I try to stay ‘cultured’ while working for TOS — doesn’t make sense to cover 100+ plays/performances a month and spend most of my free time watching LOST on my laptop (although season 4 is MUCH better than season 3, in case anyone’s wondering). So I’ve been following the Short + Sweet Singapore play festival and competition — it’s a three-week series featuring about ten 10-minute plays a night, written and directed by some of the best local and regional talent (Short and Sweet is also held annually in Sydney and Melbourne).  Each week, audience members voted on their favourite plays, and the top winners moved on to the ‘gala’ finals, staged this past weekend (27-29 June).

Without a doubt, these plays were the best performances I’ve seen since I moved to Singapore. They were smart and edgy, dealing with issues like rape, suicide, unrequited love, and generational differences with tongue firmly in cheek, making even the strangest conversation palatable. The ultimate winner was ‘I’ll Have the Special,’ a comedy about a ‘desperate man finding redemption in his appetite’ (read: a murderer goes to a specialty restaurant to find a quick end to his life in four courses or less, including crab cakes with cyanide and a lovely apricot flambé for dessert — though no one’s ever made it long enough to order it). Former Straits Times journalist-turned-playwright/filmmaker Ken Kwek took home the best playwright award, while the play’s director, Pam Oei (of the Dim Sum Dollies), also took top honours.

Also impressive was ‘Esla and Frinz Go Partying,’ a story about the life of a balloon, from its primal fears (candles, children hyped up on the dangerous ‘red drink’, pins) to the pinnacle of its life (hearing the sacred song, ‘Happy Birthday’). Coral Anne Tong was the runner-up for best actress for her straight-faced portrayal as, well, a bunch of balloons.

Though the shows are over, there’s talk of a Short + Sweet musical version in December. Kwek and the director for ‘Esla and Frinz’, Samantha Scott-Blackhall, have also teamed up to put on Apocalypse Live!, a black comedy/political satire about Singapore in 2058 that’s part of the Singapore Theatre Festival in August. Keep an eye out for these talents.

More winners:

Best actor: Stephen Anthony Wiley, ‘Somewhere between the Sky and the Sea’

Best actress: Sharda Harrison, ‘How Do You Want Me? How Do You Like Me Now?’

Best new talents: actor Peer Mertz, ‘How Do You Want Me? How Do You Like Me Now?’
Playwright Dong Xin, ‘Help!’ (the first-ever Short + Sweet show done in Mandarin)

Tags: Short and Sweet Singapore, Singapore Theatre Festival

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