I missed Wild Rice's staging of 'Grandmother Tongue' last year. When it came around this year, I wasn't actually sure I wanted to watch it. It's just too....I dunno. It doesn't appeal to me. It's too much of a reminder of what my old folks have to face on a daily basis. Too familiar, and I really don't want to be reminded of it in a stylized stage play, regardless of whether I understand Teochew.
I couldn’t quite relate to this play in terms of my relationship with my grandparents either, or their opinions of the world. Both sets of grandparents knew their gadgets and tech trends better than I did. They also spoke four languages, and could rather creatively yell at me in whichever language of their choice when I disobeyed their instructions. It was fairly fascinating back then to hear each of them opting for a different language (from what we normally conversed in) to scold me.
Written and directed by Thomas Lim, it's got both English and Chinese surtitles. The clever use of surtitles lent a depth to the play, and also left audiences who don’t understand Teochew or Mandarin bemused at one point, effectively highlighting how language barriers alienate. It's a very Singaporean play that shows the audience of a young man's struggles to connect with his 84-year-old Teochew grandmother who doesn't speak any other language, besides Teochew. It's in those daily things of buying her groceries, teaching her how to use a mobile phone, and predictably, visiting her in hospital after she had a bad fall.
I didn't take to the play at all, through no fault of its excellent actors or its very real script. It’s a wonderful play full of nuanced emotions, messages of love, understanding and generosity. It's just a matter of 'too much'. I take my old folks through this daily, weekly, through the years. I feel for them, understanding their confusion at the pace of life, sense of abandonment or being left behind by fellow residents. Seeing these issues of how old folks are alienated as society progresses, and how it's played out on stage isn't something enjoyable for me.
I couldn’t quite relate to this play in terms of my relationship with my grandparents either, or their opinions of the world. Both sets of grandparents knew their gadgets and tech trends better than I did. They also spoke four languages, and could rather creatively yell at me in whichever language of their choice when I disobeyed their instructions. It was fairly fascinating back then to hear each of them opting for a different language (from what we normally conversed in) to scold me.
Written and directed by Thomas Lim, it's got both English and Chinese surtitles. The clever use of surtitles lent a depth to the play, and also left audiences who don’t understand Teochew or Mandarin bemused at one point, effectively highlighting how language barriers alienate. It's a very Singaporean play that shows the audience of a young man's struggles to connect with his 84-year-old Teochew grandmother who doesn't speak any other language, besides Teochew. It's in those daily things of buying her groceries, teaching her how to use a mobile phone, and predictably, visiting her in hospital after she had a bad fall.
I didn't take to the play at all, through no fault of its excellent actors or its very real script. It’s a wonderful play full of nuanced emotions, messages of love, understanding and generosity. It's just a matter of 'too much'. I take my old folks through this daily, weekly, through the years. I feel for them, understanding their confusion at the pace of life, sense of abandonment or being left behind by fellow residents. Seeing these issues of how old folks are alienated as society progresses, and how it's played out on stage isn't something enjoyable for me.
2 comments:
hee.. i'm just curious.. any reasons why ur grandparents chose to scold u in a different language??
I think they kinda reverted to the language they’re most comfortable with when they’re angry, hurhurhur. Like their ‘thought’ language rather than their conversant or frequently-used languages.
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