INVITATION TO TREAT is the complete trilogy of plays by lawyer and acclaimed playwright Eleanor Wong. First staged in the 1990s, Mergers & Accusations and Wills & Secessions were two plays that made a huge impact on the Singapore theatre scene for their bold ideas, sparkling wit and incisively honest portrayal of the experience of a gay person’s double life in conservative Singapore.
I – Mergers and Accusations
Ellen Toh, the chain-smoking, ambitious lesbian lawyer, marries her best friend, Jon, in a “marriage of convenience” that presents her with the best of both worlds – a socially respectable position, and a husband who accepts her sexual orientation. They have a baby, Sam, and all is perfect. Until Ellen falls for Lesley, the lesbian lawyer from London…
II – Wills and Secession
Some years later, Ellen, who now lives with Lesley in liberal London, returns to Singapore to deal with family matters when her mother dies. Enter “Amazing Grace”, her righteous religious sister, and the siblings battle it out on the minefield of faith, family values and a shared childhood.
III – Jointly and Severably
Many years later, Sam, Ellen’s daughter, has graduated and is about to get engaged. Ellen’s long-time partner, Elizabeth, is lecturing at the university. When she falls for her research assistant, Natalie, who happens to be Samantha’s best friend, the game of Happy Families is shattered. To make matters worse, the authorities discover their illicit relationship.
