The Finger Players' Rant and Rave: Singapore theatre scene rewind and reflected

In Rant and Rave, playwright and director Chong Tze Chien searched through piles of newspaper archives and presented a survey of the Singapore theatre scene over the past few decades.  The script was based on the words of arts personalities such as Robert Yeo, Kuo Pao Kun, Margaret Chan, T Sasitharan, Ong Keng Sen, Alvin Tan and representatives from the media and also the government.  It touched on the challenges faced by our artists through the ages, ranging from the search for a national identity and a local play, the issue of censorship, and of course government funding.

All these roles were played by 2 capable actors Karen Tan and Janice Koh, who switched swiftly from one personality to another with simple use of props or costumes.  In addition to the action on stage, there were comments and quotes from more arts personalities, at times making the audience difficult to focus on either.


One notable missing element of the script was the mention of Esplanade.  Like it or not, the opening of the Esplanade in 2002 changed the landscape of Singapore arts scene, for better or worse.  It would be great if there were comments about this arts institution.  Incidentally, the original staging of Rant and Rave was commissioned by Esplanade for its 10th Anniversary in 2012.

This production provided a good introduction of the Singapore theatre scene.  The topic may be more suited for those who are really into the arts or who recognise some of the arts personalities.  Having said that, it is a well made production and the audience had a good time at the theatre.