"Pa Pa" (Mask Theatre) Review
25 Sep 2018 | Ashley
I loved it. I loved it so much. There is a certain beauty in this piece of physical theatre—a melancholy and sadness that made it absolutely precious to the heart.
Everyone has a papa. If you grew up in a context where your father was present, you might have an image of him which was faintly important, as if he was an inevitable take-for-granted figure no more important than a routine. Imagine your father getting old, so old that he could no longer take care of himself. And suddenly, that image you had of him completely turned upside down. He became someone that needed care-taking more than you do. What would your thoughts be? How would you treat someone ingrained upon the everyday who has now become a "burden" for you? This physical theatre piece would make you think twice. On 23 September 2018, I saw a mask theatre piece called "Pa Pa" (Chinese: 爸爸）at the Black Box Theatre in Kwai Tsing Theatre. It was produced by Théâtre de la Feuille, with local and international actors, and directed by Ata Wong Chun Tat.
It is my first time watching physical theatre, where actors cover their faces with masks, and without lines, convey meanings and emotions through body gestures. I find this absolutely magical. When the young actors put on the masks, that whole stage seemed to have transformed completely to a children's story book. We no longer saw the young actors. They entirely transformed into these characters, some old, some young. I am especially impressed by the old characters. They embodied their characters so well that the masks complemented that in a pretty meticulous way. Everything came to life. Ages of the actors were no limit to any story-telling. The masks were extremely well-done. They were carefully designed to suit the personality of each character, and with a touch of mysteriousness too. There were some without a mouth, and very interestingly, their eyebrows seemed to be one of the most important features to tell a personality!
There were so many amazing scenes that I do not know where to start. What impressed me the most was how the performers did not only act with their bodies, but they literally embodied the space and the story. For example, there was a scene when the father had a nightmare while he was sleeping at the elderly's home. He dreamt of the past when his child was still dependent on him and that his timepiece reparation shop was still open. All of a sudden, his dream took a turn. His child and his shop were taken away from him, because of age and time. Then he woke up from this bad dream.
First off, how they represented the bed was innovative. While the papa stood, pretending to be tossing and turning, other performers in the dark held on to a lamp, a pillow and a blanket. Everything was held in mid-air. As the audience, we could see the papa sleeping in the bed from a bird's eye view. As the bed "disintegrated", performers made another set with his old shop signage held before a "wall", and his child with his red hat joyously cycled around the stage on a bike. Then what happened next was amazing. Applause to the live music practitioner, the sounds were on point. When sounds of roll-backs were continuously played, actors physically rewound themselves to being peaceful with one another, and then to almost violent to one another, and then again, and again, and again, to eventually, a resumption to papa in the bed. Repetition here adds on to the desperation and helplessness of the papa at this point of his life where he feels lonely and nostalgic of the past. This scene is in itself a well-designed piece. It was really something to not only make a character, but to make a set and animated effects altogether by limited people, materials and space. But they did it. It was definitely visually entertaining.
This piece is not only contemplative, but at times, humorous, dramatic and absurd. It also showcases Hong Kong's authentic culture, like the shop signage with its white background and traditional Chinese characters on top, the green "walls", the style of the floor tiles, old men playing chess, old Cantonese songs etc. Having these local characteristics being incorporated in this performance is probably what makes the story so relatable and close-to-home. I would recommend this piece to anybody, locals or foreigners, youngsters or matured; because I'm sure we could all have something to take away. I look forward to more productions by Théâtre de la Feuille!
I loved it. I loved it so much. There is a certain beauty in this piece of physical theatre—a melancholy and sadness that made it absolutely precious to the heart.
Everyone has a papa. If you grew up in a context where your father was present, you might have an image of him which was faintly important, as if he was an inevitable take-for-granted figure no more important than a routine. Imagine your father getting old, so old that he could no longer take care of himself. And suddenly, that image you had of him completely turned upside down. He became someone that needed care-taking more than you do. What would your thoughts be? How would you treat someone ingrained upon the everyday who has now become a "burden" for you? This physical theatre piece would make you think twice. On 23 September 2018, I saw a mask theatre piece called "Pa Pa" (Chinese: 爸爸）at the Black Box Theatre in Kwai Tsing Theatre. It was produced by Théâtre de la Feuille, with local and international actors, and directed by Ata Wong Chun Tat.
It is my first time watching physical theatre, where actors cover their faces with masks, and without lines, convey meanings and emotions through body gestures. I find this absolutely magical. When the young actors put on the masks, that whole stage seemed to have transformed completely to a children's story book. We no longer saw the young actors. They entirely transformed into these characters, some old, some young. I am especially impressed by the old characters. They embodied their characters so well that the masks complemented that in a pretty meticulous way. Everything came to life. Ages of the actors were no limit to any story-telling. The masks were extremely well-done. They were carefully designed to suit the personality of each character, and with a touch of mysteriousness too. There were some without a mouth, and very interestingly, their eyebrows seemed to be one of the most important features to tell a personality!
There were so many amazing scenes that I do not know where to start. What impressed me the most was how the performers did not only act with their bodies, but they literally embodied the space and the story. For example, there was a scene when the father had a nightmare while he was sleeping at the elderly's home. He dreamt of the past when his child was still dependent on him and that his timepiece reparation shop was still open. All of a sudden, his dream took a turn. His child and his shop were taken away from him, because of age and time. Then he woke up from this bad dream.
First off, how they represented the bed was innovative. While the papa stood, pretending to be tossing and turning, other performers in the dark held on to a lamp, a pillow and a blanket. Everything was held in mid-air. As the audience, we could see the papa sleeping in the bed from a bird's eye view. As the bed "disintegrated", performers made another set with his old shop signage held before a "wall", and his child with his red hat joyously cycled around the stage on a bike. Then what happened next was amazing. Applause to the live music practitioner, the sounds were on point. When sounds of roll-backs were continuously played, actors physically rewound themselves to being peaceful with one another, and then to almost violent to one another, and then again, and again, and again, to eventually, a resumption to papa in the bed. Repetition here adds on to the desperation and helplessness of the papa at this point of his life where he feels lonely and nostalgic of the past. This scene is in itself a well-designed piece. It was really something to not only make a character, but to make a set and animated effects altogether by limited people, materials and space. But they did it. It was definitely visually entertaining.
This piece is not only contemplative, but at times, humorous, dramatic and absurd. It also showcases Hong Kong's authentic culture, like the shop signage with its white background and traditional Chinese characters on top, the green "walls", the style of the floor tiles, old men playing chess, old Cantonese songs etc. Having these local characteristics being incorporated in this performance is probably what makes the story so relatable and close-to-home. I would recommend this piece to anybody, locals or foreigners, youngsters or matured; because I'm sure we could all have something to take away. I look forward to more productions by Théâtre de la Feuille!
Blog sponsor: ESLteachers (www.eslteachersjob.com)
Comments
Post a Comment