Went to catch this play on Saturday at Drama Centre and was seated at Circle 2's front row. Before watching this Oscar Wilde comedy, directed by Glen Goei and starring an all male cast, I was wondering if I might be revolted by the portrayal of the males in their gender-bending depiction.Don't get me wrong, I am not gay-phobic but most times, males acting as females in theater tends to overplay the 'feminine factor' and the dramatized depiction gets a little uneasy and unnatural.
I was glad to experience none of the unnatural-'ness' as the gender-bending characters played by Ivan Heng (Lady Bracknell), Chua Enlai (Gwendolyn Fairfax), Hossan Leong (Miss Prism) and Gavin Yap (Cecily Cardew) were a natural balance of masculine-femininity. Much like how a normal girl might be in real life. Of course, I'm not referring to a dainty, 'manja' girlish type but a typical new age female.
The actors did not try too hard to up the girlish-ness of feminine factor and in fact interjected masculine outbursts at certain points for comical effect.
The direction given to this play by Glen Goei, from the beautiful classical pieces serenading the crowd by T'ang Quartet, to the laid-back setting of an otherwise 'snooty' era the play is set in, made the play very 'consumable' to non-theater goers (in my opinion anyways).
Particularly commendable are the portrayals by Brendon Fernandez (as Algernon Moncrief), the cheeky young lad who is never serious about anything and lives life beyond his means, as well as, Gavin Yap's portrayal of a ditsy and pretty 18-year-old Cecily Cardew. Together, their young, romantic antics and comic timing brought many laughs to the audience.
Ivan Heng in 'her' royal-highness, did a grand portrayal of diva-ness and Hossan Leong as usual never fails to entertain with his shrilly, old maid style. However, it failed to impress not because they were not great but simply because I expect them to be this good.
Kudos to T'ang Quartet for being so candid in their segments, being part of the lively act between cast and musician. I can definitely bear a late start to the show simply because their music make time irrelevant.
Another point to note is the beautiful costumes designed for this cast by Frederick Lee. I used to model for his bridal shows but seeing his creations in this play makes me wanna be living in the play just to wear his clothes all over again.
You don't have to be an 'artsy' theater-goer. If you are a comedy-buff, fashionista, music lover or simply wants to be entertained, this play is worth being at. And at the price the tickets are going for, Wild Rice is definitely pegging it to current financial situations.
Rating:
Show details:
Date: 25 Mar - 11 Apr 2009
Venue: Drama Centre Theatre @ National Library Building
Tickets: www.sistic.com.sg
Brendon Fernandez talks about the play and his character:
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