New theatre
company Zebra Crossing, helmed by Artistic Director Loretta Chen, reconceptualised
Eve Ensler's famous monologues about the taboo topic of the vagina with
a staging that hit close to home. The Vagina Monologues is
well-loved for being frank, hard-hitting and shocking, and Chen's "take
no prisoners" approach was true to this spirit. But given that The
Vagina Monologues has been staged several
times in
Singapore over the past few years, shock value alone would no longer
be enough to sustain another production.
So what was different about Zebra Crossing's Monologues? First,
it really broke with the format of the monologue by involving as many
as nine women (compared to the original three) and dramatising several
of the monologues into short sketches. Rather than only having a stark,
intimate conversation with the audience, some of the monologues became
stories, acted out onstage, with actors engaged in dialogue with one
another. In addition, various bells and whistles were used to spice
up the sketches, including multimedia backdrops, an incursion into the
auditorium, recorded interviews, and even a sensuous pole-dance (which
made me wonder how the censors let this one get through). There was
also an opportunity a for visual showcase: at the end, each actress
appeared as a female icon or stereotype: beauty queen, SIA girl, cheerleader,
policewoman, nurse, Peranakan matriarch, etc.
Did it work? All things considered, yes. The combination of nine women
brought much colour and variety to the stage: there was the elegant
and sassy Elnina, the larger-than-life Asha Edmunds, the versatile Elizabeth
Tan, and the deadpan Loke Loo Pin, to name a few. The characters in
the Monologues morphed from being voices to being physical people. The
overall effect was that of great fun. While the effect was less intimate
than Ensler's original staging, this made the characters easier
to relate to, and their stories less abstract. Given the size of the
venue, the decision to stage an ensemble-sized show rather than a small
and intimate one was wise. Some moments felt over the top, but the tone
of the production was, appropriately, one of proud, joyful revelation.
Another notable characteristic of the production was its insistence
on placing itself in a local context, incorporating the voices of our
Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian into Ensler's North American
tribe. Alongside "cunt", there was "cheebai".
When the women talked about their first periods, they became schoolgirls
in blue pinafores mingling with the audience, speaking English, Cantonese,
Malay and Hindi, and distributing Kotex products with wild abandon.
The finale, where a woman lists the different kinds of orgasmic sounds
that women make, really played to the galley. Stock characterizations
of the elements of Singapore society were included in the list, giving
rise to the Ah Lian moan and many others. But the thunderous cackling
that it evoked came straight from a uniquely Singaporean place, proving
the profound resonance of this taboo topic with the audience.
The Vagina Monologues was not just about taboo bashing, either. Director
Chen's inventive dramatizations encompassed the silly, the sweet and
the deeply thought-provoking. The monologue on domestic violence subverted
the polite triteness of dinner party conversations by having the protagonist
recount to her tai tai friends incidents of marital abuse, while they
all giggled as if the conversation had been about the lightest gossip.
It managed to be at once funny and disturbing. The Vagina Monologues
also reminded us of the real statistics about domestic violence in Singapore,
giving immediate relevance to Elizabeth Tan's sobering monologue about
the same topic.
I feel ungracious for suggesting it, but some chopping could have made
The Vagina Monologues even more fabulous. A sketch on women's
right and short skirts came off as more shrill than strong. Coming after
the pole dance, the sequence made me wonder if there was a possibility
for continuity between these sections that had not been sufficiently
realised (i.e. the idea of women claiming their rights to express their
sensuality without the interference of men). Another sketch that didn't
quite work was that of the Angry Vagina, which was a shame as this put
to waste the talents of the actress (Judy Ngo).
The acting, on the whole, was unfortunately rather mediocre. This was
initially camouflaged by the exciting staging concepts and the visual
variety, but from the middle to the end, the emotional flatness was
felt more keenly. Apart from Loke Loo Pin's rib-tickler of a monologue
and Elizabeth Tan's hard-hitting (literally and figuratively)
sketch, there were few other stand-out performances. Some of the actresses
were almost there and could have done better with a bit more work, while
others were clearly weaker.
Nevertheless, Zebra Crossing deserves credit for being daring, honest
and inventive, and for successfully re-inventing this iconic work into
something that is utterly unique, utterly its own.
First Impression
New theatre company Zebra Crossing, helmed by Artistic Director Loretta
Chen, re-conceptualises Eve Ensler's famous monologues about the taboo
topic of the vagina. The Vagina Monologues is well-loved for
being frank, hard-hitting and shocking, and Chen's "take no prisoners"
approach was true to this spirit. So what was different about this production?
First, it really broke with the format of the monologue by involving
as many as nine women and dramatising several of the monologues. Second,
it placed itself very much in a local context, incorporating the voices
of the Chinese, Malay and Indian into Ensler's North American tribe,
creating many hilarious moments. In addition, various bells and whistles
were used, including multimedia backdrops, an intervention into the
audience stalls, interviews with local actresses, and even a sensuous
pole-dance (which made me wonder how the censors let this one get through).
The fun and energy onstage were sizzling at times; at other times, it
helped to mask mediocre acting performances. Despite these theatrics,
the tone of the production was more tender, a contrast to the raw realism
of the original monologues. The nine women created a sense of community
that was more varied, less angry and more accessible. Zebra Crossing
has been daring, honest and inventive, and it has transformed this iconic
work into something utterly unique, utterly its own.
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"While the effect was less intimate than Ensler's original staging,
the characters were easier to relate to, and their stories less abstract"
Credits
Cast: Bernie Chan, Sabrina Renee Chong, Asha Edmund,
Elnina, Samantha Kan, Loke Loo Pin, Eleine Ng, Judy Ngo, Elizabeth Tan
Director: Loretta Chen
Composer: Iskandar Ismail
Set Designer: Sebastian Chun
Lighting Designer: Lim Yu-Beng
Costume Designer: Laichan
Multimedia Designer: Tan Kai Syng
Hair: Ashley Lim
M.A.C. Creative Artist: Beno Lim
Choreographer: Desmond Chen
Additional Music and Vocals: Asha Edmund
Production Manager: Chan Lee Lee
Technical Manager: Bob Wong
Stage Manager: Juraidah Ramah
Assistant Stage Manager: Jasmine Teo
Sound Engineer: Sandra Tay
Multimedia Operator: Athena Tan
Wardrobe Mistress: Theresa Chan
Dresser: Rachel Chua
Crew: Phua Yun Yun
More Reviews by Deanne Tan |
