My Mother Buys Condoms
My Mother Buys Condoms is written by Helmi Yusof, an arts correspondent for The Business Times. Humorous and entertaining, the audience is invited to take a glimpse into the lives of an average Singapore family. All hell breaks loose when Maggie rediscovers love and sex at the age of 63, and she discovers this with air-conditioner repairman Raju. “It is disgusting,” Nora, Maggie’s best friend exclaims. As for her adult children, will they accept her, and each other?
The 90-minute long play unfolds in Maggie’s home – a HDB apartment. Audience members are greeted by cramped up book shelves, a sofa set, a dining table and a small fully-kitted kitchen. The set is constructed to mimic a lived-in HDB apartment and it provides the audience members the perfect illusion that we are peering into the characters’ lives. The set firmly anchors the characters’ realities and their social environments and habits.
This piece of theatre does not shy away from controversy – sex, ageing and it questions what constitutes a “normal” family in a country such as Singapore. Instead of being overbearing or preaching, the text presents multiple perspectives on the issues. Whether one aligns to LGBT rights or is against them, acceptance or prejudice towards aging , all sides are given an airing in the play. Personally, I really enjoy the debate dramatized on stage because while it kick-starts the conversation, it does allows us to form our own opinions.
It is a pity that the play seems a little short and it ends abruptly. The performance will have benefited from more time and further character development before the climax is reached at the end.
The cast has good chemistry on stage. Lok Meng Chue as Maggie and Remesh Panicker as Raju is a beautiful pair. Both of them share many heartfelt moments on stage. Seong Hui Xuan as Maggie’s daughter Gwen provides a lovely presence on stage. Despite having few lines, her character conveys her emotions through her body and that is fascinating to watch.