Tragedy and comedy come together to show off ITI students’ suite of talents.

In theatre, most double bills comprise of two relatively short works of similar themes that work in conversation with each other. For the Intercultural Theatre Institute’s (ITI) latest production however, the new batch of graduating students utilise the form to showcase their versatility across drama and comedy, taking a leaf from the classic presentation of Greek tragedy to end with a humorous satyr play to ensure the mood is lifted again after experiencing catharsis.

Directed by Aarne Neeme, the double bill opened with James Saunders’ Fall, where in the 1980s, sisters Kate, Helen and Ann return to their mother’s home as she cares for their bedridden father in his last moments. Set in the house’s garden, it initially seems as if it might make for a pleasant afternoon, complete with blue sky in the background. What happens instead is a deep dive into each of the sisters’ neuroses, their threadbare relationship as their contrasting personalities grate on each other’s nerves, and ultimately, their decision to stay or go by the end of the play.

Ann (Abinaya Jothi) is a free spirit, now pregnant with the baby of a rock musician but completely uncaring, right down to the unfiltered words that come out of her mouth. Meanwhile, Kate (Swathilakshmi Perumal) has just returned from Germany after spending years trying to find herself, throwing herself into spirituality and New Age beliefs, from I Ching to yoga. And finally, Helen (Mika Oskarson Kindstrand) returns from a failed marriage, and seeks a way to numb it all by hyperfixating on Marxism and social work, to become a solver of problems for others instead.

The running theme across the sisters’ stories is that while it initially seems they have come to perform their daughterly duties, the truth is, each of them has run away to seek solace at home instead, with their father’s illness as a convenient excuse to come home. All three sisters have been cast perfectly, with well-articulated performances that ensure just the right emphasis is captured in their voice, intonation and body language, and one believes that these are women who grew up with each other and know exactly how to push the right buttons that trigger them. You feel for them, learning about the little human tragedy of each of their existence, and understand the depths of their individual despair, whether manifesting as bitter tears, or a facade of nonchalance.

Beyond the sisters, Cheng Kam Yiu (Yolanda) plays their mother, a rock and anchor that absorbs her daughters’ grievances, dishing out advice and comfort, while Choy Chee Yew plays Fox, an observer and narrator who sits by the side of the performance space. Both these roles seem to require a degree of maturity and air of wisdom neither Cheng nor Choy are quite able to reach just yet, though they still do their best to bring that weight and eloquence to their performance as well.

Fall is a difficult play both to perform and to watch, and falls very much into the vein of a writer’s play, in that it places so much emphasis on deep dialogue that weaves in and out of various philosophical musings, and requires all of our concentration to ensure we keep up with its flow. Therein also lies the challenge in staging it, where its simple set-up makes it become an exercise in patience sit and watch the conversations unfold before us, in the same space watching the time go by.

It is an invitation to listen closely, to understand the pain that becomes more poignant when confronted with one’s deepest fears, and results in a more than competent, intensely emotional showcase for most of the cast. By its somewhat ominous end, you feel the urgency and need to live more in the here and now, to appreciate and cherish the moment instead of living with regrets and the what could have beens.

In what feels like a complete 180, Georges Feydeau’s The Music Lovers places us in a completely different setting, where we find ourselves in an elegant drawing-room in Paris in the 1890s. Adapted by Reggie Oliver, the comedy of mistaken identities is a hoot, where the young Lucille believes the lecherous Edouard is her new music teacher, when he steps into her house instead of his new mistress’. Neither recognising the other, confused banter keeps us on edge to see how long they can keep up this farce for, until the inevitable collapse of the whole affair.

While their performances were somewhat muted in Fall, Cheng Kam Yiu (Yolanda) and Choy Chee Yew are given plenty of material to shine in The Music Lovers, as Lucille and Edouard respectively. Both dressed in ostentatious costumes, with Lucille even undergoing several changes during the play, there is a vibrancy to their interactions that lights up the entire play, each one pushing their character to their absolute limits, playing it big and catching the comic timing just right.

There is a willingness to play the fool, especially with Choy’s pratfalls and almost childish, cartoon-like portrayal of Edouard that we look past the innate predatory aspects of the character and simply laugh, in contrast to Cheng’s feigned precociousness against her character’s youth, and all-around haughty behaviour she makes oddly endearing. Together, their rapid fire exchanges and flirting are what keep the play exciting, watching more intently as their hijinks intensify.

Even the remaining cast members make the most of their limited smaller roles – Abhinaya Jothi plays Lucille’s long-suffering maid Baptiste, unable to warn her mistress of Edouard’s advances (and keeps sending her offstage), while Swathilakshmi Perumal plays fellow maid Gabrielle, who has narry a care for the chaos she’s put into motion in the first place. Finally, while only appearing at the end, Mika Oskarson Kindstrand commands an imposing presence as Lucille’s mother, storming into the room to clear the air once and for all.

Rather than causing whiplash, the juxtaposition of both plays brings a surprising sense of balance as a viewing experience, taking us through the heaviest parts of life before uplifting us with the lighter side of love. As a showcase for the graduating batch from ITI, this is a double bill that has managed to do exactly that, overcoming the usual challenge of finding the one ‘perfect’ play, and instead balancing out the roles and opportunities afforded to these graduands and playing to their strengths to let them shine, one that bodes well for their futures if all goes well.

Fall & The Music Lovers — A Double Bill played from 9th to 11th November 2023 at the Esplanade Theatre Studio. More information available here

Production Credits:

Director: Aarne Neeme Playwrights: James Saunders (Fall), Reggie Oliver (The Music Lovers, as adapted from Georges Feydeau) Cast: Abinaya Jothi, Cheng Kam Yiu (Yolanda), Choy Chee Yew, Mika Oskarson Kindstrand, Swathilakshmi Perumal Production Designer: Dorothy Png Sound Designer: Jevon Chandra Wig Designer: Ashley Lim