Balancing Conversation and Showmanship
Drama Box and ArtsWok Collaborative are closing their two-year stint in Chong Pang with their last show, Last Dance. The production is part of “Closer”, a series of collaboration between artists and elderly residents under the “Both Sides, Now” initiative; a collaboration which is key to this show’s success.
The production takes place in a basketball court in between HDB void decks, with large circular tables for the audience to sit around. The central premise, which anchors the show, is that the audience is attending a party being thrown by the main character 100 days after his father’s death. Yet, this narrative is only the background used to propel the audience into conversations and exercises, all focusing on the act of dying.
It is not often that we are asked to not only confront death but share our thoughts on it with strangers. As such, the production puts in ample effort to ensure that participation is not left to chance. Facilitators are at each table, creative exercises allow for individual reflection, and Kok Heng Leun, the artistic director of Drama Box, does an incredible job moderating, drawing connections and challenging participants to think deeply about their relationship with death.
But at the very foundation of this show lies a central problem. The vacillation between scripted narrative and organic conversations creates a push and pull on the audience. It is hard to remain invested in the crafted plot after hearing such honest and unfiltered stories from other audience members. These moments are so moving that the scripted narrative – which at times borders on melodramatic – is overshadowed. A plot twist in its final moments feels especially unearned when real people’s stories have already carried such emotional weight. Though this reviewer understands that the script helps people to relate to more diverse experiences, perhaps several simpler narratives would lead to deeper introspection.
Furthermore, the show’s overbearing sound design throws off any sense of immersion and hammers the emotional beats too hard. And though Heng does an excellent job as moderator, his opening speech as the artistic director shatters any illusion of immersion. There is an attempt at integration later, when the protagonist states that he has invited Heng to help moderate conversations at his party. However, it feels like too little too late.
Last Dance is a thought-provoking and evocative work. Audience members get what they give, which may not be the easy evening out an audience may desire. But this is what makes Drama Box and ArtsWork Collaborative’s work all the more important. Through unconventional means, Last Dance challenges us to think deeper not only about ourselves, but about how we communicate with our loved ones, as well as complete strangers. At the end of it all, the companies pull off an impressive feat, one that this reviewer looks forward to seeing more of.