This tiny, jewel-like play is profoundly moving. It's set in a future Singapore, as two primary school classmates end up following different paths in the ruthless system of meritocracy that rules the nation. The centrepiece is a dialogue between the two as adults: an elite investment banker and a mental health worker, each questioning the other's belief systems, yet bonded by mutual affection.
The work is devised and performed by young poets Deborah Emmanuel and Lee Jing Yan, who've transplanted their names and personalities onto the characters they portray. Both are refreshingly genuine and unforced in their performances, and share a natural chemistry, whether talking or performing silent childhood games of make-believe.
It's especially commendable that the dialogue never gets preachy: while the health worker may point out the pitfalls of their soulless, treeless society, she can't offer a workable alternative system to the banker. Above all, we're reminded that questions of economy and social engineering aren't abstract: they're about individual people, struggling to cope and be human amidst the madness.