Dream Academy’s “Meenah and Cheenah”: Review

PUBLISHED May 18th, 2016 05:21 pm | UPDATED June 7th, 2016 03:22 pm

Oh, where to start? It was an evening of side splitting comedy, unfettered laughter, and altogether so much fun. Dream Academy’s latest brainchild, Meenah and Cheenah, starring Siti Khalijah as Meenah and Judee Tan as Cheenah, is a must-watch for Singaporeans – regardless of race, language, or religion. Siti and Judee are so entertaining and perform a multitude of roles so convincingly that one quickly forgets that there are only two of them on stage throughout the 90 minute programme. Directed by Selena Tan and written by Alfian Saat, the series of sketches manages to hit home on issues surrounding racial harmony and be hilarious all at the same time.

From Meenah and Cheenah meet in the afterlife to anthropological research on the evolution of Meenahs and Cheenahs, the sketches cover ground on many imaginable – and some imaginable – interactions between Malays and Chinese. There is even a “historical” sketch depicting how this relationship plays out in the era (or thereabouts) of Sang Nila Utama. The candidness of the exchange, stereotypes notwithstanding, had the audience in stitches. Especially nostalgic are a few of the sketches which depict friendships between Meenah and Cheenah during their teenage years – there are also fantastic disco scenes but I won’t say much more about that so as not to spoil the surprise.

As I sat in the theatre surrounded by an audience which represented Singaporeans from all walks of life, I was reminded of the power of theatre to bring people together and also of the freeing joy of being able to laugh at yourself. After all, we probably all have inner Meenahs and Cheenahs waiting to be unleashed. Meenah and Cheenah is a real celebration of Singapore and all Singaporeans – highly recommended, especially if you don’t know what to wear on Racial Harmony day.

Meenah and Cheenah is playing at Victoria Theatre from 11-22 May 2016; shows are from Tuesday to Sunday at 8pm and Saturday and Sunday at 4pm.

Deb

When not out trying new eats or exploring the arts scene around Singapore, you will likely find Deb somewhere in the great outdoors, trekking, biking, or hugging trees. She is also a huge bookworm and comic nut, especially partial to Calvin and Hobbes.