SRT ends the year with a riotous dinner theatre production about a lust for life.

In 1998, the Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) went where no local theatre company had gone before when they staged a play called Ah Kong’s Birthday Party. Considered one of the earliest forms of dinner theatre in Singapore, the interactive production featured actors entertaining each table, karaoke moments, and of course, plenty of food to keep audiences satisfied while they enjoyed the company of the cast and each other.

Now, 25 years on, SRT returns with a spiritual sequel, with Por Por’s Big Fat Surprise Wedding. Once again calling on Dick Lee as director, this brand new production features a script by Jo Tan, and puts a fresh new spin on the dinner theatre experience by scrutinising perhaps the most theatrical ceremony of all: a wedding banquet. But this is no ordinary wedding. For one thing, this isn’t the bride’s first time, with the family matriarch Por Por (Koh Chieng Mun) getting married in the wake of her late husband’s death. For another, nobody knows who the groom is, with Por Por somehow keeping it a secret right up to when it’s time to say the vows.

Is this true love, or a nasty scam waiting to happen? That is this central mystery that lies at the heart of this show, and becomes a source of distress for Por Por’s family members, as they proceed with the increasingly chaotic ceremony, held within a custom-built pop-up restaurant in the open area of One Farrer Hotel’s sixth floor. The moment one enters the hotel, one already sees several actual weddings taking place, reminding us of how prevalent the banquet still is in Singapore, and the mood is suitably joyous. Upon entering the space itself, the show’s theme of love is immediately apparent from the swathe of rose petals, the interior arranged like a Chinese banquet, with a stage right in the middle. It’s clear the wedding’s primary colours are red and white, as if marrying Eastern and Western traditions with each other. Yet looking at the way it’s striped, one cannot help but also think of being under the big top, perhaps representing the circus-like wedding shenanigans.

Seated at a table representing one of the many clubs and interest groups Por Por has dived headfirst into, from ikebana to cryptocurrency, we begin our show eager to see what will unfold over the evening. Each of our main cast members are easy to identify amidst the crowd of guests, and given clear colours that demarcate their character – there’s Por Por’s insurance agent son Francis (Edward Choy) is decked out in a blue suit and even blue shoes, calling the entire wedding into question while talking down to his wife, music teacher Rainy (Jo Tan). Dressed all in pink, Rainy’s the one who’s organised this entire wedding, doing her best to keep things under control while nervously sipping her alcohol with a pink straw, of course).

As both playwright and performer, Jo knows exactly what is expected of her role, and while the character is a familiar one, she puts her all into Rainy’s anxious mannerisms, a quivering voice and nails the awkward attempts at connecting with the youth and even utilising the classic one silent clap with the audience. Similarly, Francis’s constant attempts to thwart the wedding are enhanced by Edward’s performance, becoming a love-to-hate pseudo-villain as he frustratingly finds his plans foiled each time.

As Por Por herself, Koh Chieng Mun brings her natural charisma to the stage, and easily charms the audience with her affable personality, all-smiles in her white bridal gown. It’s a refreshing take on the bridal stereotype, and watching her in all her joy is infectious and even inspiring, never letting anything get in her way with her newfound energy and sheer confidence in her movement. We anticipate each time she appears in a new outfit for her bridal march-in, each one more radiant than the last, and if anything, Chieng Mun is spot-on casting for this role, with director Dick Lee ensuring that she’s the centre of attention each time she arrives in the room, and you cheer for her when she’s cutting the cake or calling for a yam-seng.

Among the minor characters, Bridget Fernandez is a standout as Filipino helper Flordeliza, stealing every scene she’s in with one-liners alluding to her secret arsenal of skills, while remaining an all-around ray of sunshine in her all yellow attire, constantly rushing to Por Por’s aid. Elsewhere, the remaining line-up of cast members mostly provide entertainment between segments, with Por Por’s Gen-Z, wannabe content creator granddaughter Prudentia (Tiara Yap) spitting verses and teaching us how to do TikTok dances, while uncle Adam (Ric Liu) in orange shows off why he’s known as the karaoke king, even bringing volunteers up onstage to singalong with him.

