Seen.By.Ice.Queen: coming to my senses

As mentioned previously, I was looking forward to taking my 4-year-old to SRT's The Little Company play - The Boy Who Cried Wolf.


Some things I expected, some I didn't.

First, let's talk about what I DID expect. My scaredy-cat boy, who is taller and bigger than most kids his age, started to freak out the moment we went to pick up our tickets from the box office. It appears his little mind is already retaining more than I give him credit for. He apparently remembers The Tooth Fairy incident and is shuddering at another 'real-life' experience with the performers.

Anyhow, when I tugged and pulled him into the theatre at DBS Arts Centre, he started doing his Ninja thing where he ducked and ran semi-squat through the rows of seats so that he's camouflaged amongst the chairs, until we finally reached our allocated seats.

When we reached our seats, he proceeded to sit me down urgently in my seat before clambering onto my lap and grabbing my arms to encapsulate him within me. I could hardly breathe as he made sure my arms were tightly wrapped around him. He also quickly removed his beloved Ben 10 watch and made me keep it in my handbag's (which was taking the seat he refused to be on) secret zipped compartment so the "Big Bad Wolf would not take it, Mummy!"


We waited in trepidation for the play to begin and my trembling todd surveyed the set and evaluated if he ought to make a dash for the exit.

Enters the Big Bad Wolf played by Filomar C. Tariao who is no where as scarily styled as the witch from The Tooth Fairy. Truth be told, he looked a little comical with his fluffy long tail and stylish boots. But his sheer presence and our proximity to the stage was enough to hold my son ransom to the intangible fear.

Despite the gripping fear, he responded to the Wolf's requests to sing "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf" and to practice screaming at the sight of the wolf. This is with credits to Filomar who engaged the kids in the audience with his song and dance sequence. Filomar who is obviously a trained dancer did jazzy numbers and ballet steps that had both kids and adults entertained and entranced. It also helps that he has good comic timing and wit and was able to poke fun at the adults while ensuring that the kids understood his jokes.

One good example was when Wolf was looking to eat a sheep in the audience and when a kid pointed at his dad, volunteering him as an offering, Wolf proclaimed that the sheep was a little too old, causing the kids to break out in guffaws (OK, so did the adults but we were trying to be more discreet about laughing at the poor guy).

Back to the point of the play. Petey, played by Tim Garner, and his Father, played by Darius Tan sets the storyline of Petey being asked to watch the sheeps while his daddy (a wood-cutter) goes away to work on a project in the castle to earn more money for the family (and with hopes of climbing the "corporate ladder" to become the Royal Wood-Cutter).

As we all know, Petey proceeds to cry wolf (although they did improvise to make it Cry Giant the first time and Cry Dragon the second) which resulted in his dad not believing him the third time when he cried Wolf for real.

I was also expecting appropriate points to make reference of these lying examples to my todd about not telling lies. What I was NOT expecting was a hidden lesson in there for parents too.

Watching the play, I discovered that the moral of the story was not just about telling the kids that lying is a bad thing. It also hinted to parents that there are some underlying triggers that may make kids lie.

Petey lied to his dad to get his attention because dad was "always busy working" and "never kept his promise" to spend time with Petey.

So to parents of kids who cry wolf, before you tell them 'shoo' the next time because "Mummy is busy", remember how many times you have broken that promise (that counts as lying too, no?) and told your kid, "I promise I will take you to a picnic next week. Promise!"

Ratings:

I am a first time parent. And I believe as is the case with most first time parents, much of what I put into my parenting manual is either from advice given by well-intending people or by gut feel. Being the stubborn and opinionated person that I am, it is often the latter.

One of my major challenges recently has been getting my four-year old to NOT LIE. I started by trying to reason. And when that failed to work, I resorted to... lying.. I've thus far told him that if he lied, his teeth would all come off.. I don't think he cares much about his teeth though.. since this tactic doesn't seem to be working. o_O'"

Yes, yes.. I know I'm not setting a good example. But honestly, when you are a FT working mum like me, getting things done efficiently is of optimum importance. That, is not to say that what I am doing is right. But honestly, I am at my wits end.

This is why I am utterly grateful to SRT's timely (well, at least in my opinion and to me, that means EVERYTHING) release of a play about THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF. Most of us would know the moral of the story. So to this play, I am going for sure. I'll probably try to buy a storybook on PINOCCHIO as well in the meantime..



DATES: 30th July to 12th September 2009 – please see SISTIC for performance schedule
PRICES: Mon-Fri $18 – Weekends $20 excluding SISTIC fee (Group discounts/Family Packages available)
VENUE: DBS Arts Centre – Home of SRT
TICKETING: SISTIC at 6348 5555 or www.sistic.com.sg/www.srt.com.sg

Another production by SRT that is set to show in March. A little teaser to decide if you wanna go for it.

Defending the Caveman, the longest running solo play in Broadway history, is now a worldwide, rock-solid tour-de-force. This blockbuster has won the hearts of millions in more than 15 different languages.

Defending the Caveman, a hilariously insightful play about the ways men and women relate, is an international hit with productions in 30 countries including the United States, Canada, South Africa, Iceland, Sweden and Germany.

Comedian Rob Becker wrote Defending the Caveman over a three-year period during which he made an informal study of anthropology, prehistory, psychology, sociology and mythology.

This prehistoric look at the battle of the sexes played for two years on Broadway and is full of hilarious scenarios that celebrate the differences between the sexes.

Starring Daniel Jenkins (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Pillowman)
Directed by Tracie Pang (The Pillowman, Boom)

“An outrageously funny and surprisingly sweet exploration of the gender gap…"
- Chicago Sun Times

“Hysterically Funny! Couples who were seen arguing before the show, stroll out into the night holding hands.” - Variety

“A comic phenomenon!” - The New York Times

With hilarious insights on contemporary feminism, masculine sensitivity and the erogenous zone, Defending the Caveman addresses the common themes in relationships that go straight to the funny bone.

Ticketing Information
DATES: 11 – 15 March 2009, Wednesday – Sunday 8pm
PRICES: $40 - Group discounts available
VENUE: DBS Arts Centre – Home of SRT
TICKETING: SISTIC at 6348 5555 or www.sistic.com.sg
WEBSITE: www.srt.com.sg & www.defendingthecaveman.com

At the advertising company Chapman and Howard, the staff have taken great pains to prepare for their traditional Christmas bash, and to ensure that they avoid any scandals similar to last year's which resulted in a visit from the police and the Managing Director's divorce! But when the drinks flow and the good times roll, the party lurches from one disaster to another.

Picture "The Office" meets "Love Actually" and you know you will be in for a rollercoaster ride of laughter, love and tears in this comedy which leads seven diverse characters - Bob the office buaya, Pippa the sarong party secretary, Lee the goodie two-shoes and a host of other crazy characters, through the minefield of office politics, petty differences, sexual harassment and hidden desires. And that's just another day at work!

Directed by Tracie Pang. Starring Wendy Kweh and Cynthia Lee Macquarrie.

Ticketing Details
DATES: 27 November – 13 December 2009
TIMING: 8pm (Monday - Saturday), 4pm (Saturdays)
PRICES: $58, $48 (Friday – Saturday, 8pm), $50, $40 (Monday – Thursday, 8pm & Saturday, 4pm)
VENUE: DBS Arts Centre - Home of SRT
TICKETING: SISTIC at 6348 5555 or www.sistic.com.sg