In this much anticipated final instalment of the ASIAN BOYS TRILOGY, Alfian Sa’at adapts Johann S Lee’s Peculiar Chris, Singapore’s first gay novel, for the stage.
1992. In their final year at Junior College, Christopher Han and his best friends – Sylvia, Kenneth and Nicholas, discover the ecstasy and pain of falling in love. Later, while serving his National Service, Chris has a relationship with his army officer, Samuel, before leaving for London for further studies.
2007. After 15 years abroad, Chris returns to a Singapore that he barely recognises. The city has become a veritable gay wonderland, while repressive attitudes remain as entrenched as ever. Sylvia has become part of the leading vanguard for change. Kenneth has renounced his past, refashioning himself as a voice for conservatism. And Nicholas is partying like there’s no tomorrow.
Haunted by the ghosts of the past, and yet enchanted by the spectres of the present, Chris is torn between nostalgia for a more innocent decade, and hope for a wiser future. Timely, urgent and moving, HAPPY ENDINGS asks what it means for a society to come of age.
THE ART & LIFE SESSIONS
How does Life inspire Art, and what does the Art on stage have to do with Life as it is lived? We put together three forums allowing the public to engage with the most interseting, foward thinking minds of our “concerned citizenry” to reflect and debate the issues raised and challenged by HAPPY ENDINGS.
PECULIAR LEGISLATION: 377A – SYMBOL OR STATUTE?
When the penal code revisions were first planned in late 2006, it was suggested that ‘unnatural sex’ would be decriminalised for heterosexuals, but that homosexuals acts would remain a crime under Section 377A. The ensuing months saw furious debate in the press about morality and the law, equal rights and the public good. We assemble various expert commentators – from lawyers, civil society activists, and pro-family organisations – for a lively, spirited discussion on the various issues that surround 377A.
PECULIAR ADAPTATIONS: CROSSING MEDIUMS – FRESH AFTERLIFE OR THE LIVING DEAD?
From page to stage, and print to screen; from the film-musical to the novelized blockbuster. Art forms have coninually influenced one another, and at times have lent themselves to incarnations in other forms. How do we engage with questions of creative bankruptcy and validate the new work as an original in itself? Is the source material enriched or diminished in such a process?
We question a panel of artists – from novelists, playwrights and film directors – on the process of translating a work from its native medium to uncharted territory.
PECULIAR INSPIRATIONS: THE MUSE – OF SIRENS AND TYRANTS
Many of our artists have been greatly influenced by other Singaporean artists. From actual mentors to literary forebears, the creative process often involves a dialogue with the past. But how do we engage with traditions without inheriting its baggage? Do we climb on the shoulders of giants, or find our dwarfed selves obscured by their long shadows?
We round up a group of artists – poets, playwrights and filmmakers, to discuss the book, the play, or the film, that first made then want to embark on their artistic careers.
