Mental health play The Almighty Sometimes marks Asian debut with Singapore run
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(From left) director Daniel Jenkins, lead actress Arielle Jasmine Van Zuijlen, playwright Kendall Feaver and cast members Karen Tan, Shona Benson and Salif Hardie.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE REPERTORY THEATRE
SINGAPORE – The Almighty Sometimes tells a heartbreaking yet humorous story of mother-daughter relationships and growing up with mental health issues.
Written by Australian playwright Kendall Feaver, the play features 21-year-old Anna wondering what life would be like without her heavy cocktail of medications. Old enough to make her own choices regarding her health, Anna’s desire for normality and creativity strains her relationship with her mother, who learns to cope with no longer having a say in her daughter’s medical decisions.
The Almighty Sometimes has been performed in various theatres in England and Australia. The production by the Singapore Repertory Theatre will be its first performance in Asia.
Feaver, now based in the United Kingdom, began writing the play in 2012 after reading news articles about people medicated from young reaching the age of medical consent. It inspired her to explore the dynamic of what a parent and child would experience during this time.
In creating the main character of Anna, Feaver decided on a young female lead, partly to provide work for friends struggling to find such roles.
This has allowed 20-year-old Arielle Jasmine Van Zuijlen, who plays Anna, to step into a leading role early in her career, something many young female theatre actors may not experience.
With only four characters in the play, the work tells an intimate story of growing up, letting go and learning what it means to live for yourself. Audience members may recognise familiar faces in Salif Hardie, 29, as Oliver, the love interest; Karen Tan, 55, as Renee, Anna’s mum; as well as Shona Benson, 49, who plays Vivienne, Anna’s psychiatrist.
Bringing The Almighty Sometimes to audiences here are (from left) director Daniel Jenkins, lead actress Arielle Jasmine Van Zuijlen, playwright Kendall Feaver and cast members Karen Tan, Shona Benson and Salif Hardie.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE REPERTORY THEATRE
Heavy discussions around mental illness and medication have led to an Advisory 16 rating for the play. However, it encourages audiences to take a hard look at their own attitudes towards mental health and its terminology.
Though it discusses mental illness, at its heart, the play is about mother-daughter relationships and the dynamics that change as children grow up and parents learn to let go.
Director Daniel Jenkins, 53, says: “We’re not doing the play specifically because it’s a mental health play. We’re doing it because it’s a fantastic play and a brilliant script. I thought the story was really engaging and the fact that there were three fantastically strong parts for women was also brilliant.”
The blend of humour and emotion draws audiences into the play, helping them to relate to the characters and immerse themselves in the story.
Feaver says: “The really powerful thing about theatre, how it separates from Netflix, is the capacity to feel in a communal space. It’s almost quasi-religious. I think the most radical act, the most political act, is one of empathy. The reason I want to do theatre is because it’s a place of empathy.”
Benson says: “I think one of the major things about theatre is it’s there to create conversations. Wherever this play is set and performed, there’s absolutely no doubt that it’s going to evoke amazing, extraordinary thoughts.”
BOOK IT/The Almighty Sometimes
Where: KC Arts Theatre – Home of SRT, 20 Merbau Road
When: Nov 8 to 26, weekdays, 8pm; Saturdays, 3 and 8pm
Admission: From $50
Info: https://str.sg/wj8r
