on Chinese Street Wayang in Singapore, and am using the article 'At Least the Gods are Watching: Street Wayang in Singapore' from the programme booklet of the March 2007 staging of Titoudao, and need to know the authorship of the article. It says "By Janice Koh"; could this be any chance the same Janice Koh, (veteran) actress in the local theatrical scene, involved in the recent productions of Diaspora, Quills, 2003 DBS Life! Best Actress for the lead role of Catherine in 'Proof' by Action Theatre and Best Actress at the 2007 Short & Sweet Festival?
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