Critique: Dead as a Doornail

I was not told that this was an amateur show. After this one,  I don’t think I will be going to too many amateur shows as they require greater care in being criticised while being generally of a more inconsistent standard. However, I shall criticise this show with care,so no worries. Okay, on with it then.

It’s a good poster design.

Dead as a Doornail was a musical farce. The show has an original story but has music from other shows. Collaborators are hard to come by, I suppose. Anyway, the story: a guy has just died and entered a realm of the dead. He then attempts to find his way back to Earth with the help of a couple, and a professor. A witch and her minions try to get in the way. matters are complicated (I mean, it’s a farce, so: obviously) when a guy who looks like an ex-member of KISS arrives to punish the guy. then the guy’s mother dies too and arrives at the land of the dead. Everything is resolved.

The writing got several things right. The scenes transitioned almost frenetically, with plot developments occurring one after the other immediately. As I said, compounding the hero’s quest with bumbling sidekicks and hapless villains and authority figures added helpfully to the confusion. And the show ending in a deux ex machina was spot on.

As far as mistakes, the chase was misplaced. Most farces include a chase involving all the characters that is the result of too many ridiculous plotlines converging (as you know), which this show had, to my pleasant surprise. However, the chase in this show occurred midway through the show which was a mistake. If it had been moved to the end, after the arrival of every character, the chase would have been funnier. Also, it would have made an appropriate climax to the show. As things stand now, the second half of the show sags due to the chase outshining subsequent scenes.

The only other notable things were that the writer made the easy mistake of over-extending the scenes. This happens with amateur shows due to the writer not knowing how many jokes a scene needs to work or perhaps worrying that the scenes are too short. Several points had the characters make joke after joke when they had long since outstayed their welcome. Lines should be cut.

Also the show had unfortunate sexist overtones. Some on purpose (when the male sidekick berates his girlfriend) for humour, I guess (no one laughed though, that’s a big hint), some incidental (the male roles include the hero, professor, mayor, dark overlord, comical sidekick; female roles include the bullied love interest, the witch, the witch’s minions and the mother).

But overall, it was a good effort. lots of improvements to make but the instinct to write is there. Okay, now back under the blankets; I have a fever running. Hence, the more-than-usual shriftness.

Malaysian Theatre Critic

Review: Philadelphia, Here I Come! at KLPAC

So, I am officially expanding my horizons by watching more plays. Okay, well, on with the review.

I know: the picture’s too big. But, it was the first one I found, and I’m lazy.

I’d never seen any of Friel’s work before, but this is a good start. Philadelphia, Here I Come! takes place on the last day a young man has at home (in this adaptation, he is from Cheras) before he migrates to the US of A. And as the day goes on, the young man’s feelings about the people around him begin to surface in preparation for his departure. Or, at least, his feeling’s almost surface.

While the lead character, Danny (played by Jon Chew), interacts with the people around him, we are simultaneously privy to his inner thoughts via a personification of his private self, played by Qahar Aqilah. While this may sound no different than a mere character aside (especially on paper), having the inner thoughts expressed by another actor or character only highlights the choice Danny ‘Public’ makes by remaining silent and preserves the tension of the scene in spite of the sometimes-explosive delivery by Danny ‘Private’. ***MAJOR SPOILER At the heart of the play, there is the relationship between Danny and his father, who both share the desire to establish a bond with one another. But both are unable to do so, choosing to remain silent throughout the entire play. Being acutely aware of Danny’s feelings makes the silence more gut-wrenching than mere theatrical silence would have accomplished MAJOR SPOILER***

The production is well-cast, with each actor performing their role well. Jon Chew bursts on stage with joy and slowly burns down to inexpressiveness (is that a word?) as the play wears on. Qahar Aqilah, as Danny ‘Private’, does a splendid job carrying most of the show’s mood swings on his capable shoulders, playing out one-sided shouting matches in one scene and crumpling into an emotional heap the next

Another standout was Sandra Sodhy as Sherry Ho, the aunt of our protagonist. In the one scene she is in, she was a magnetic presence and got all the right laughs out of her lines. Her appearance was one of only three times during the play when this critic leaned forward in his seat. The other two moments were when Patrick Teoh (playing SB Tan, the father) and Faridah Merican (playing Makcik Esah, Danny’s surrogate mother) shared the stage alone. While the play was good and convincing throughout, it is when these two veterans have the stage to themselves that you are transported out of the theatre. Their scenes may be brief exchanges, but you forget that they are actors. Rather, you see two elderly people who have lived in Cheras all their lives, physically worn from their daily routine. Although, they have done this before. So, you know, pretty much the standard you’d expect.

Philadelphia, Here I Come! is a good show with a parent-child relationship at the heart of it that stays with you after the show ends (I’d say “long after”, but I saw the show on Sunday; the jury’s out on how long the characters stay with you). And with this production in town, and its overall strong performances, makes for a pretty good night out. Or afternoon, if it’s a matinee. The sets were good too; filled the stage. I wasn’t expecting that. They also did this thing were they shined a light through an overhead exhaust fan to cast the shadow of an invisible ceiling fan on the table. That was cool.

 

Malaysian Theatre Critic