A Juggler's Tale

I hadn't intended to write anything on this production as I really didn't know how to review it. But it was so badly done that I had to make a record of it here (only here). I rarely walk away from a production in the middle even if it wasn't great, so you know it must be quite bad when I was glad there was an intermission for me to escape. Very very disappointed. It was one of the worst productions I've caught this year (thus far). How did this get into the programme of Esplanade's "The Studios" series this year?

Written by Michael Ende, the author of The Neverending Story, I was expecting somthing better and 'fantasy-like' out of A Juggler's Tale. The synopsis was also pretty promising.

Synopsis:

A small circus is facing bankruptcy but a renowned chemical company offers the performers a lifeline – endorse their products and kick-start a big advertising campaign, performing all over the country.  One condition:  the mentally handicapped girl, Eli, adopted by the circus, must be put in a home.  Big dilemma:  Eli is sick from birth due to a historic environmental disaster caused by the same chemical company.

Silence.  Cold winter night. Eli asks circus clown Jojo to tell a story.  Boom! 

All the circus performers are whirled into a Tomorrow Land of enchanting make-belief and imagined alter-egos where good is pitted fervently against evil.

The JUGGLING begins….love, hate, idealism, pragmatism, anarchy, authority, freedom, control, dreamscape, reality, momentary, never-ending.

This unique Singaporean staging of The Juggler’s Tale (first time in Asia), marries creative energies from seven nationalities in the whimsical world of the celebrated German playwright, Michael Ende.  With award-winning Singaporean designers onboard, this production promises to be a spell-binding theatrical experience to charm all audiences, young and old, surpassing cultural and linguistic differences.

Join us in this whirlwind of human relationships, corporate brainwashing and individual core values.  Be touched by a simple yet complex tale of universal love that transcends all obstacles.

But unfortunately, the synopsis was better than what was performed. I don't know if they wanted to do something like "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus", but I could catch no ball on where it was all going, or if it was going anywhere. It's not about understanding the story, as I'm ok with abstract stuff, but it was simply, badly done. The acting was bad, the singing was bad, everything seemed very unprofessional, and half the time, I couldn't really catch what was said, especially by the Japanese guy. I don't have anything against him, but the attempts at translating this multilingual production was half-hearted and there were no surtitles. Yes, it was creative enough to translate by responding to what was said (kind of like reiteration, e.g. "no, I'm sure he has gone to negotiate for us..."), but they were inconsistent. A big portion was not translated and looking at the audience who were of mixed races, it was detrimental, especially the portion when the princess in the fantasy world spoke and sung in Mandarin, with occasional lines of English, that was quite crucial in guiding the story. I didn't have a problem understanding, but I can't say so for the non-Chinese in the audience. They could have projected a translation in some way (maybe on the ceiling or ground or empty walls?), which would have been better...maybe costs was an issue.
Talking about singing, the "princess" was out of tune and others, well, when you're told that they had "sweet voices", you expect "sweet voices"...it just didn't match. They should have forgotten about the singing.

Anyway, let me start from the beginning. Entering the venue,the props and sets were actually quite impressive for the Theatre Studio, but that was all I could say that was redeeming of the show. The moment the play started, I could see it wasn't very promising. My hopes were a little raised when it transited into the fantasy land with the "princess" wheeled out on a nicely decorated platform on scaffolding (almost magical). I thought "maybe the starting wasn't so good as they put more effort into this part; and maybe they're using it as a contrast". But my hopes were dashed the moment they spoke. It was almost like you were rudely woken up from a dream. I was honestly hoping it would get better along the way, but it didn't pick up. They tried to be funny, but failed. I think if they had gone the speechless way, it might have been better, but then again, that would require good, expressive actors. Or at least some flashing of narratives. And the context was quite apt to become a musical, but then again, you'd need good singers.

It could have been so much more if done properly. It could have been magical, especially with an intended circus setting. There were just too many ways that this could have turned out to be better. You see, gestures and speech in fantasy are different and honestly, in this scenario, it had to be lighter, almost like a dance. I believe they would have benefited from a choreographer. They failed to make the audience believe they were in a fantasy world or even a circus, not to mention in a story being told. And underlying story morals weren't clear or strong.

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On an extra note, judging from what I've seen and heard, the synopses for this season were truly very well-written in the sense that they enticed you to watch, but were mostly misleading. I think DNR might have been one of the better plays, except that the synopsis was inaccurate, which kind of spoiled it.