Singapore Night Festival 2016

This was such a dramatic show! Quite enjoyed it!

The Swan Lake

Reverse schooled (v): When a child introduces a 30-something parent to something cool and new, and the parent learns with wide-eyed rapture.

K came home from school the other day, and said he learnt about folk-tales in his language class, and would like to watch the ballet The Swan Lake. I had never seen a ballet before. I had watched Natalie Portman's Black Swan and I had watched my friends daughter's ballet recital with students under the age of 12, but never seen a proper ballet. So we googled The Swan Lake and watched it together on YouTube. Little K knew the sequence of the Acts and what happens in each Act, so he talked me through it as the story progressed. It was in the final act, that I saw tears welling up in his eyes as he said, "Now Prince Seigfried & Odelle decide they want to die together rather than live apart". His emotional grasp of the ballet shocked me. At the age of 7, I would've imagined that he would find an hour long ballet boring, but I was so wrong! He surprised me with the breadth of his interests - from Star Wars to Swan Lake it's quite a span! As for me, I learnt and saw something new yesterday. And it sure was pretty!

P.S. Here's me thinking in verses again:

Swans tiptoe across my screen,

As violins make their melody prance,

And a story unfolds of a tragic love,

Beautiful words that can be spoken only in dance.

I watch him tearing at the swan's despair,

Her hollow arched back and despondent gait,

As I watch my own swan's metamorphosis,

I am stunned by the moment's weight.

He has learnt a new language today,

Felt a stir in a new depth within,

Rooting for love he doesn't yet understand,

Unknowingly but not unwittingly, to win.

Mumbai

Went to Prithvi in Mumbai to catch some local theatre. After about 15 years or more. And exhilarating as it sounds, it's also a little sad that Prithvi is no longer the low-key hangout of the arty-farty crowd dressed in traditionally woven cotton saris & carrying jholas on their shoulders. Neither is it home to experimental theatre like it used to be. It's a much more commercial establishment now with back-to-back house-full shows. While that's a big yay! for the local theatre scene, it's also another little treasure island lost to Mumbai.  

By the way, traditionally woven cotton saris have also been commercialized, or rather Bollywoodised, by a certain sari label named Raw Mango. The world is going bananas. 

Kaifi & I

We watched Shabana Azmi & Javed Akhtar's play yesterday where they read out of Shaukat Azmi's memoirs "Kaifi & I". Shabana recounted her fathers life in the voice of her mother who was obviously a very doting wife in awe of her husband, his philosophy & his work. Their love story set in the backdrop of the 'Azad Hindustan' revolution, the communist movement in Mumbai mills, the Bollywood film industry & later progressive work in a North Indian village; all made for very interesting listening.

Shaukat fondly remembers a mushaira she attended where Kaifi recited his poem (Aurat) which first resulted in her conviction that Kaifi, the man who wrote that verse, was the man for her. Javed Akhtar read out the verse in a fierce voice  & although I couldn't catch all the Urdu on-the-go, I had to come back home & google it for translation. 

Aurat (Woman)
uth merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe
qalb-e-mahoul mein larzaan sharar-e-jang hain aaj
hausley waqt ke aur ziist ke yakrang hain aaj
aabgiinon mein tapaan walwale-e- sang hain aaj
husn aur ishq ham aawaaz-o-humaahang hain aaj
jis mein jaltaa huun usi aag mein jalnaa hai tujhe
uth merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe

Arise, my love, for now you must march with me
Flames of war are ablaze in our world today
Time and fate have the same aspirations today
Our tears will flow like hot lava today
Beauty and love have one life and one soul today
You must burn in the fire of freedom with me
Arise, my love, for now you must march with me

zindagii jehad mein hai sabr ke qaabuu mein nahiin
nabz-e-hastii kaa lahuu kaamptii aansuu mein nahii
urne khulne mein hai nakhat kham-e-gesu mein nahiin
jannat aik aur hai jo mard ke pahluu mein nahiin
uskii aazaad ravish par bhii machalnaa hai tujhe
uth merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe

Patience will not help you struggle through life
Blood, not tears, sustains the pulse of life
You will fly when you’re free and not ensnared by love
Heaven is not just in the arms of the man you love
Walk unfettered on the path of freedom with me
Arise, my love, for now you must march with me

goshey goshey mein sulagtii hai chitaa tere liye
farz kaa bhes badaltii hai qazaa tere liye
qahar hai terii har narm adaa tere liye
zahar hii zahar hai duniyaa kii havaa tere liye
rut badal daal agar phuulnaa phalnaa hai tujhe
uth merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe

Wherever you go sacrifice awaits you
To surrender is a way of life for you
All your charms condemn you
The ways of the world are poison for you
Change the seasons to flourish and be free
Arise, my love, for now you must march with me.

