Preview: Faghag (2021) by Wild Rice

Pink Dot 2021 may be over, but being a faghag is an all-year affair. And for Pam Oei, dubbed ‘Singapore’s #1 Faghag’, she’s letting her rainbow flag fly high and declaring her love for the gays loud and proud for the whole of July, as Wild Rice’s Faghag returns to theatres from 1st July.

After first premiering at the 2018 Singapore Theatre Festival, Pam Oei’s one-woman show is back at last, after countless delays. Originally slated for the company’s Housewarming Season in July 2019, but postponed due to construction delays at The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre, Faghag was then pushed for release in June 2021. But once again, plans fell through due to the Heightened Alert measures from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But at last, it is time to welcome one of Singapore’s most beloved funnywomen back onstage.

Written by Pam, with music by Julian Wong, Faghag is a story about how Pam came to love the gays. Ever since she was a teen, even before she knew what the term ‘gay’ meant, Pam has always shared a strong affinity with them, and tells it all in this cabaret-style musical show.

Over the course of the show, Pam gets intensely personal with her stories, from coaxing gay boyfriends out of the closet, attending her first gay wedding in 2001, fighting to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code in 2007, and acting as Pink Dot’s Countdown Queen every year. Tackling the many characters she’s met in her life, showcasing personal photos of her best friends and the events she’s been proud to be a part of, get ready to laugh, cry, and be uplifted by these heart-warming tales and blessed to have a friend in Pam.

“We can’t think of a more uplifting show to welcome audiences back to the theatre,” says Ivan Heng, Wild Rice’s Founding Artistic Director, who also directs the production. “Its message of love and hope is one that we need now more than ever.”

Photo Credit: Wild Rice

Faghag runs from 1st to 25th July 2021 at the Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre. Tickets available from SISTIC