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Sunday, Nov 30, 2025 - 16:07 SGT
Posted By: Gilbert

Two Plays And A Commentary

...When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept;
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,
And Brutus is an honorable man.

- Julius Caesar, Act III Scene II


Several few days after the previous discussion on the fate of 38 Oxley Road, its sole owner (and son of founding Prime Minister LKY) made a written objection against the proposed gazetting, opening his appeal with the statement that "38 Oxley Road will be a monument to the PAP's dishonour* of Lee Kuan Yew". The letter, as posted on Facebook, asserted that "numerous false, convoluted and self-contradictory arguments have been advanced to attempt to justify this gazetting" (well, pretty true), and reminded that "published opinion polls since 2015 have all shown overwhelming support for honouring Lee Kuan Yew's wish for demolition" (at least one of which was published by the national broadsheet). The letter would conclude with the by-now obvious leitmotif, that "...The PAP government can honour Lee Kuan Yew on a matter of deep importance to him, or trample on his wishes and create a monument to that dishonour".

Alas, our budding Mark Antony was unavailable to deliver his scintillating rhetoric in person, having been wanted by the local police for assistance in an ongoing case since 2022 (but are entirely welcome to return, according to the authorities). In any event, had he come back, it appears quite unlikely that he would have been able to rouse a mob as his historical forebear had, given the singular forum in which such a public speech could be delivered (without police permission, at least). Moreover, unlike the Roman Caesar, who "...hath left you (i.e. the citizens) all his walks, His private arbors and new-planted orchards... He hath left them you, And to your heirs for ever!", LKY was exceedingly clear in his will that "[his] house never be opened to others except my children, their families and descendants" - as well is his right (and usual practice)

The obligatory irony here, then, is that LKY does deserve (some) monuments, by any reasonable measure. If Sir Stamford Raffles can have a few dotted around, and successful businessmen get depicted in bronze too, then surely LKY would qualify, whatever his self-professed wish on the matter? Perhaps a tasteful team sculpture with the rest of Singapore's early leaders (including notable non-PAP politicians, for DEI) at the Founders' Memorial, because one wonders what else would be more appropriate to fill the space otherwise. By the way, for US$250 million, one gathers that it should be feasible to hire craftsmen to recreate the basement of 38 Oxley Road (including whatever furniture as deemed appropriate) to an indiscernible degree of fidelity - maybe accompanied by an A.I. tour guide (in all four official languages), since that's all the rage now - which might just allow honour to be satisfactorily preserved on all sides.

This is all the more since 38 Oxley Road appears to be smack dab in the middle of a private residential estate, which may somewhat complicate its conversion into a tourist attraction and/or place of pilgrimage. Interestingly, our former PM's residence happens to be older (and thus possibly more worthy of preservation, as these things go) than the East Wing of America's White House, being constructed in 1898 as compared to 1902 for the now-previous East Wing. Frankly, it does lack a little of the grandeur expected of the formal residence of a global superpower, and mayhaps there might be a similar public outcry fifty or a hundred years hence, when a future POTUS becomes a bit too hasty in redeveloping "that historic and irreplaceable 21st century ballroom"?



Remember that TRUMP Gaza plan from February?
Well, the U.N. Security Council has just approved it
[N.B. Definitely no lack of (golden) monuments for this Emperor!]
[N.N.B. "Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world/Like a Colossus"]
(Source: The Guardian, youtube.com)


[*The specific phrasing is probably intended to recall his sister's previous public accusation on her elder brother (and also former Prime Minister) supposedly threatening to gazette the house in response to LKY's will being revealed. Again, one can only hope for some peaceful and equitable solution that might lead to the reconciliation of what is undoubtedly Singapore's First Familee, because it really looks like there are stormy clouds on the horizon, what with our Defence Minister recently calling for deeper cooperation with China, which may have led to the American ambassador very explicitly "calling in their favour", on behalf of Godemprah Don TRUMP**. Yes, I know LKY promised to rise from his grave in Singapore's time of gravest need, but the implementation details were not properly thought out.]

[**On this, the frame story of Ukraine - and perhaps soon Venezuela (remember the early warning in June?) - should perhaps serve as a reminder of how things actually work on the global level, because as they say in Mandarin, 不见棺材不落泪 (i.e. the bit-part players won't weep until they see the[ir] coffin laid out in front of them); but more on those next time.]


