Ambitious speculative fiction epic questions how we will find our way amidst an unknown future.

Facing the waves of chaos that rock our world, it can oftentimes feel impossible to overcome the overwhelming feelings of displacement all around us, from the helplessness felt towards climate change and war, to the sense that we’re being left behind as technological fast approaches the singularity, and the world we thought we once knew will already be a different one come tomorrow.

In The Theatre Practice’s (Practice) latest production, the local theatre company is tackling that incredibly complicated idea in what is perhaps the only viable way to do so – science fiction, as All The World’s A Sea imagines speculative scenarios set five minutes into the future, and in so doing, raise questions about how we can cope with change and resistance even while the world around us spins madly on. But instead of feeling like a piece of driftwood being knocked about by tumultuous forces, one instead can turn towards taking charge of our situation, and finding the things we can do even when mayhem surround us – and in so doing, anchor ourselves in a core identity to keep us grounded.

Directed by Kuo Jian Hong, with a script by Liu Xiaoyi, All The World’s A Sea comprises of six stories, all corresponding to the Buddhist philosophy of Ayatana, or the six senses. Over the performance, we are privy to a man in search of his stolen nose, after it has been cut off by enemy forces; a father’s body that two gods of death from opposing religions dispute over; a foreigner who is unable to speak English, and opts for a tongue transplant that will expedite the process; a couple who birth a baby with blue eyes and fear what others will say of them and their child; a girl who suddenly speaks in Mandarin after receiving an ear surgery; and a man hiding out in a hotel, his AI-powered brain chip unresponsive in this new location, when a mysterious stranger arrives to offer assistance.

Although seemingly disparate in their plots and settings, the stories find resonance in each other through similar themes and recurring motifs, with many of them dealing with feelings of isolation and persecution, language as a great divider, advances in technology, and above all, the search for a sense of self and identity when displaced. The stories range wildly in tone, at times deadly serious as they deal with totalitarian governments snuffing out potential dissidence, to the absurd, with an entire game show segment testing contestants on Chinese culture to win a coveted tongue surgery. Six stories sounds like a lot, but in breaking them up into smaller segments, each story segueing and weaving in and out of the others, there is consistent movement that keeps the plot moving, and rarely is there any truly dull moment during the play.

One does sense however that Practice bit off a little more than they can chew with All The World’s A Sea. While the concept itself is deeply imaginative in the variety and diversity of these stories, and the sci-fi elements coming into play, All The World’s A Sea at times feels incomplete. This is most prominently seen in its staging, which often feels sparse and empty, while the choice to stage it in the Singtel Waterfront Theatre in a traditional proscenium set-up also creates a greater distance between audience and action onstage. The flooring in particular sticks out, with markings and scuffs clearly visible and detracting from the suspension of disbelief. While there is certainly innovative use and rearrangement of minimal set pieces, the sense of immersion and world-building is somewhat muted, and it becomes difficult to fully allow one’s self to become completely involved in these speculative settings.

That being said, kudos goes out to multimedia designer Genevieve Peck for her beautiful projections, evoking images of the aurora borealis or cosmos to tie in with ideas of feeling lost in the world and how small we are amidst the greater context of the universe, morphing into more abstract shapes and designs that evoke futurism and systems that exist beyond our knowledge, or even her lighting that does its best to transform the stage into a cave-like setting. Max Tan’s costumes have clear design motifs and colour schemes distinct to each story, yet simple in their execution, often different combinations of robes, jackets and inner shirts that remind us how All The World’s A Sea is still meant to be grounded in a certain degree of reality.

Where All The World’s A Sea falters then is how these stories feel disjointed. Again, while they may be somewhat united in their themes and concerns, there is a lingering sense of dissatisfaction with the wasted potential of these ideas, all of which do not conclude properly or even explore the most interesting aspects of their narrative. The tension between the two leads in ‘Consciousness’, where Hang Qian Chou encounters an undercover agent attempting to detain him, is initially exciting, but fizzles out in the ensuring scuffle, and the concept of belonging and identity is only briefly touched on, with the greater focus on the action and betrayal instead of the ethical concerns of an AI-powered brain chip. In ‘Tongue’, Ng Mun Poh’s character is distraught about her feelings of not belonging, but after winning the competition, the segment is brought to a conclusion with no exploration of how the eventual tongue surgery affects how integration.