qadr ab tak terii tarriikh ne jaanii hii nahiin
tujh mein shole bhii hain bas ashkfishaanii hii nahiin
tu haqiiqat bhii hai dilchasp kahaanii hii nahiin
terii hastii bhii hai ik chiiz javaanii hii nahiin
apnii tarrikh kaa unvaan badalnaa hai tujhe
uth merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe

History has not known your worth thus far
You have burning embers too, not merely tears
You’re reality too, not a mere amusing anecdote
Your personality is something too, not just your youth
You’ve to change the title of your history
Arise, my love, for now you must march with me.

tod kar rasm ke but bare qadamat se nikal
zof-e-ishrat se nikal, vaham-e-nazaakat se nikal
nafs ke khiinche hue halq-e-azmal se nikal
yeh bhii ek qaid hii hai, qaid-e-muhabbat se nikal
raah kaa khaar hii kyaa gul bhii kuchalnaa hai tujhe
uth merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe

Emerge out of ancient bondage, break the idols of tradition,
the weakness of pleasure, this mirage of fragility
these self-drawn boundaries of imagined greatness
the bondage of love, for this too is a bondage
Not merely the thorns on the path, you have to trample on flowers too
Arise, my love, for now you must march with me.

tod yeh azm-shikan dagdag-e-pand bhii tor
terii khaatir hai jo zanjiir vah saugandh bhii tor
tauq yeh bhii zammruud kaa gulband bhii tor
tod paimana-e-mardaan-e-khirdmand bhii tor
banke tuufaan chhalaknaa hai ubalnaa hai tujhe
uth merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe

Shatter these resolve breaking suspicions of sermons
these vows that have become shackles
this too, this necklace of emeralds
these standards set by the wise men
You have to turn into a tempest, bubble and boil over
Arise, my love, for now you must march with me.

tuu falaatuno-arastuu haii tuu zohraa parviin
tere qabze mein hai garduun, terii thokar mein zamiin
haan, uthaa, jald uthaa paae-muqqadar se jabiin
main bhii rukne kaa nahii waqt bhii rukne kaa nahiin
larkharaayegii kahaan tak ki sambhalnaa hai tujhe
uth merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe

You are Aristotle’s philosophy, Venus, Pleiades
You control the sky, the earth at your feet
Yes, raise, fast, raise your forehead from the feet of fate
I too am not going to pause, nor will the time
How long would you falter, you have to be firm
Arise, my love, for now you must march with me.

The Importance of being Earnest

We watched a local Singaporean production of this Oscar Wilde play & quite enjoyed it. The production had a twist - it worked with an all male cast, and quite cleverly made a point about the gay rights issue which doesn't get discussed as much as it should in Singapore. The lines are incredibly witty & hilarious, and the plot in all its silliness pokes fun at the pretensions society forces upon us. The performances were outstanding. We quite enjoyed this play & look forward to some more productions from Wild Rice!

Cooking NANTA

Here's one thing I haven't written about yet from our Korea trip, but I really should: the NANTA show. Its a high energy dance/ martial arts/ juggling/ drums/ comedy show based on a story of a bunch of cooks preparing for a wedding party. It's very Korean in its comedy & it's style. There's no talking, so no language issues, but theres music made out of kimchi pots & onions being diced in mid air. Gotta love the originality & creativity of the concept. And it was pretty hilarious :)

Shobana's Krishna

Shobana performed her dance musical Krishna at Singapore's Esplanade theatre yesterday & I quite enjoyed the show. It's not easy to make an age-old dance form like Bharatnatyam current & also accessible to the man-on-the-street. I cringed at times at the classical dance to Bollywood tunes; it felt wrong. But I get the idea & I get what she was trying to do. Having said that, the most beautiful & captivating part of the musical, for me at least, was the traditionally choreographed dance of Krishna & the gopikas. It was exuberant & full of soul & a joy to watch. There were no translated English dialogues or dhinkchak beats - it's just dance the way it's supposed to be.

Shobana has an amazing stage presence. My eyes were on her the whole time she was on stage. She did have to give up on her feminine charm as she played the male character of Krishna, and while I missed her feminine grace in her dance I won't hold that against her. I was still watching her :)

I can't say I'm a fan of the format - the bastardisation of a classical dance form. But I didn't hate it either. The Bhagwad-Gita retold in 5 mins was much too rushed though for a play that meant to explain Krishna's philosophy. But then again, most traditional dance forms love Krishna more as a poster-boy for the gopikas than as the advisor & philosopher to Arjun. That's how he's remembered best in Bharatnatyam.

