The Singapore Arts Festival was held during 25 May-24 June and marks its 30th anniversary this year. "Established as a national celebration for the arts, the Festival offers a myriad showcase of world-class and internationally-acclaimed arts productions, and has a strong trademark for presenting several world and Asian premieres."
(quoted from http://www.singaporeartsfest.com/)
It celebrates the diversity of dance, music, theatre and many other art disciplines. What is interesting about the arts festival would undoubtedly be the chance to check out and explore performances from other countries, that are often widely acclaimed. The Singapore Arts Festival offers a chance for Singaporeans to view overseas' works right in the comfort of their own home. Many thanks to the government for providing such state-of-the-art technology and well-equipped performance venues that allowed for such diverse and creative works to be showcased here.
Not wanting to miss out on such a great opportunity, yours truly decided to go for 2 shows, namely
Blue Love by Shaun Parker (Australia) and
The Specialists by Pluck (UK). Of course, it helped that there was a promotion of discounted tickets ;)
Blue Love is about the life of this seemingly happily married couple (Glenn and Rhonda) and seeks to explore the intricacies and tensions that couples faced. This is done through numerous ways ranging from dance, songs and even video clips. The contemporary and sometimes avant-garde approach to the exploration of the complexities of couple issues left the audience reflecting and pondering, sometimes in bewilderment. Yet, that is quite expected as the issues themselves are often not meant to be resolved but rather to be showcased in a different light and very much left to the interpretation of the audience.
There were a few rather poignant scenes where Rhonda had to deal with Glenn's adultery and it was done in mime, the silence of the scene coupled with jerky physical movements gives off a raw, stark vibe that pierced through the room. The open, raw emotions portrayed by Rhonda in subtle gestures and small, jerky movements stood out amidst the dexterous, large rhythmical movements and physicality of Glenn, offered such a striking juxtaposition that one is inevitably drawn into their world and given a real glimpse of its hidden pain.
Yet, as advertised : "
Blue Love is a warm-hearted parody of pop culture, romance, coupledom and suburbia, told through film, song and dance", it does have its hilarious moments as familiar love pop songs and its lyrics constitued conversation in a highly-charged break-up scene. One would be bombarded by the sounds of "I will survive", MJ's "Beat it" and "Love is a Battlefield", at once enjoying the familiar tunes and tapping the feet along to it as well as be marvelled at the appropriateness of the lyrics. All in all,
Blue Love touches the heart as much as it delights.
The Specialists was advertised as "part tea-time concerto and part slapstick gag-fest" and it occurred to me that it has been a long while since I last went for a symphonic concert. So, this performance intrigued me as I thought about the advantages of getting a 2-in-1 performance where music and drama are combined.
It was absolutely enjoyable! Listening to the tunes and music played by the 3 classically-trained musicians coupled with their uproarious tactics proved to be an addiction, leaving the audience wanting for more. Familiar classical pieces from famous composers like Beethoven and Mozart flooded the room beautifully and coaxed guffaws and chuckles from the audience as the performers spiced it up with amusing tactics. There were lots of physical comedy going on such as getting caught in a foldable chair and trying to get out of it while playing a musical piece and many others.
All in all,
The Specialists entertains as it amuses and put up a truly professional recital that left a deep, resonating impression.
