Finally watched 'My Grandfather's Road (RHDS)' 《阿爺條路 ～ 兔心龍魂》. I've not seen any of its previous versions in either English or Cantonese. This 2019 performance is the latest iteration that presents added stories from playwright and director Neo Kim Seng's memories of his childhood in his family home on the road named after his grandfather, Neo Pee Teck (梁丕德). The road in Pasir Panjang is named 'Neo Pee Teck Lane' (巴西班让梁丕德巷). Today, the secondary lane sits in a residential area and also hosts two small hotels.
Directed by Neo Kim Seng (of course, 导演梁金成), he was asked in an interview for the program booklet about how he felt when he had to gather more stories for this 2019 staging, he said,
I didn't look at the performance dates properly and accidentally bought tickets to the Cantonese version. Oops. Ah well. I had wanted to watch Karen Tan and Loong Seng Onn narrating in English, and it would be easier for the husband to understand the stories.
In this Cantonese version, the storytellers were Tan Cher Kian and Gary Tang, with English surtitles projected very clearly on three screens. It was fun storytelling by very engaging storytellers. The stories of Neo Kim Seng’s childhood are just that, his stories, and of his journey, and of his memories. And yes, nobody spoke Mandarin back then. I don’t want to compare or think too much into it and dip into nostalgia because each generation of children have different experiences. Although I could sworn I heard shade thrown at some happenings our current political climate. Heh.
And after the show, we are none the wiser as to why, definitively, that there's a lane named after Neo Pee Teck. 😂
Directed by Neo Kim Seng (of course, 导演梁金成), he was asked in an interview for the program booklet about how he felt when he had to gather more stories for this 2019 staging, he said,
Speaking with 80- and 90-year-olds about their memories of living on Neo Pee Teck Lane made me realise how fragile memories are, as they don't remember a lot of things that I want to ask them about. Yet at some magical moments, the memories and telling of the stories become so clear and detailed, they’re like close-up shots in a widescreen film. So with this version of My Grandfather’s Road, I'm thinking more about forgotten stories and people, because it is so easy to rewrite history these days.
I didn't look at the performance dates properly and accidentally bought tickets to the Cantonese version. Oops. Ah well. I had wanted to watch Karen Tan and Loong Seng Onn narrating in English, and it would be easier for the husband to understand the stories.
In this Cantonese version, the storytellers were Tan Cher Kian and Gary Tang, with English surtitles projected very clearly on three screens. It was fun storytelling by very engaging storytellers. The stories of Neo Kim Seng’s childhood are just that, his stories, and of his journey, and of his memories. And yes, nobody spoke Mandarin back then. I don’t want to compare or think too much into it and dip into nostalgia because each generation of children have different experiences. Although I could sworn I heard shade thrown at some happenings our current political climate. Heh.
And after the show, we are none the wiser as to why, definitively, that there's a lane named after Neo Pee Teck. 😂
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