Touching memories By Aref Omar | [email protected] A non-linear narrative with engaging performances, touched on a variety of issues, writes Aref Omar MEMORY is a tricky thing. At the end of the day, we’re all arguably made of memories. And history could be construed as the ultimate embodiment of memory. In The Necessary Stage’s production of Mobile 2: Flat Cities, history and personal memories shape the complex weave of characters in a non-linear narrative. Stretching geographically from Malaysia to Japan with pit stops in Bali and the US, it also traverses through time alternating between the tail end of World WarII all the way to futuristic 2017. The storylines boil down to two main threads. One features the unlikely relationship between a Malay gardener (played by Najib Soiman) and an injured Japanese army general (Doppo Narita), whom he reluctantly treats during the war in Malaya. The other is set mostly in contemporary Malaysia and Japan, and follows the complicated and prickly story of a Japanese family — Tohji (Shoichi Ayada), his formerwife Yuki (Chichiro Hirai), budding filmmaker son Hiro (Akihiro Hashimoto) and his current Malaysian Indian wife Geeta (Sharda Harrison). The two parallel storylines will eventually reveal their connection much later in the play while touching on a kaleidoscope of issues that include the influence of mobile technology and social media, history, culture, identity, nationalism and ironic musings on being a minority in your country or in a foreign one. All these different elements unfold and overlap as the scenes play out — some of which are told through the perspectives of the characters from their memories of events. And the various characters emote in different languages as well, from mostly Japanese to English and Bahasa Malaysia. It felt like writer Haresh Sharma and director Alvin Tan threw everything and the kitchen sink into this play which includes a creative mix of multimedia and technical aspects as well. But despite the mirroring of modern life where too much information has become the norm, Mobile 2 surprisingly showcased an engaging set of stories and relatable characters underneath it all. The cast put in commendable performances in a roller coaster ride of emotions, from gut wrenching and moving to laugh out loud funny, in an intimate setting that made the 90-minute intermission-free play move by quickly. At the end of it, Mobile 2 was entertaining on two levels — on the surface it’s playful, compelling and accessible but on a deeper level, offers a truckload of food for thought and insight without providing easy answers. Just like its fragmented stage that was continuously restructured along the way as the play progressed and its patchwork backdrop made out of smaller plates, it’s the collection of memories that linger and leave an indelible impression. Read more: Touching memories - Tech - New Straits Times nst.my/life-times/tech/touching-memories-1.365270#ixzz2gIo3UirS
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 17:18:23 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015