Me Me Me

I realise that not everyone who reads this (indeed does anyone read this apart from the usual suspects?) is also a reader of Trevvy. Which is why I thought it'd be nice to post some of my work here for you guys to see. I was only half-joking when I announced to the office the other day that reading my articles turns me on...ok they don't turn me on in that sense but I do derive some satisfaction from reading them, especially my reviews. I'm not saying that they are of professional standard (actually professional reviews - the kind you find in newspapers/magazines and such are actually much shorter than mine are), but they are certainly superior to the features I've written so far. Pitch Black's Plucky Bet Part Deux anyone?

Anyway, first one's my review of the play Blithe Sprit which I did last month and the second one is the most recent, my review of Priceless.

BLITHE SPIRIT

W!ld Rice's second staging of Blithe Spirit is a gay play that scintillates - quite literally - and leaves Sean Ho star-struck.

Lim Kay Siu. Neo Swee Lin. Tan Kheng Hua. Selena Tan. Pam Oei. Bam! Bam! Bam! The cast of "Blithe Spirit" is a veritable list of theatre veterans. From the moment Edith (played by Pam Oei, who does a wicked Filipino accent) stumbles onto stage, the audience is drawn into the play for the next 2 hours, captivated by the sharp dialogue, tongue-in-cheek humour and stellar performances.

"Blithe Spirit" was written by English playwright Noel Coward and staged during the height of the Blitz - indeed, the play was initially criticised for making light of death at a time when many lives were being lost to German bombs. Eventually, however, it went on to become one of the most successful plays in West End history.

The play centres on Charles Koh (Lim Kay Siu), a novelist who invites the eccentric medium Madame Arcati (the fabulous Selena Tan) to perform a séance at his Bukit Timah house, in the name of research for a novel he intends to write. She unwittingly ends up conjuring the spirit of Elvira (Tan Kheng Hua), Charles' first wife who passed away seven years ago. The presence of Elvira strains the relationship between Charles and his present wife Ruth (Neo Swee Lin), and the consequences of that and Elvira's meddling make for an engaging and entertaining black comedy.

While there were several minor mistakes in line delivery, the cast exuded confidence and turned in convincing, lucid performances. Selena Tan shone with her larger-than-life portrayal of Madame Arcati, playing up her boisterous, clumsy and unpredictable nature to great comedic effect, slapstick without going overboard. When Tan Kheng Hua first appeared, made-up in pale green from head to toe, cheekily darting from one end of the set to the other, ethereal was the word that immediately came to mind.

Glen Goei's directing is crisp - the characters segued on and off set fluidly, the pacing was buoyant, the comic timing exact - and the set is suitably elegant. At the end of the play, the set briefly becomes the main attraction, in an impressive display of studio (or should that be theatre) special effects.

W!ld Rice's challenge was to localise the play and add a contemporary feel, without making it too blatant or betraying the essence of the script. Hence, mentions of "Phua Chu Kang", the National Arts Council, and the Anglo-Chinese School motto, which elicited laughter from local audiences who were able to identify with the references. They did stretch the concept a little too far when Ruth remarked that at the rate she was going, Madame Arcati was going to summon the entire Chingay Parade contingent. That felt forced, a little too localised, if it makes any sense.

The Drama Centre Theatre at the National Library is the perfect venue for staging "Blithe Spirit". It's big enough for a production of this scope, yet small enough to ensure that the stage is not a mere speck in the distance, and that the audience retains an intimate connection to what is unfolding on stage throughout the play.

While "Blithe Spirit" has no general theme to speak of (Don't dabble in the occult? Never offer money to your maid after she's just awoken from hypnosis?), and may be considered by some to be frivolous, take it for what it is - an easy-going, nimble play with an element of dark humour, featuring excellent performances from the crème de la crème of the local theatre scene - and you will certainly have a delightful night out.

PRICELESS

Audrey Tautou flirts her way into Sean Ho's non-existent heart in Priceless, a charming, lighthearted French comedy.

I'd like to..."
"I'd love too..."

Incomplete sentences like these, especially when uttered in French, are a great way to put your lovers on edge, and consequently have them wrapped around your finger. Gold digging 101 then, courtesy of Audrey Tautou's character Irene, who has perfected these - and many other - techniques throughout her career as a professional gold digger

The movie revolves around Irene, a young gold digger who woos bartender Jean (Gad Elmaleh) in a hotel bar one night, having mistaken him to be wealthy. They cross paths again a year later, and she finds out the truth a little too late - after she is dumped by her current sugar daddy who realises she is cheating - in a scene that is embarrassingly hilarious.

Jean is madly in love with Irene and follows her round the French Riviera, as she tries to find herself another wealthy man willing to lavish her with expensive things. He initially tries to satisfy her insatiable materialism, but soon finds himself broke.

Irene moves on to someone else and Jean inadvertently finds himself in the company of a wealthy widow who wishes to have his company. As a result of adopting the same lifestyle (and staying at the same hotel), Irene and Jean get closer. But how close can they get without arousing the suspicion of their respective companions?

A comedy with the above premise is risky. Audiences may find themselves repulsed by the main characters, unimpressed with the apparent frivolity of the subject matter, unable to appreciate the ostentatious displays of wealth - an extraordinary amount of designer clothes, Jaeger-LeCoultre watches that cost 30,000 euros, luxurious hotels and exclusive parties where the super-rich (and gold diggers) come out to play.

Priceless, however, manages to avoid falling into that trap, thanks to an exquisite performance from Tautou, who elevates her 'profession' into something of an art form, as opposed to morally reprehensible behaviour. She is seductive and alluring (even to this gay man), desperate, vindictive, cheeky, and ultimately endearing when she finally realises that true love don't cost a thing (pardon the obvious reference here).

While the movie doesn't sell itself as social commentary, viewers will be able to detect (and perhaps identify with) the theme of class aspirations. We look up to the wealthy jet set and yearn to lead their lifestyle someday, but at what cost? And is that kind of lifestyle really all it's cracked up to be? A telling scene saw Irene and Jean dining at a posh hotel restaurant, with Irene ordering caviar even though she didn't like it, in the expectation that because rich people ate caviar, she too would force herself to eat caviar till she enjoyed it.

One does wonder why Gad Elmaleh was cast as Jean. Opposite the delightful Tautou, his unremarkable features and rather bland screen presence make it difficult to understand why Irene - or the wealthy widow for that matter - would be attracted to him.

Nevertheless, Priceless is exceedingly charming - in a way only the French are capable of - and is definitely the movie to watch with a date or lover (not really suited for the sugar daddy though). The humour is mature and bittersweet, Tautou is divine, Chanel and Hermès are everywhere, and the fact that the movie's in French makes it all the more sexy.

I know I'm being shamelessly egoistical la. In a world where ponies fly and Edmund Smith is straight, I would love to continue working there after my tenure as editorial coordinator is up (and with the anticipated return of the unmentionable one I am hoping it will be up soon to be honest), as the exclusive resident reviewer. I'll just handle one review a week, get paid for that, and get free CDs/movie preview screenings/tickets to plays. Basically most of the perks of the job without all the other nonsense. But yeah, don't think that's gonna happen.

Anyway, if you wish to read more of my reviews, just go to

http://www.trevvy.com/scoops/categories.php?c_id=2

Sorry I dunno how to use the hyperlink function. Does blogger even have one?