★★★★★ Review: Four Horse Road 四马路 (2023) by The Theatre Practice

Short, sharp vignettes from Waterloo Street’s history leave a lasting impact and a desire to go back.

Restagings of theatre productions in Singapore are hard to come by, even more so for complicated works that require extensive logistics and planning. So when The Theatre Practice’s (Practice) previous staging of Four Horse Road was cut short due to the circuit breaker in 2020, it seemed like that was it, and all the effort and resources that went into it gone forever. But with an unwavering sense of determination, a persevering creative team, and enough support garnered, Four Horse Road has returned to the stage this month.

Written by Jonathan Lim, and directed by Kuo Jian Hong, with assistance from Ang Xiao Ting and Isabella Chiam, Four Horse Road is a promenade theatre performance that takes place across two historic buildings – former bungalow Centre 42, and Practice’s own home two doors down. There’s good reason for that, as the production is essentially a tribute to the rich history of the area they’re both located in – Waterloo Street.

While this isn’t the first time we’re watching the show, there’s still an air of anticipation hanging in the registration area, with hazy memories of the previous editions and an eagerness to refresh those again, perhaps even experiencing a couple of new scenes along the way. By now, Practice has made the initial registration a smooth experience for audiences, starting with scanning our ticket, before depositing our bags in a locker, and presenting us with a small pouch to store our valuables. We then queue up with other audience members with the same coloured pouch as we’d received, determining our group, the route and stories we experience for the night, a clear buzz of excitement, with most audience members curious to experience this show for the very first time with no idea what to expect, waiting their turn to enter the building.

As we finally enter, we take a moment to gaze at the entrance of the black box, where just weeks ago, Practice faced a sudden, unexpected fire that threatened to thwart their attempts at this revival. Thankfully, the damage was contained, and the group worked quickly to replace all that was lost. What is left behind however, are scorch marks from the flames, an intentional mark that reminds both the countless creatives working on the show and the audience, that the arts will always survive and live on, against all odds.

Ushered into the black box, we’re greeted by Yeo Lyle, Izzul Irfan and Ebi Shankara warmly welcoming us to the show, and it feels almost like coming home to family, as they explain the history of ‘Four Horse Road’ and its naming convention. While we are all mostly strangers, the trio does a good job of establishing a sense of connection and temporary camaraderie with our fellow audience members, and remind us to help each other translate dialogues in scenes, demonstrating by playing a quick call-and-response game with their various mother tongues. There is a clear message of cooperation and care for each other, as the trio leave us to witness a series of melodramatic and well-filmed trailers building hype for the journey ahead, before we place our trust in silent guides who lead us around the premises for the remainder of the performance.

No matter how many times you’ve seen it, Four Horse Road remains exciting every rewatch, because you never quite know what path you’re going to get, or what combination of stories you’ll experience this time. Weaving in several new scenes alongside reviving classics from their previous editions, anyone visiting Four Horse Road in 2023 is likely to still experience stories and pathways they have yet to encounter. Each scene is distinct, taking place in a complete different year with completely different characters, but sharp-eyed and sensitive audience members will notice recurring actors and certain themes or motifs that seem to repeat across various scenes, creating a strong sense of continuity, and dare we say, almost as if these same spirits and memories haunting these buildings persist across the years, always finding a new way of manifesting in other forms.

The scenes themselves are well-written vignettes, with Jonathan Lim artfully maintaining a strong balance between comedy and tragedy. Each scene is short, sharp and engaging, literally pulling audience members into a brand new story each time and quickly establishing the new cast of characters. All based on actual places and events gleaned from deep research on the area, the sheer variety of stories and genres is a feat in and of itself, from wartime tragedies, to terrifying ghost stories, to a thrilling bus hijack scene, ensuring we’re always kept on our toes for a surprise with each new scene, and somehow, segueing smoothly into each subsequent scenario, no matter how many years apart they’re set.

What that results in then, is a fully integrated experience, buoyed by intense rehearsals and careful, precision-level planning that has gone into this entire production, with so many simultaneous scenes taking place and actors moving quickly to change costumes and inhabit a new character, smooth as clockwork thanks to the work of all the invisible crew members working tirelessly behind the scenes. It often really does feel as if we’re moving through some kind of writhing, ever-changing wormhole of time, where turning a corner will leave us in the middle of the Japanese Occupation, or heading upstairs will hurl us even further back, in a Singapore that is completely governed by the British. Audience members may find themselves fleetingly crossing paths with other groups, and there is something exciting about all of us being on our own unique paths, splitting up only to regroup at the end of the session to share all that we’ve missed with each other.

To go into every single scene would be too much, but based on those that we did see, suffice to say, were both deeply affecting and impactful. What every scene gets so right is the ability to draw out the most genuine of human emotions, rooted in friendship and affection, devastation and loss, or fear and uncertainty. Amidst the more intimate scenes, highlights included ‘The Convict and the Schoolboy’, starring R Chandran and Joel Tan as two unlikely friends on two sides of a prison. Chandran brings a heaviness to his role that makes him seem world-weary, while Joel carries a sprightly, bright-eyed optimism and youth that makes them perfect counterparts. Seah Janice and Lynn Chia also do especially well as two convent schoolgirls in ‘Orang Minyak’, capturing the paranoia from school ghost stories alongside universally relatable teenage angst. In both these scenes, you feel the excitement and fear respectively emanating off these characters, literally so close to the actors that you can see their every movement, and you almost believe that these are actual people from the past standing right in front of you.