Finally, the restaurant itself we’re dining at is cheekily named ‘Tandoor is The Night’, and is owned by Ajeet (Chacko Vadaketh) in purple, who attends to emceeing duties despite it being ‘his first Chinese wedding’, making for some endearing moments with how hard his character tries, despite his not quite appropriate prosperous sayings, or his eventual, triumphant rendition of a familiar Chinese love song.

Overall, Por Por’s Big Fat Surprise Wedding is a unique take on the wedding ceremony, emphasising the lines of tension that invite drama, or playing up the ‘compulsory’ participatory aspects to their limits (including a Bollywood dance sequence). Jo Tan’s script uses her signature sense of humour in all the right places, with carefully placed punchlines and puns that hit the spot, while encapsulating an all-important lesson about love and letting go, especially with its representation of an older generation of women in Singapore, and what it means to finally experience that sense of freedom.

Meanwhile Dick Lee’s direction ensures that regardless of which table one sits at, one is likely to be able to catch most of the smaller interactions between characters, whether a clandestine argument, or the actors coming up to us and introducing themselves personally. Kudos goes out especially to the stage crew and manager for ensuring the many moving parts ran smoothly, as well as the handheld camerawork employed that allows anyone in the room to see the drama unfold on the screens on either side, with clever zoom ins to mimic the mockumentary format – when the actors are caught in compromising positions, they even gesture for the camera to cut away. Audience members are even asked to record special messages for Por Por on TikTok, broadcast onscreen for all to see.

It’s a pity then that the mood is soured by the dinner aspect of the production. Regardless of which main course one picks, vegetarian or non-vegetarian, the four-course culinary experience leaves one wanting. While the menu has been curated by Michelin Star Chef Manjunath Mural, and the idea behind each dish is innovative and sound, it is the execution of the mass produced food and service that is lacking. It is clear that none of the food is freshly prepared, and much of it comes out lukewarm, while dishes such as the soup are full of starch, the meat is dry, or the spinach kofta dumpling is tough and hard to bite through.

Often, there were also not enough service staff to ensure that everyone was served at the same time, and the waitstaff were visibly struggling to read the placards to ensure that everyone was served the correct menu. Even when it comes to mood and atmosphere, under the dark red lighting, there is no way to appreciate the aesthetic qualities of the food (or perhaps this was an intentional choice to mask the lack thereof). The lack of non-alcoholic drink options was also limited to just tap water, whereas an actual wedding was likely to serve soft drinks or tea for guests, while the bar itself was located far from the tables, making it difficult to make cocktail orders.

In all, Por Por’s Big Fat Surprise Wedding is a valiant attempt at bringing back dinner theatre for SRT, with a novel idea and likeable cast of colourful characters let down by its execution, with a few too many teething issues with food and manpower that needed to be ironed out. If anything, one may gripe about the food, but hopefully, remember the experience for its heart and all-important message of living life to the fullest, and that learning to love yourself always comes first. In ending off their 30th anniversary season on such a production, SRT proves their willingness to continually push boundaries when it comes to local theatre, bringing the form to new places, and marks a prosperous end to the year.

Photo Credit: Singapore Repertory Theatre

Por Por’s Big Fat Surprise Wedding runs from 8th November 2023 at One Farrer Hotel. Tickets and more information available here

Production Credits:

Director: Dick Lee Playwright: Jo Tan Cast:  Koh Chieng Mun, Jo Tan, Edward Choy, Bridget Fernandez, Ric Liu, Tiara Yap, Chacko Vadaketh Music Arranger: August Lum Co-Arranger: Daniel Wong Costume Designer: Yvette Ng Lighting Designer: Michael Chan Sound Designer: Hidayat  Set Stylist: Grace Lin