Gen Z play that speaks to the growing pains that anyone from any era goes through.

From juggling studies with a social life, to the turbulent changes of adolescence and figuring out exactly what it all means, it is a truth universally acknowledged that the teen years are some of the toughest of anyone’s life. And even for Generation Z (dubbed ‘Zoomers’), who grew up as digital nomads with a higher standard of living than their predecessors, they too come with their shares of emotional burdens and struggles, something that playwright Faith Ng knows all too well, as she elucidates in Checkpoint Theatre’s new play Hard Mode.

Directed by Claire Wong, Hard Mode follows the story of the ‘Sengkang Squad’, three primary school students comprising Adam, Rian and XY who meet by chance when they rescue a baby bird in school, and become fast friends resolving to solve the mysteries of the world. But come secondary school, Adam goes to a different school from Rian and XY, who are in turn also separated by stream. While they try their best to maintain their friendship, all this becomes threatened by the strain and tension brought on by their individual problems, secrets they hide from each other, and change all around, as we watch and wait with bated breath to see if they can survive life on ‘hard mode’.

Hard Mode is a play that clearly establishes itself as one that’s all about Gen Z, thanks to the copious amount of contemporary lingo used by the main characters. Those out of the loop may find themselves thinking they might be listening to an alien language at times, and it is bold that playwright Faith Ng never resorts to having to explain any of it, allowing the audience to completely immerse themselves in the mind and conversations of these young Singaporeans. The soundtrack that plays between scenes is driven by K-Pop group BTS, outrageously poppy yet somehow always thematically relevant in its lyrics, alongside how a few of the main crew establish themselves as diehard ARMY (BTS fans). It is precisely this realism that makes this one of the strongest new plays to emerge this year.

More than that, Faith Ng’s writing simply flows, and we become quickly invested in each of these character’s lives. Every character is multi-dimensional and fully fleshed out, going from seeming stereotype to much more developed as the play progresses. This is also in part thanks to the fresh-faced young cast, most of whom are in their first main role onstage, who play their roles in earnest and display very strong onstage chemistry with each other, allowing us to believe that they truly are teenagers who have grown up with each other. Faith’s writing gives us the chance to see and understand why each of them behave the way they do thanks to well-written monologues that gives each actor a chance a shine, their conflict stemming more from miscommunication and never from malice, such that we always root for their success and eventual happiness.

Take Matthias Teh for example, who plays bookworm XY. Always the brains and voice of reason among the three boys, XY seems to have it all together, constantly joking how he’s the biggest idiot of all for hanging out with two other idiots, while excelling in the IP stream at school. Matthias captures the voice and inflection of XY’s awkwardness and his enthusiasm for responding with a piece of trivia when appropriate, while also showcasing immense care for those around him, so much that there are times he cannot understand why some of his friends aren’t as mature. XY comes into conflict especially with Rian (Izzul Irfan), who has become a social outcast at their school, his own mother seemingly too absorbed in her work to notice things, while he constantly tries to prove himself though wrestling matches or vying to get a promotion into the IP stream from the regular O Level one. Yet at the end, he still finds himself feeling like he doesn’t belong, emphasising the all-too-real issue of popularity and social strata even within the school environment, with Izzul Irfan’s voice cracking as he wonders if it’s all a dream.

And then there’s Adam, who for all means and purposes, is perfectly average, loves to game on his phone, but doesn’t have any particular goals in life. Of the three boys, Adam feels the most like the main character, often the narrator of the story as things continue to happen all around him. And in playing Adam, Chaney Chia has been perfectly cast, feeling like a typical teen you might find with a certain hesitation in his voice but earnestness in his genuine care for his friends and struggle to understand the girls. He is likeable and winsome, and his energy lights up the stage each time he performs. Chaney does especially well in his monologues, many of which recall sometimes traumatic childhood memories as he takes Faith Ng’s vivid descriptions and brings them to life, allowing us to feel every emotion in his body and voice.

As for the girls, Kyra Lefebvre is exactly how you might imagine a troubled artist to be, in her role as Adam’s neighbour and former schoolmate Maya. Dreamy and soft-spoken, Kyra’s ditziness eventually gives way to proving how Maya is in fact, extremely sensitive and contains a rich inner world frustrated by an inability to fit in with her ‘fake accent’ and relations with other girls. Finally, Janine Ng turns in a complex performance as Adam’s older sister Arissa, seemingly a fierce chili padi on the outside, but showcasing sheer joy when she dances along to BTS, while also dealing with a difficult relationship with their single mother, nigh failing grades in her O Level year, and a lack of friends, considering she’s constantly hanging out with Myra and the Sengkang Squad who’re several years younger than her.

Oftentimes, there are so many scenes in Hard Mode that initially don’t seem necessary – a birthday celebration, or even a scene where the girls interrogate XY about his secret love for BTS. Yet, almost every single one of these scenes contribute immensely to the world that Faith has crafted in Hard Mode, peppering it with details and little moments that show us just how tight-knit this group of five become, finding solace and comfort in each other as a form of found families. In the same vein as beloved comic strip Peanuts, the adults are completely absent from this play, and it allows us to see everything from these teens’ point of view, and become one with their speech, their social links, and their love, never judging them for it. We feel fear and ache in our heart when they fight with each other, we cheer alongside their little wins, and we mourn when they move house and change school, somehow no longer as accessible despite being in the same country, a fact we all know and resonate with if we experienced something similar in childhood.

Perhaps most poignantly of all, Faith is also unafraid to delve into difficult philosophical concepts, something that Gen Z is likely to also be familiar with considering their exposure to memes and musings on social media. Some of these come across as a little shoehorned, for example, how men ‘think about the Roman Empire’ daily, but at other times, Faith manages to elevate them to having clear literary and thematic value. The myth of Sisyphus eternally pushing a boulder up a hill in particular features most clearly throughout the play, referencing Albert Camus’ quote ‘one must imagine Sisyphus happy’, to find joy amidst the struggle of the mundane, and literally exemplified by Petrina Dawn Tan and Tai Zi Feng’s lighting, shaped into a large round rock on a hill, set up on the walls. Elsewhere, some of the most powerful scenes use all the goodwill built up from our understanding of their friendship, and uses flashforwards to glimpse the Sengkang Squad as adults, and we go through yet another roller-coaster of emotion as we see how they’ve either grown more pessimistic or achieved their goals.

Hard Mode is a deeply empathetic play, and by its end, leaves us with a sense of sonder, where one realises that each and every life out there is just as complex and beautiful as another. This is Faith Ng at her best, where we are compelled to feel for each and every one of her characters, all flawed but endearing in their attempts to make the most of what they have to live their best life. Hard Mode is a proudly Singaporean play about Gen Z and their myriad experiences, that will find appeal in any audience as they recall their own messy teen lives, and how far they’ve come since then. You learn to love this motley crew of characters, laugh and cry alongside their ups and downs, aching with regret for how things could have gone better, but living with the hope that it all does work out by its end.

Photo Credit: Checkpoint Theatre

Hard Mode played from 18th to 26th October 2024 at SOTA Drama Theatre.

Production Credits:

Director Claire Wong Playwright Faith Ng Cast Chaney Chia, Izzul Irfan, Janine Ng, Kyra Lefebvre, Matthias Teh Dramaturg Huzir Sulaiman Set and Lighting Designer Petrina Dawn Tan, Doodle Productions Lighting Co-Designer Tai Zi Feng, Doodle Productions Sound Designer Shah Tahir Costume Designer Max Tan Hair Designer Leong Make-Up Design Bobbie Ng, The Make Up Room Creative Access Artist Grace Lee-Khoo