‘The Nature of Forgetting’

A pity I won't be able to catch the bulk of the shows I want at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, unless I come back in mid March. Heh. Many good shows abound for sure, even during the quieter opening week.

I sat through two concerts (a symphony and an orchestra), a contemporary dance farewell showcase (I can't wait to see what a new choreographer does because imho the current stalwart and founder of the company has no more creative spark; every recent piece is simply rehashing the previous, down to costumes), and a rather cute mime with puppets. For this festival opening week, my pick of the lot is a theatre play.

Thoroughly enjoyed Theatre Re's rather depressing and thought-provoking 'The Nature of Forgetting' directed by Guillaume Pigé. The title itself already indicated that it touches on dementia. Guillaume Pigé himself plays Tom who is at home getting dressed for his birthday party. He's coming to terms with the onset of early dementia. He mistakes his daughter for his late wife. We, the audiences travel back in time with Tom to his past; we meet his friends, and understand how they've shaped him to what he is today.

We're watching his consciousness and memories interact, and how one chips away at the other, and sadness befalls everyone when he can't even remember his wedding day clearly. If you didn't read any reviews or the program notes, you wouldn't know that Tom is only 55 years old. You'd have thought him older. Well, I read the notes, and I know he's only at middle age. That's chilling. It's an age not far from where I am now.

Aging and illnesses are the painful progress of life. It's a common story, and the more we understand it, the better we are at accepting people with dementia and managing the challenges that come along with loved ones stricken with dementia. And when we, ourselves, get there, we can only hope the society will be kind and whoever loved ones taking care of us will know when to let go (put us in an assisted care facility) and not feel guilty.

Theatre Re says,

Ultimately, our piece is not about dementia. It is about the fragility of life and that eternal “something” we all share that is left when memory is gone.