Meanwhile, ‘Syce’ remains a taut mystery that deepens the more that is revealed, with almost palpable desperation and fear from Ebi Shankara and Elisha Beston playing a couple with a dangerous secret. Located in a room near Practice’s office space, the space even resembles the morgue the story is set in, as it takes us on a roller-coaster of emotions from start to end, going from curiosity, to suspicion, to fear. Even with the constant switching in and out of characters, every actor remains firmly in their role, every entrance a bang, and with how many layers of lies and deceit there are going on, one appreciates the complexity of performance within a performance.

As for the large scale outdoor scene every route experiences at the end of each half, both ‘Red Light’ and ‘May Blossom’ remain powerful bookends, both starting off light-hearted but quickly turning into something far darker and more thrilling. Because of how we’re seated in a way that mimics actual people watching a show at the red-light district or in a Chinese restaurant, the level of immersion is further heightened, while every single cast member involved in both manage to perfect the timing of their entrances and remain fully involved in the scene, completely embodying their characters and never breaking, in spite of the audience’s presence and the multitude of languages in the air. Both scenes are incredible feats of directing that showcase just how much chemistry this cast have with each other, utilising the large space to its full potential from all angles.

Especially integral to Four Horse Road is the design team that ensures the mood and presentation in every scene is both period-accurate and makes full use of the resources at hand. Set designer Chen Szu-Feng seems to understand that the aim is not to create an exact replica of the space, but to activate the audience’s imagination by inputting just enough set pieces that make it easier for us to believe. Her role is far from easy, as she has to lend design support to almost all of the major spaces and rooms within both buildings, outdoor and indoor, keeping it realistic but not overdone. This works especially well in scenes like ‘Fuji-Go’, where the foyer utilises a ‘stained glass’ window and a coffin to resemble a chapel, or ‘Nantina Home’, where a shrine-like arrangement of sepia-photos gives hints to these old folks’ traumatic pasts.

As for costume designer MAX.TAN, alongside Ashley Lim on hair and The Make Up Room, it’s the little details that are more important than ever, with every audience member in much closer proximity to the cast than in a standard proscenium theatre show, where every detail from hair accessories to stray threads are under close scrutiny – to that end, not a hair is out of place and every outfit is well-maintained. In essence, while the spaces are not necessarily transformed, the design team has done enough to subtly influence our perception of each scene, providing triggers that capitalise on the inherent quality of each space, just enough that we begin to believe that stepping through a doorframe takes us into a completely different environment and period.

In all, every element in every scene comes together to animate every scene, giving us with a curious, lingering feeling of want to find out more. It feels as if each time we drift away to a new room, we remain haunted by the scenes we had previously watched, firmly etched in our minds. Old places and spaces may change, but the state they’re in today is also the result of decades of history built up over time. To that end, third time’s the charm for Four Horse Road, exceeding the quality of both its previous editions, and The Theatre Practice has produced a show that ensures we will never forget the significance of Waterloo Street, and that we think of these stories each time we pass by Bras Basah. The Theatre Practice knows the importance of remembering, and as the actors take their final bows, we think back to the scorch marks deliberately left behind on the black box, a symbol of Four Horse Road‘s incredible journey of rising from the ashes, and emerging stronger and better than ever before.

Photo Credit: Tuckys Photography, courtesy of The Theatre Practice

Four Horse Road plays from 4th August to 3rd September 2023 at The Theatre Practice (54 Waterloo Street). Tickets available here

Production Credits:

Kuo Jian Hong | Director Ang Xiao Ting, Isabella Chiam | Assistant Directors Jonathan Lim | Playwright Cast Al-Matin Yatim, Andrew J Mowatt, Ang Xiao Ting, Benjamin Koh, Cheryl Tan Yun Xin, CHIA, Ebi Shankara, Elisha Beston, Ella Wee, Elle Cheng Li Ling, Hang Qian Chou, Isabella Chiam, Izzul Irfan, Jodi Chan, Joel Tan, Justin Lee, Lynn Chia, Mandy Neo, Meryllyn-Faith Tan, Ng Mun Poh, Niklaus Chia, R Chandran, Seah Janice, Sonya Wong, Wendy Toh, Yeo Lyle Szu-Feng Chen | Set Designer Chan Lee Lee | Props Designer Genevieve Peck | Lighting/Projection Designer Sandra Tay | Sound Designer August Lum | Music Composer & Arranger MAX.TAN | Costume Designer Ashley Lim | Hair Designer Bobbie Ng from The Make Up Room | Make-Up Designer Petrina Kow | Accent Coach EDIT&PLAY | Prologue Video Production Team