A series of choreographic movements with nowhere to go.

Age is just a number, at least, that seems to be the mantra adopted by Grain Performance & Research Lab, who aim to prove that anyone of any age can remain strong and resilient. Touting their cast spanning five generations (aged 18 to 84), Whispering Tiger, Hidden Essence sees Grain artistic director Beverly Yuen achieve her dream of integrating physical theatre with elements of sports and fitness, resulting in the birth of new kind of theatrical work.

Certified as a physical fitness trainer, director/writer Beverly has crafted a work that serves as a vehicle for her to showcase her own unique styles of movement from years of training and research, as performed by her diverse cast. The plot loosely follows a cult-like Warrior Circle, who are tasked with passing on their leadership to a chosen successor when their leader decides to retire. To do so, they must vie for the title through a series of choreographic movements that pits them against each other, with their leader as the ultimate arbitrator of course – who then will emerge the champion and new leader?

Playing at the NAFA Tower Block’s black box studio, the square performance space feels casual from the moment we walk in, with the performers onstage doing warmups. There is a raised platform on one side, and a screen on another that displays ambient videoscapes that attempt to add to the atmosphere of each scene. There is an unfortunate announcement that Tan Yong Hong is unable to perform due to an unforeseen accident, and to be understanding of the remaining cast of ten (Tai Tsi Chow Dexter, Aisling Lee Jia Sui, Chong Wei Kiat, Elaine Siow, Eugene Chow, Hanis Khairunnisa, Matthew Lange, Sabrina Shazad, Vincent Chia Jit Kiat, and Beverly Yuen herself) who have had to make last minute adjustments.

From the beginning, the Warrior Circle is established as a group that has been training together for years, all dressed in black and performing choreography together that fills up the entire space with their bodies, showing off Beverly’s unique ‘TechnoMartial’ style of movement, blending taichi, dance, and movement. One wonders if this might be what the future of fitness might look like, considering it’s not too far from Zumba classes one might find taking place outside heartland malls and stadiums. What makes it theatrical perhaps, is the decision to stage it as something to be witnessed within a theatre space, with a paying audience sitting there to take in all that they observe in front of them.

Whispering Tiger, Hidden Essence‘s title is clearly a play on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, though beyond their subject matter of martial arts, there are few other resemblances. The remainder of the show sees the cast perform a series of movements, each tagged to a scene, that often feels more akin to a theatre rehearsal and improv exercise than a fully choreographed, aesthetically impressive or pleasing set. These are esoteric in nature, and bend so much against the idea of a ‘Warrior Circle’ that one wonders why the framing device even exists to begin with. These characters are much less ‘warriors’ than they are parodies of them, with no clear philosophy or purpose that drives their group, and more of performance Artists with a capital A.

Each set of movements is meant to represent a challenge by the former leader that tests the warriors, but with none of them ever named or given actual lines or development, we never get to root for or care for any of them at all. These ‘tests’ are also so ridiculous that it is hard to take any of them seriously, with the audience feeling either uncomfortable or secondhand embarrassment for these athletic ‘feats’ they perform onstage; one of the earliest tests sees the leader challenge them to perform choreography suitable for an urban setting, and sees most of the cast acting as cars moving about the space, complete with a soundscape of a busy road.

At another point, the cast engages in one on one ‘battles’, where they attempt to act a fool in order to achieve victory by making the other person laugh – some strategies involve behaving like monkeys or chickens, and simply resorting to the most inane facial and bodily movements possible. The resulting laughs of each ‘loser’ also feel forced rather than natural, and the entire segment feels extremely uncanny as a result. It doesn’t help that there are no points awarded or clear definition of what they’re looking for in the next leader. When it ends abruptly and without warning with the selection of a successor, it is quite literally the end of the show, and deeply unsatisfactory with how we know nothing of how this decision was made, or any inkling of how this person’s skillset exceeds the others’, when frankly all of them seem comparable to each other.

While there is perhaps one particularly interesting scene where the cast move in slow-motion, almost as if suspended in water, once again, it feels like a random rather than deliberate choice, and the number of bizarre, inexplicable artistic choices far outweigh the ones with clear purpose or intent, if at all, and none of which contribute to the overarching idea that these are meant to be warriors of any kind. It is nice of Beverly to allow these amateur performers a platform to showcase what they’ve learnt together in their trainings and rehearsals, but to what end certainly remains an enduring mystery, and perhaps might have been better off framed in a completely different way from what was advertised. Even if one were to interpret the show as a commentary on the strange nature of cults and the mysterious rituals and practices they engage in, it is not a show that leaves us engaged or any wiser as to what its message is, beyond theatre for theatre’s sake. Ultimately, the essence of this show remains hidden, and leaves on a whisper, not a bang.

Photo Credit: Guek Peng Siong

Whispering Tiger, Hidden Essence played from 24th to 25th January 2025 at NAFA Campus 1, Tower Block, #10-01, 80 Bencoolen Street.

Production Credits:

Producer/Director/Trainer Beverly Yuen Assistant Director Gavin Low Assistant Trainer Vincent Chia Performers Tai Tsi Chow Dexter, Aisling Lee Jia Sui, Chong Wei Kiat, Elaine Siow, Eugene Chow, Hanis Khairunnisa, Matthew Lange, Sabrina Shazad, Tan Yong Hong, Vincent Chia Jit Kiat, Beverly Yuen Performance Video Editor Nur Insyirah Binte Mohammed Suhairin Set & Prop Designer Puspita Sutradhar Sreya Costume Designer & Sound Operator Joey Tiang Chyong Yi Costume Assistant Leow Sen Fan, Mabel Lighting Designer & Operator Leow Sen Fan, Mabel Multimedia Designer & Operator Shang Mei Bedrio Pring Music Designer Cheryl Chong Qing Qian, Faith Koh, Frances Alyanna Berja Traquena, Irvin Chua, Ling Yan Xuan, Nicole Lee Zhi Yun, Nur Insyirah Binti Idham, Raynell Low Production Design Coordinator Shang Mei Bedrio Pring