Boom! A Must See Production
PUBLISHED July 3rd, 2012 08:40 pm | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 03:24 pm
Usually around the time I’m snuggling down in my seat, ensuring my sweets are emptied into my lap to prevent them rustling about, and gratefully having an excuse to turn off my phone, I’m anticipating the next few hours of theatrical entertainment – expecting fire and fantasy.
The opening night of BOOM was neither fire nor fantasy and I was unexpectedly grateful for that.
BOOM was in town in 2008 and is now, thankfully, back again for those of you who missed out first time round. Sugar coated in humour and wit, BOOM depicts the painful reality of a country which devalues the human being, shuns sentimentality and instead seeks to develop and expand at the expense of its nation’s well being. Homing in on our modern day material concerns, BOOM mocks how we attempt to improve ourselves by buying into a lifestyle where our idea of heaven is a full facilities condo with the best view around town, complete with all the trimmings. The play highlights a shift in our priorities and a distinction between the monetary and the meaningful.
The play centres around the heartfelt story of one lady (Fanny Kee) who is being unfairly persuaded to move from her home so that it can be rebuilt on. We witness how this mother filled with romance and memories finds difficulty parting with sentimentality and succumbing to progression. The play’s interlinked story lines between characters express many stances on this one reality. Playwright Jean Tay’s excellent employment of diction, both English and Singlish, and hilarity helps shape the play into being synchronously heartfelt and comic.
A fresh set of actors were brought together, equipped with energy and talent, for this fantastically produced play by Sight Lines, directed by Derrick Chew. Whilst each member of this exceptionally diverse and gifted cast managed to stir up a mix of emotions in its audience, our star of the show has to be Erwin Shah Ismail. With his exceptional portrayal of a civil servant with an ear for corpses, who is assigned to relocating graves, Erwin was barely audible past the roars of laughter which flooded the theatre. A brilliantly sober delivery of an otherwise hilarious character makes Erwin our show stopper.
BOOM is full of emotion, honesty, mockery and defeat. Dishearteningly true to life, they play is a light-hearted mockery of the bitterness we attempt to block out. Whether you’re Singaporean or Expatriate, I’m sure you’ll relate to at least one aspect of this play.
With reality check in hand it left me questioning, as all good plays should. BOOM is only showing until the 8th of July at DBS Arts Centre. An absolutely must see production! Book now before it’s too late. For more details,
Written by Patpat