From The Mouths Of Babes


Some maintain a consistent wardrobe to avoid such issues
[N.B. And others... maybe not.]
[N.N.B. Layout based on the Royal Shakespeare Company's Swan Theatre.]
(Source: wildrice.com.sg)


Having just happened to dip into the local theatre circuit these past few weeks, the second of those watched would be Wild Rice's presentation of The Emperor's New Clothes, apparently a revival of their 2015 (SG50) staging, and not even the first domestic retelling for the year (or impromptu solo artistic interpretation, for that)

I suppose the Hans Christian Anderson original is common knowledge by now, in particular the punchline of all the supposedly-wise courtiers and townsfolk going along with the pretense that the Emperor is immaculately attired, only for a child to point out the truth: that the Emperor is naked. About this, I have to admit my delight at being recently described as "a teenager" by a respected colleague, because there comes to almost every man a time where he wishes himself young again, is it not? Anyhow, as The Bard rightly noted, Man will enter a second childhood in his dotage - if he lives long enough.

But, more than that, one feels that the virtue of children is oft understated, as with the unworthy assertion by a late-night comedian on another (God-)Emperor's mourning of a friend, in comparing it to "how a four year-old mourns a goldfish"; because, if one thinks about it, is there a purer love than that? The goldfish was mourned, not because of anything it could do for him, or for the sake of any appearances or validation on social media, but only because it was his goldfish, and him its; O Little Prince, so baselessly maligned!

Further on this, one figures supposed "maturity" as being the root of many of the ills that plague the world; it would take (a lot of) adults to manufacture the absolute nonsense of the Pandemic Game, for instance. Or - pardon the cruder expression - do you know why they call it an "adult" show? Because somebody is getting screwed. Then do you know why such shows are so popular? Because adults seem to like watching others get screwed (hey, I'm not judging). And, to borrow a saying from another vice, if you can't figure out who's the one who is going to get screwed - it's very possibly you. Then again, some people seem to enjoy it (still not judging)



Translation: He had never feared death, nor gave thought to dishonour (or others' opinions of him)
[N.B. Sounds plenty like the "toxic masculinity" without which the world might actually well be under the fascist jackboot by now!]
(Source: manhuagui.com)


Considering this, I continue to have no compunctions about speaking my mind, if only because it's only too easy to put off such things until it's (far) too late. There are many careers and positions where, if one is willing to more or less parrot the higher-ups (whatever one's actual opinions, or the consequences), one can conceivably rise pretty high up in the hierarchy, and gain titles, honours and a fat salary package; but what benefit a man if he gains the head of a hefty org chart, only to lose his own soul? While I remain agnostic, there may yet come a day when all are called, to a Light and a gentle Question: "So, did any of you tell the Truth - or even try to do so?". Well, I cannot say that I am surely correct; but one must try, lest we all - "adults"*** all, I gather - be sorely shamed.

But back to The Emperor's New Clothes, the production values were evident once the kids started doing backflips in the introduction, and the writer certainly didn't skimp on the localization (unlike with the next play) with references to the "New Dress Parade" (i.e. National Day Parade), (expected) walkover elections, the penchant of the Emperor towards wearing pink and the acronym of the tailors' self-named atelier, Khai & Nate (KNN; later expanded to KNNCCB), amongst other wisecracks. There would be some odd Jurong West slander in the region being hinted as "low SES" (since the meme generally gets applied to Yishun), with Sixth Avenue as its "high SES" counterpart (coincidentally, both places where I have resided)

There really aren't too many surprises with the overarching storyline, so it could be more telling to analyze as to how the play had been updated from its SG50 version from a decade ago - more pink for the (God-)Emperor for one, it seems, and a Red & Blue theme for Khai & Nate No Surname, "Brothers from Another Mother", as pointed out to also apply to certain great leaders in June. The imprisonment of the kids/politico-fashion opponents was also updated to being due to vapes, as opposed to plain old drugs... and was that an LGBT+ rainbow, or not?

