Rashomon: A review

Rashomon, a name that holds a lot of significance for film buffs. Mum and I were invited to catch the play this afternoon at KLPac, adapted and directed by Joe Hasham, and starring Patrick Teoh. It was interesting and very good, much to my surprise (I know, I really should have more faith in Malaysian theatre).

My favourite bits? Patrick Teoh’s turn as narrator, chastiser and general shit stirrer of sorts. I found him to be sharp, witty, and crisp in his delivery with great timing. I found myself wishing he had a bigger part in the play; I enjoyed how his lines were amusing but not cheesy. I liked that Doppo Narita acted in Japanese, the cheeky subtitles were a nice touch. I REALLY liked the ghost, a creepy, skulking ghoul which had me shivering in my seat for its realism.

I liked the set – creative, compact, and trashy with its neon signs. Each scene felt independent from the rest of the set, even though it wasn’t really and clever lighting meant that my attention wasn’t distracted from the main activity on stage (by actors moving elsewhere and the like). I liked the little humorous touches as well, with the Shu Uemura, Nikon, and the Sushi and Pasta Zenmai signs.

What didn’t I like? The over-the-top goading laughter from the road worker’s friend. The female lead’s extended screaming. To be fair, I can’t tell if it was her or if it was poor audio work making me squirm. Whatever it was, the repeated screaming was very uncomfortable for the ears. I didn’t enjoy the sex scene either. I’m not a prude, but I found the depiction of the rape-then-Stockholm Syndrome scene to be a little crude and unnecessary. I don’t think the play would lose any impact if the scene was discarded or if it were depicted differently.

What do I have mixed feelings about? The female lead’s helplessness as a woman, which eventually turned out to be manipulation in all three scenarios. Whilst her screaming really turned me off, at the same time I latched on to hating her and I kept thinking, “Kick him in the balls, you useless cow.” So her screaming bothered me, but her character drew me in, hence the mixed feelings. Then I kept wondering why the male lead and Tajomaru (the yakuza) didn’t just lay down their weapons, walk off and leave the (insert rude word here) to her own devices. Of course if they’d done that, it’d have made for a much less interesting story 🙂

Is the play worth attending? In short, yes. Rashomon captured and held my attention for its entire 1.5 hour duration. Although I didn’t find myself rooting for any particular character, feeling any sympathy for the hapless politician or hating Tajomaru for destroying everyone’s lives, I did want to know what happened next and I wanted to find out what REALLY happened. When I can immerse myself in a production (and not check my phone for an hour!), that’s when I know it’s good.

Who stole the show? Oh, the star was most definitely Patrick. I was happy to learn that his skills go far beyond the reasons why mainstream media are less than enthusiastic about doing live interviews with him. I don’t want to explore the reasons why he is controversial but I will say this – Malaysia needs more people like him. We need more critical thinkers, more intellectuals, more people who are passionate and expressive, and vocal and opinionated. Whilst we may not always agree with one another, development is not possible if we are not willing to ask tough questions of ourselves and others, and do what is necessary (although sometimes painful) for the greater good.

That being said, go and watch Rashomon, you won’t regret it 🙂 Joe Hasham did a fantastic job with the script, and all of the actors were great in their roles. If Malaysian theatre comes up with more and more productions like this, very picky audiences such as myself will soon find we have (happily!) nothing to complain about!

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