In ‘Nose’, the concept of the nose as being tied to one’s identity is raised, but with only two main scenes, there is not enough material to flesh out this protagonist and why his identity is so important to him while everyone else has opted to forgo theirs instead, while in ‘Eye’, the second segment where the couple discuss the potential discrimination their blue-eyed child may face is almost an echo of the villagers’ scene before that, adding very little to the story. What this all adds up to is a play that still feels like it’s still in its early drafts, and needed a firmer hand at guiding towards a more cohesive conclusion, rather than relying purely on the surprise factor or off-beat humour to keep audience members invested.

Featuring a diverse international cast from Hong Kong, China and Taiwan, this is a work that is testament to Practice’s strong connections and bonds with artists all over the world. While each actor certainly works hard to embody their character, again owing to the fleeting nature of each story, it can be difficult to find ourselves completely endeared to any particular one, with not enough time to fully flesh them out or allow their backstories to form without extensive narration, or storylines to reach their natural conclusions. There are certainly moments of lightness that the actors embrace, while also more deeply felt, existential questions that are raised, but there are times that there is simply so much the play wishes to convey in its short runtime that they become flashes as opposed to fully sustained ideas, before being whisked away to another train of thought in another narrative.

In her director’s message, Kuo explains how the play was in part, a reflection of the past and contemplation of the present. There are times the play makes reference to and hints at being a spiritual successor to Descendents of the Eunuch Admiral, by Kuo’s father Kuo Pao Kun, which similarly took on an experimental form and explored ideas of displacement, belonging and identity. In a sense, All The World’s A Sea shows that beyond their more mainstream, typically accessible work, Practice is still willing to push themselves out of their comfort zone, with fertile ground to seed new ideas and presentation methods. While it may not be a clear-cut success, All The World’s A Sea is certainly a significant mark on Practice’s canon of works, clearly dealing with a concept the team felt had legs to re-imagine and continue delving into (after 2018’s I came at last to the seas).

Perhaps by its end, there is some degree of meaning to its mess. All The World’s A Sea is intentionally massive in its content, overloading audiences with symbolism, motifs and passing thoughts precisely because the question of identity is so in flux, that there is an infinite number of thinkpieces or opinions surrounding the subject matter. There are multiple moments for the audiences to latch onto, but never for long, as if we too are being swept away by a powerful tide, and carried into the next story, a cycle that carries on as we too are left overwhelmed by the many concerns with what it means to exist in the world today. What seems to be clear by the end is that amidst countless changes within and without us, there is a greater need than ever to think harder about both cultural norms and new normals, and where our internal compass directs us to. In making a decision as to who we are and what we value, it is the only thing that remains we can trust and hold on to in an unstable world, our anchor in the wild choppy seas of life, and what will ultimately allow us to survive and even thrive.

Photo Credit: Tuckys Photography, Courtesy of The Theatre Practice

All The World’s A Sea played from 1st to 4th August 2024 at Singtel Waterfront Theatre at Esplanade. More information available here

Production Credits:

Concept/Director Kuo Jian Hong Story Liu Xiaoyi/Kuo Jian Hong Script Liu Xiaoyi Script Research Assistant Ng Mun Poh Cast Ang Xiao Ting, Vivian Chan, Chang Wei Loy, Hang Qian Chou, Lee Ming-Che, Ng Mun Poh, Clinton Zhang, Zhao Yu Tao Movement Director Okorn-Kuo Jing Hong Set Designer Szu-Feng Chen Associate Set Designer Lee Bee Bee Lighting & Projection Designer Genevieve Peck Associate Projection Designer Ian Lee Sound Designer Guo Ningru Composer & Arranger Joel Sim Shao Chong Additional Music Shao Jean Sim Costume Designer MAX.TAN Hair Designer Ashley Lim Make-Up Designer Bobbie Ng from The Make Up Room Props Designer Chan Lee Lee Script Translator Zoea Tania Producer Michelle Tan Production Manager Lam Dan Fong (The Backstage Affair) Technical Manager Kailash Stage Manager Woon Siew Yin Assistant Stage Managers & Ensemble Bobo Sing, Ginnie Tan Stage Crew & Ensemble Niklaus Chia, Zoea Tania, Ella Wee, Wong Yun Jie Scenic Artist Lee Hsiao Wan Audio Mixer Estella Lee Projection Programmer & Operator Ian Lee Lighting Programmer Tan Yi Kai Surtitle Operator Wong Tsz Yau Wardrobe Mistress Zhiying Wardrobe Assistants Nurynne Aliesya, Olivia Hatton, Teo Yi Ping Hair Assistant Michelle Wai Make-Up Assistant The Make Up Room Technical Crew Ed-Linddi Ong Rizal Sarpani