White Soliloquy - Oh What A Show

Toy Factory’s biographical tribute to veteran Chinese actor Bai Yan brings us back to a bygone era which most know only from history books – from the turbulent Chinese civil war of the 1930s to the Japanese occupation of Malaysia and Singapore in the 1940s, viewed from the unique perspective of a drama troupe performer. However, the political setting is only a backdrop to the life and times of this actor, once a mainstay of 1960s amusement parks and later an elder and mentor in the Singapore television acting scene.

Playwright Goh Boon Teck’s historical approach of largely chronological storytelling spans a great number of years and events, and although the pace is hectic the dramatic tension flows at a more or less constant gradient, leading every now and then to flagging audience attention.

The play’s strongest point is probably the honest sentiment which ties every scene together. Interestingly, the play also manages to make an intelligent statement on the value of the arts in a society, without losing that heartfelt tone.

This is due in large part to Nelson Chia’s impressive performance. Chia’s 100-minute long soliloquy brings to vivid life the playwright’s vision of Bai Yan as an unsung hero of sorts, an artist of humble means who made significant contributions to Singapore’s vernacular culture.  Chia voices a plethora of voices, feelings, scenes and concepts, and his performance never feels forced or boring. Chia comes off as a natural chameleon, ably portraying, in turns, the avuncular Bai, a dignified drama troupe leader, a sweet young Penang girl, an arrogant tv star, and many others.

The script was fluent and thoughtful, making an eloquent statement on arts and society. It was only slightly jarred by a modern-day exchange between a government arts administrator and Bai Yan, where clever pokes at the ignorance of the civil servant felt a bit out of place with the easygoing equanimity which they infused the character of Bai.

But what a performance it was! I daresay there was not an untouched spirit in the audience by the end of the 100 minutes.  Indeed, White Soliloquy is another testament to the success of Toy Factory's approach of drawing from local material, embracing the unsung, and finding beauty in the most simple of things.