The Water Puppet Show in Hanoi

On our way to Halong Bay, we spent a day in Hanoi and found ourselves in the middle of its crazy Old Quarters. Its a city thats thousands of years old, and looks it. If you've been to Pune, its very much like the Laxmi Road/ Peth area, but older. There are no traffic rules, there are no pedestrian footpaths & building maintenance is not a priority for people. There is however always a buzz of activity; you can't ever fault the city for being boring! Saw the Indian-style two-wheeler commute (families of four or five on one scooter) after ages & loved it :)

In the evening, we walked into the Water Puppet Show. Because TripAdvisor recommended us to do so. I thought it would be a tourist-trap, but quite liked it eventually. The themes of the puppetery was Vietnamese folk-lore; the rice harvests, the fishermen, the rural festivals, the red dragons, the children climbing trees....it kept us engaged & entertained; even had us laughing aloud on occassions. Well recommended, TripAdvisor.

Krishnan's Dairy

Jacob Rajan is a Kiwi-Indian actor who does single-performer plays. We had watched 'The Guru of Chai' last year & were blown away by his talent. This year, we went back to watch 'Krishnan's Dairy' and were as impressed. Its far from being a monologue. To single-handedly perform 4 to 5 characters in an hour long play is far from easy; and to do so while maintaining the humour, energy & subtelty of physical traits & body language of each person he portrays; is an incredible talent. I'm a fan.

Shakespeare in the park

Shakespeare in the park was back this year with Macbeth and we had almost-front row seats (some enthusiastic queuing up that was!) in Fort Canning Park. It was my first time watching a Shakespearean play since college (was my second time watching Macbeth actually); and the first time ever watching a play in a park. We had our picnic mats & picnic baskets & beer cans - we had fun.

Adrian Pang as the lead character was outstanding & I am a fan. Having gone in with limited expectations from a Singaporean tv actor; we were completely blown away by this performance. The girl who played Lady Macbeth was not the best of actors; neither did she look the part of the sexy/ devious/ conflicted woman. She probably did her best work in the sleep-walking scene. (Was that harsh? Well, all stage actors - anyone who remembers all those lines & says them on stage without shaking in front of thousands of people - deserves some applause; so I hate being critical of them)

It was a stuffy humid evening & the breeze was being rather coy; so we were not envious of the costumed & leather-jacketed cast members, but they maintained their energy levels inspite of it all. Thank you for a great evening.

Me, Kash & Cruise

A play from & about Bombay came to Singapore; so obviously we had to go watch it. Directed by Rahul Dacunha, "Me, Kash & Cruise" is a story of 3 friends who meet at St. Xaviers college - one is a brooding arty-type guy, there's a pretty, perky & rich South-Mumbai girl, and there's a simple-minded Delhi-walla who's recently moved to Mumbai; and the 20-odd years they spend together in Mumbai.

And then there's Rajit Kapur who appears in the play as different but all typically Mumbai characters - as a police hawaldar turned moral police; as an ardent Ganpati procession dancer; as a marketing guy with an American accent and incorrect grammar; as a roadside hawker selling sex solutions; as a angry sword-bearing man during the riots; all are small but impactful & entertaining appearances on stage.

This Mumbai girl who is narrating the story - equally enjoys the company of intellectual and brooding Kash as she does the classless but fun Cruise with his simple fundas in life. The background score as well ranges from the "Beedi" Song to "Take my breath away". It's all very Mumbai. Loved going back to that city for 2 hours in that small theatre hall in Singapore! :)

Some of the lines were hilarious too ( "Kash, you wore an ear-ring, never played cricket and then did a B.A.; obviously my dad assumed you were gay!")

Trip to Bangkok - Part II

While in Bangkok, we watched a Khon show (the traditional Thai classical performing art). The dance form is typically based on stories from the Ramayana (called Ramaniket in Thai). The play we saw was titled "Hanuman" so the story was familiar & we weren't too bothered by the fact that the "narrators" were singing in Thai. I loved the costumes & the masks & the jewellery. The dance in itself was quite difficult to interpret, I thought; with some characters in masks & the others with mask-like faces...a lot of the emoting is done through hand gestures & movements.

The King & I

'The King & I' is one of the longest running musicals on Broadway; and we were lucky to catch the play on its Singapore tour last night. I had seen the movie version- ‘Anna & the King’ starring Jodie Foster- but the play had a different charm. The costumes were breathtaking, the Thai dances were beautiful and elegant, the actors (especially the girl who plays Anna) had great singing & acting talent; and some of the lines had first-rate wit & humour.

What made the evening special was also the fact that this was our first visit to the massive ‘Esplanade Theatre’ of Singapore. The theater is grand from inside & architecturally impressive from the outside (its made to resemble a durian, I'm told).

The Lion King

We watched the musical The Lion King at London's Lyceum Theatre. I have been a fan of the animated movie but have been curious to see how it would be presented on stage.

I was so impressed with the production quality of this play: the costumes, the sets, the tools used; are so imaginative and creative! It was quite breath-taking how the scene where Simba loses his dad in a jungle stampede was depicted on stage. Or how the costumes of Scarface & Mufasa made them look evil or majestic respectively. Or how the set of the hyena strong-hold, the graveyard, gave the stage an eerie creepy feel.

I loved it all!