Saturday, April 24, 2010

Animal Farm - The Play

Question 1 : How accurate is the play to the book?

Answer : The play is mostly based on the book, only some parts of the play are made up or not included.

Question 2 : Which one character that you think is most effective on stage?

Answer : I think that Squealer is most effective on stage, as he always gives instructions from Napoleon to the animals and he also plays an important role in convincing the animals what Napoleon says is always true and how Napoleon sacrifices so much for Animal Farm.

Question 3 : Write a review of the production.

Answer : Personally, I feel that the production was well played and it includes many humourous parts, just like in the book. The production is based on the book 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell. The story starts with the animals taking over Manor Farm by chasing Mr Jones out of the farm and renaming the farm 'Animal Farm'. After the rebellion, every animal thought that all of them were now equal. However, that was not the case. The pigs set themselves as leaders and changed most of the rules of the farm. The animals had no choice but to follow and accept the pigs commands as the dogs of Napoleon scared them. Thus, the farm went very quickly from a communist utopia to totalitarian dystopia. It is scary how obedient the animals were to the tyrannical leadership of the pigs, and do not complain when they were unfairly treated while the pigs get to have a good life. I feel that the part which shows how ruthless Napoleon is is when he sent Boxer to the knacks when Boxer was useless and old. Overall, I feel that this book is a good read and I encourage everyone to read it.

Apr 26, 2010

Creature comforts

Strong ensemble performances make you laugh and cry

Animal Farm may suffer from an inconsistency of tone, but the cast's energy and conviction lift the play. --PHOTO: ALBERT LIM KS

review theatre
ANIMAL FARM
Wild Rice
Drama Centre Theatre, Last Saturday
Great ensemble performances characterise this production of George Orwell's political allegory and the cast's energy and conviction lift it.
Whether handsomely trotting around as horses, strutting about as self- important porcine rulers or darting about as distressed chickens, the actors display tremendous vitality and honesty in performances that should appeal to both adults and children.
Special mention goes to the statuesque Gani Abdul Karim, who shone as the doomed boar, Old Major, and later the unquestioning workhorse, Boxer.
Yet, despite the hardworking and athletic acting talents, there is something unsatisfactory and hollow about this production which has won standing ovations at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, where it was last performed, and good reviews during its initial run in 2002 in Singapore.
There is no denying that this is a slick and entertaining production with resonant themes.
Through various interventions, including mentions of air-conditioning and an unmistakeably imperious and 'R'-rolling accent of alpha pig Napoleon (played by Lim Yu-Beng of the sculpted body), we are sure that this is definitely a Singapore Farm as well.
Under Ivan Heng's direction, the farcical and comical aspects of the script by Ian Wooldridge emerge.
The spin doctor antics of Squealer the pig (an irrepressible Pam Oei), who spontaneously modified the Animalism's seven commandments, playfully underscore the ludicrous ways those in power bend rules.
There are some beautiful and intelligent scenes - including the construction process of the windmill using collapsible air-conditioner ducts, and Boxer's heartbreaking departure - that show Heng's clever use of props in carefully calibrated scenes.
Look out also for a well-judged ending involving Clover (a mare played by Yeo Yann Yann with tragic nobility), which may raise a few sniffles.
But the problem is inconsistency of tone. The play is an indecisive mixture of parody, slapstick, glib political jibes and pathos, whose styles are so at odds that they end up diluting one another.
The darker elements, especially, are toned down.
Little of the true grotesquerie of the unfolding plot - increasing exploitation and cruelty, pigs drinking alcohol and wearing clothes - is sufficiently plumbed. When Napoleon stumbles on stage clutching a bottle and a karaoke microphone, he elicits giggles, not horror.
Still, the many laughs along the way make this barnyard drama a smooth ride - a little too glitchless for my liking but a solid production to open Wild Rice's 10th-anniversary celebrations.

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