|
|
Toilet 厕所
20-24 May 2009 KLPac By Lim Sue Ying
I have been browsing through websites to get more information on Toilet before I attended the play. The information given was similar - only a brief synopsis; but there was more information on the director and the awards he won.
I understood, Toilet is a re-staging of Untitled which was played in 2003 and has won the director, Loh Kok Man, the Best Director and six other dominations including Best Lighting Design and Best Set Design for the production at the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards. Thumbs up for our local production!
To me, Toilet was a very well done. The stage design, the script written, the dance choreographed, the lighting and other constructs were perfectly assembled. Toilet, a play in mandarin with English subtitles, was developed after a six-year of probe. The seats were almost full that night, and surprisingly, the crowds comprise a good racial mix despite the language barrier. This is definitely a good sign of Malaysia’s multiracialism and our collective support for local productions.
The stage was designed with plain white and featured a superbly huge toilet roll at each side of the stage. When the toilet papers were torn off, Toilet begins.
Contemporary dance was the main ingredient for the play. But of cause, the script also played an important role. Each individual has his or her respective dance parts and most of them have a prop to play with, be it a bench, banana or balloon.
The part I like the most was the duet that by a Leng Poh Gee and Louise Yow. It is a duet based on duality using, lifts and support to create most of the movements. This joint venture speaks of love that conquers all. The dance successfully projected the feeling of love, of motivation, and of intimacy, as the duo seems to be propelled by an imaginary force. The act was commendable because it was done so naturally.
 Dancers’ word equivalent lies in gestures. As the couple pulls and counter-pulls, the force coming from different directions created spatial tension, which could be read as tension in a relationship. There are many more simple actions in this scene but it was choreographed so beautifully that it was simply gorgeous to look at and enjoy. Kudos to the choreographer for a job well done!
Toilet is a unique play because it separates dance and script except for the last scene where both elements combined. This last part commenced with dance, which slowly led the audience into the script. This was a very good idea as the script was not straightforward and not easy to understandeven for a Chinese-educated person like myself. But once you catch the meaning, it makes sense and it portrays all the contradictions that we have gone through in life. It clearly brought out the battle between dreams and reality. Good play!
“我爱你。我卑微。 我的欲望疼痛。我的身份模糊。
我的灵魂爆裂。我自我批评。
我留下线索。我不是我。
我找到你。”
“I love you. I am small.
My desire is in pain.
My identity is vague. My soul is bursting.
I judge myself. I leave you a clue.
I am not me. I found you.”
|
Copyright 2010 Asia Dance Channel