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SINGAPORE: When you come away from the play "Mama's Wedding", you'll have a bit of trouble pinpointing the best aspects of it.
Nothing really stands out – it's not exceptionally funny, witty or informative. In fact, you'll feel like you've simply watched your conversations with your siblings unfold on stage.
Written by Malaysian playwright Mark Beau de Silva and directed by Samantha Scott-Blackhall, the play features an all-Eurasian cast of three who manages to strike a rapport that is at once familiar and amusing.
This works out well with or without the Eurasian context, which is played up to a slightly annoying degree.
The storyline develops in a series of phone calls between elder sister, Ruth (Carina Hales), who resides in Singapore, and second sister Emily (Candice De Rozario) who still lives in the family home in Penang.
In a bid to persuade the former to make a trip home to attend their mother's wedding, childhood memories are revisited and skeletons uncovered, threatening to create an irreparable chasm between the two.
At the same time, the youngest sister, Betty – played with surprisingly understated clarity by Elizabeth Tan – attempts to adjust to the impending changes in family dynamics.
Audiences should be warned that patience is required as the stage drama drags out over 45 minutes, and one can't help but expect more action other than phone clutching (and throwing).
But the subtlety of it all does add to the whole idea of a 'natural state of being' and one forgives the stagnation by refocusing on the nuances at work.
"Mama's Wedding" continues through July 13 at The Room Upstairs, 42 Waterloo Street.
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