It seems like Singapore's art scene has a new fad embracing the issues of the Lion City's aging population. After Both Sides, Now's "Exit" and Pangdemonium's "The Father", comes Esplanade Studio's latest slew of commissions that explore living and dying.
A Good Death written by Checkpoint Theatre's Faith Ng is performed single-handedly by Karen Tan. Karen Tan plays May, a palliative care doctor in St. Michael's hospice; her many patients and their family members; and her own family members - even her father with dementia.
It is curious as to why young director, Chen Yingxuan, would have Karen Tan play all the characters. Perhaps it was a matter of a small budget. Less the occassional slip in character's accents mid-dialogue, the movement - credited to movement coach, Lim Chin Huat - has an entralling effect after a while.
A Good Death. Retrieved from: Esplanade Presents: The Studios' Facebook page. [Accessed: 27 Apr 2018]
It highlights one of the most poignant moments when May and her father share a dance. Karen's physicality and character transform with each graceful whirl. There is a brief moment of her reconciling with the father - a lucid moment resurfacing from the depths of dementia - but just as quickly as Karen switches characters, the moment has passed. Or maybe it was to accentuate the words that get lost when people argue over conflicted ideals. Either way, the direction drove home the salient messages writer Faith Ng had in mind:
First, the healthcare professionals whom people often forget. There is brief glance of Sharlene, a music therapist who uses music to evaluate the health of her patients. But A Good Death reminds us of the humans behind these romanticised images of these noble, unsung heroes. For example, when May laments how every second with her patient is time away from her own family. A Good Death captures the professional offering solace to a woman balled up in pain but not without juxtaposing a moment of helplessness and crippling self-doubt as May struggles to order Stuff'd for her Dad. There is nothing that can truly prepare us for the end of one's life.
And that, is perhaps the most important message in this play about death. An elderly Malay man lays in his bed, weaker with each passing day, having the same "YOLO" ("you only live once") conversation with his wife every day about that faraway trip they never will take. As someone belonging in the generation that owns "YOLO", I feel targeted. Confronted, even. What mountains do we wish to conquer in our lifetime? Why do we keep postponing these moments? Should we keep postponing them?
A Good Death places the spotlight on the healthcare professional. It gives us a sneak peak to the struggles of our greying Singapore. But more importantly, at the heart of this riveting one-woman play about death, is also a timely, heartfelt, reminder to live life.