As the house lights go down, a woman walks on stage and draws in chalk on the floor. As they come back up, we see the area she’s constructed: a small circular room, with markings for a door and a cupboard. It’s in this space that the story unfolds, the two leads delving into the past to understand themselves and their relationships with the people around them.
Eric (writer/performer Jun Noh) and May (Marina Hata) are old friends, reunited after 10 years for the final remembrance of May’s husband. The awkwardness in the air is palpable, but as the show goes on and a little liquid courage is downed the tension gives way to a battleground as accusatory salvos are hurled, each finding their marks and prompting a return volley. Eric is a successful author whose books draw heavily from his own life, talking about his relationship with religion, his community, and the homophobia he’s faced from both throughout his life. May has the latest of these pockmarked with post-its on her table, referring back to it and identifying which character is which, though Eric insists they’re just amalgamations and his way of dealing with his trauma from his perspective.
Unfortunately, the drama often crosses the line into melodrama, at odds with the overly intellectual and preaching stance the two characters take. The topics focused on (an intersection of faith with personal and cultural identities) are all interesting and discussed in great detail with barely a throwaway line, but the conversations themselves are sometimes a bit stilting and awkward. Both performers play their roles well, with the subtle power shifts in the conversation portrayed like a silent tennis match alongside the verbal brawl. Marina’s May is written to be much more emotive with her dialogue, and she hits her marks with
aplomb.
Yet, the tension never quite ramps up to the heights promised: there are outbursts and sudden realisations, but often the story just moves along to its end. At one point, Eric talks about how his publisher has asked him to dress to meet his fans’ expectations, to have his persona match the topics he writes about. If only the play had done the same.
⭐️⭐️ (2*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Maggie Zhu
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