Some plays are vital more because of what they say than for how they say it.
Paddy Chew's Completely With/Out Character finally finds a successor ten years on with Leona Lo's Ah Kua Show. The former was a 1999 performance by Chew, the first person in Singapore to come out openly as HIV positive, of his own life story while the latter sees Lo, a transsexual, recounting her personal journey transitioning from Leonard to Leona. Both tell compelling stories about the strength of the human spirit and its ability to come to terms with the past and look ahead to the future, whatever the odds - and with good humour. They also remind us that in a nation where every Singaporean is supposed to matter, some, it seems, still matter less than others.
Ah Kua Show, a modestly budgeted production at the Substation Theatre written by Lo herself and directed by relative newcomer Emeric Lau, lacks the more professional polish of Completely With/Out Character which was created and staged by The Necessary Stage. However, Lo's amiable script never loses its audience - in this case, the advertising says it best: at turns, the inspirational and life-affirming Ah Kua Show is "tender, raw, amusing, naughty and nostalgic".
True, the momentum is disrupted by too many unnecessary costumes changes and I feel that the show could have reached for greater poignancy with more thought and time. Lo is also not a professional actress and, if I were to put on my serious critic's hat, I must admit the show suffers in places as a result. However, in the (many) moments where she connects intimately with the story, delivers a throwaway line, or deadpans, the natural warmth of her personality shines through and this genuineness and lack of guardedness endear her to the audience.
It is rare for me to actually wish a show were longer but this 60-minute production is one such example. Especially funny are her witty sideway digs at everything from self-proclaimed Feminist Mentors to lothario DJs. These are countered, however, by sobering accounts of real-life persecution, discrimination and struggle - even when she tries to dismiss them with a "So Mediacorp, right?".
When her parents rise to wild applause from the audience at the end of the show and present her with a bouquet of flowers, it is a reminder that, thankfully, at least Mediacorp dramas usually have a happy ending - as does Lo's empowering story.