Pang Khee Teik wrote in Kakiseni.com in his review of "Asian Boys Vol. 2", "Go, not because it's gay theatre, it's great theatre." And I can say that this bold statement is equally true for "Happy Endings - Asian Boys Vol. 3".

I have written about this play in an earlier post, but now, I write with the greatest conviction that this is the best play I have ever seen so far gracing our local stage and one that you have to watch.

Was it perfect? No, but then again, I don't believe that perfection exist and even if it does, it is subjective. Adapting a book ("Peculiar Chris" by Johann S Lee in this case) to a play is not easy and I guess the playwright had quite a challenge dealing with certain characters and placing them in his story arc set in the future.

It is a moving and reflective tale of innocent first love, missed opportunity, growing up, losing the things that you treasured about yourself in your youth to be the person who you want to be as an adult, fighting for who you are and your own path to happiness. Lots of lumps in your throat sort of thing and all of it were played out smoothly and movingly on stage.

The script was great, the direction and realisation was superb and the cast did a fantastic job. Everyone held their own and became the anchor that grounded the story. Of course, some like Karen Tan shone more than the rest.

It was a bit strange to see the character of Johann, the author of Peculiar Chris acted out on stage. Strange because parts of his real life were mentioned and strange because I had the opportunity of meeting him a few years ago in person, in a way having a brief interaction with this person who is now acted by Ben Xiao on stage. And I guess, in a small way, I am part of the larger story too.

There were a lot of scenes that made me tear but the one that moved me a lot was when Koey Foo's uber-macho dragon boating and partying Nicholas confronted his younger effeminate and flamboyant self, realising what he had lost to become this object of desire.

And when I stood up to give my standing ovation, I could feel the tightening of the muscles around my eyes and my nose as I fought back the emotions. I knew that if I let it go, I would be weeping and sniffling like crazy. So powerful was the emotions it stirred in me and I knew that this is a play I have to watch again before it finishes its run on the 29^th of this month.

It is that good.

Rarely have I recommended someone to watch a movie or a play, but for this, I was busy last evening mass-SMSing the 200 or so contacts on my mobile phone telling them not to give this play a miss. This is how strongly I feel about it.

And you my readers, regardless of your sexuality, should really give this play a chance. I believe that some of the themes it addresses go beyond sexuality. It is about the human condition and what it means to live, grow and find your own way to your own happiness. Worth every cent of the ticket.

Late last afternoon after waking up from a much needed nap, I received an e-mail from a friend. Sir Ian McKellen had accepted the invitation and went for the 3pm show.


So quoting Pang again, "Go, not because it's gay theatre, it's great theatre." The playwright has outdone himself.

Date: From 11 - 29 July 2007
Time: 8pm, with 3pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays
Venue: Drama Centre Theatre @ National Library (Level 3, 100 Victoria Street)

More details here: http://www.wildrice.com.sg/procurrent.html

Labels: art, lgbt, singapore