Adapted from Anton Chekhov's 1901 novel, 'Force Majure' opens the final season of Pangdemonium as a theatre company. After almost 16 years, Pangdemonium is closing at the end of this year. I have always welcomed what Pangdemonium chooses to adapt and stage for the Singapore audience. I can always find something to watch and mull over. There's never a bad production, but of course anyone could critique it to however they wish. Our national critics are always kind anyway.
Written by Stephanie Street and directed by Tracie Pang, the play is set in a Southeast Asian country that is not Singapore. It kept faithful to the novel in the expiration of the relationship between three sisters and their brother, the issues of dysfunction within a family, of individual personal ambitions versus financial obligations and realities.
In 'Force Majure', there was some singing, yes, but thankfully this isn't a musical. The set was beautiful. I obviously wouldn't go into details here since I'm not paid to review it, and I keep my thoughts short and unprofessional. Hurhurhur. On this blog, it's always pretty much about whether I like something, or I don't. (Reviews here, here, here and here.)
Two actors take on dual roles in this adaption. I mean, aside from practical costs issues, one could also view it with a literary angle of the roles of these males Theo and Ken in their women's lives. Same goes for the actor playing Nat and Vic. Recurring patterns are everywhere. If you've read the book, then all the more you should be able to spot them. The music was fine, and the acting was pretty all right. Nothing too overboard, and made very believable.
The playwrighting though, was a bit skimpy. I didn't feel the effect of 'force majure' coming through. Most certainly not in the way of a flood that upended all their lives, and deciding who would live or leave. The pacing in the first half was patchy. The second half (after the intermission) exploded and confused the heck out of me.
I'm just a regular audience. What do I know of theatre critique? But there is no necessity for me to say how wonderful this show is when I didn't fully embrace it. Did I enjoy it? Yeah, I totally appreciated the play in its entirety. Pangdemonium has always been so good for the Singapore theatre scene and its artists.
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