By Dewey Sim
“And we present to you, The Laramie Project”
Then, the play began. Housed in the home of the SRT at the DBS Arts Centre, the Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) delivered the controversial play which effectively confronts the destructive power of bullying and hate, leaving the audience in the sold out theatre thinking.
Devised and adapted from the written play by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Project, directors Daniel Jenkins and Natalie Wong definitely did not lose the essence of the play when translating the multiple scenes on set with the enthusiastic group of actors and stage designers. With minimal props paired with a smart play of lightings, I would say the team had put together a spectacular performance, guiding the audience from interview to interview, from scene to scene, and from emotion to emotion.
Throughout the 90-minute performance, the team of dedicated actors photographed the gravity of hate-crimes, and the violence resulting from the lack of conciliating differences. The doleful expressions and nimble footsteps up and down the crate-like stage, interlaced with humour and comedy, conveyed the message and essence of the play, questioning morality, sexuality, and faith.
Constructing a deeply-moving theatrical experience, the fixated eyes began to well up in tears as the play ended with a hopeful side of humanity, hammering the audience with the realness and cruelty of such violence, and with a quote from Judy Shepard:
“In a perfect world, because your child is gay, you don’t worry about their safety. You just worry about them being happy. I love Matt just the way he was. Just the way he was”.
