I Came at Last to the Seas
Developed over a period of more than a year, this ambitious production comprises performers and creative personnel from Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China. Coordinating multiple collaborators across different countries is obviously no mean feat, and one I certainly respect. Such a team also fittingly mirrors the central theme of I came at last to the seas: a reflection on the Chinese diaspora.
Seas is inspired by the “six roots of sensations” in Buddhist philosophy, which is more evident in the Chinese title, 《六根不宁》. The general meditative mood of the piece is created by lighting and sound design, which is particularly apparent during the transition between scenes. The transitions themselves are skilfully and beautifully executed by the cast and stage managers, who are performers in their own right as they gracefully convey platform pieces around the stage in flowing choreographed sequences.
However, despite the intriguing premise of the work and the mesmerising movements, the piece feels incomplete in terms of overall coherence. It attempts to explore the notion of the Chinese diaspora through seven seemingly unconnected characters, each with their own quirks. Questions about where, or what, home is; the significance of “Chinese-ness” in a multi-cultural context; and the meaning or value of family and identity in a technological age, are asked. But these ideas end up being presented in a slightly didactic manner, and we are often told what to reflect, rather than encouraged to freely reflect.
I am also disoriented by two segments that punctuate the work – a culinary game show and a singing variety show. Unlike the rest of the piece, these scenes are performed in a distinctively self-reflexive, over-the-top manner, with the obligatory obnoxious host played to comedic effect by Rosa Maria Velasco.
The culinary segment does elaborate on some points about Chinese diasporic culture and identity, such as the view that the Chinese culture is diluted when mixed with elements of the host culture. In the other segment, Singaporean singer Joanna Dong performs a medley of Chinese songs, some of which have origins in other languages. Although I do not doubt Dong’s vocal abilities, and the scene is intrinsically entertaining, it nevertheless comes across as a gratuitous display.
Structurally, I appreciate that punctuations in the meditation may be necessary to avoid the work becoming too heavy or slow-moving, but the two scenes do come across as being disjunctive and jarring in the context of the piece.
With further development, Seas could be an extremely beautiful, moving work. The talent of the cast and creative/production team members is evident in the individual elements. But just as individuals in the widely-spread Chinese diaspora search for a common meaning and identity, so the challenge for the Seasteam is to seek a thread that would weave the work into a more coherent whole.