Anyway, all this should be within acceptable boundaries for the local censors, given how another play by Wild Rice had just been banned for "glamourising drug abuse", so if any of you guys are wondering why Mediacorp and other local producers aren't churning out television and cultural hits like Breaking Bad and Infernal Affairs, well, now you know. Personally, one of my favourite bits was when the long-suffering (Prime?) Minister got offered the Imperial Crown towards the end, after the enlightened Emperor had resolved to retire to a beach somewhere, and wisely thought better of it (being fairly smart)

[***Children are, of course, exempted from this examination, as they are by nature honest (which is at the core of the play); the corruption towards deception comes with adulthood.]


One-Two Fury


Wrath, another very adult sin
[N.B. Transcript of the original; above presented in Mandarin.]
[N.N.B. Why twelve jurors, and not an odd number?]
(Source: nineyearstheatre.com)


This blog had done its own spin on the Henry Fonda classic back in July 2015 (which has aged very well, if I do say so myself), and thus I had a special interest in experiencing Nine Years Theatre's take. Notably, this is also a revival, with this play actually being their (prize-winning) debut back in 2013.

While superficially an entirely distinct tale from The Emperor's New Clothes, it might be realized that Twelve Angry Men's essence is all but identical, with the pivotal moment being a Child innocently telling the Truth before a mass of blinkered Adults. In Twelve Angry Men, this is Juror 8 raising his hand in his initial vote in support of another Child being not guilty, and substantiating it with the admission of "I don't know" - which is certainly as true as anything that the other Adults had said.

In his post-play interview with the audience, the director would divulge that he had kept faithful to the source as far as possible, and thus the continued fanboying of Juror 7 for baseball (and accompanying metaphors), when soccer or basketball would have found much more resonance locally. This extended as far as the gag with the wall fan**** being connected on the same circuit as the ceiling lights, and the major material difference I could recall, as compared to the movie, was Juror 8 claiming to have two kids instead of three. Alas, this was probably not a riff on the Stop At Two campaign, as I had originally thought, since the number appears as part of some drafts.

However, this particular exchange was evidently omitted in Reginald Rose's stage adaptation, which renders it a minor nitpick. 9YT additionally innovated by forcing perspective with the design of the set, possibly a tribute to the movie's subtle camerawork over time, and impressively managed to simulate a rainshower outside the windows, on stage (maybe a single sprinkler pipe augmented with ambient sound effects, but still top marks for effort)


Excuse me, I'm gonna be childish now
(Source: bfi.org.uk)


Returning to the play, Juror 8's lone voice in the wilderness as the Eternal Ingenue appears wasted against the eleven adult Emperors, one of whom very realistically reminds the Child that they are all sovereign, in that any dissent would lead to a retrial - and assuredly the defendant's conviction and hanging. Fortunately, as in Emperor's New Clothes, the Truth prevails. Nice Old Man Juror 9 is the first to switch sides after Juror 8 offers to concede if the other eleven remained convinced, with Juror 5 next partly due to identifying with the defendant as a (former) low-SES slum dweller. Immigrant watchmaker***** Juror 11 follows, making it 8-4, as the tides turn.

There are no prizes for guessing as to how the deliberations proceed, with Juror 8 continuing to throw (somewhat reasonable) shade on the previously ironclad-seeming pieces on evidence as brought forth by the prosecution, which gradually sways more and more jurors to his side, albeit quite unwillingly with a few of them. Eventually, the situation is entirely reversed, with the lone holdout being Juror 3 - who has quite obviously been bringing his private relationship with his own (estranged) son, into his verdict. It ends with a final plea to let the sixteen year-old defendant live, to which the (self-declared) wronged Father agrees - and in sparing him, spared himself.


[****Since the scene was probably intended as comic relief once a 6-6 tie was reached, the reboot could update it for modern sensibilities with the twelve jurors agreeing to have the matter settled by a true peer, and invite a high school boy in to cast the deciding vote. He enters, says "6-7", and leaves without explanation, leaving the boomers to continue.]

[*****This role was taken on by an angmoh in the play, in keeping with the foreign guest star trope also followed in our 2015 rendition. While his later admonition for Juror 7 (i.e. the baseball fan) to vote guilty or not guilty because of his actual convictions, and not because he wants jury duty to be over, is well taken, it is notable that he had earlier insisted that he didn't have to defend his own (not-guilty) decision.]



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