Missed the world premiere of Pangdemonium’s original production Dragonflies last year? The play commissioned for the Singapore International Festival of Arts 2017 saw a sold-out debut in its three-day run. If you missed it, it’s all good—the show returns this month for a new lease of life; and new meaning given the past year’s rocky (rockier?) politics.
For the uninitiated, Dragonflies is an almost apocalyptic tale exploring the effects of political and environmental change on humanity, captured within an individual’s spiritual journey. The year is 2021—a xenophobic post-Brexit world made worse by climate change and other environmental horrors. England-based Leslie Chen (played by returning actor Adrian Pang) finds himself deported to his home country Singapore, after the death of his wife in the UK. A stranger in his own home, Leslie has to re-learn the country he left behind in his youth, now worlds apart from the one he grew up in.
Written by Singaporean playwright Stephanie Street and directed by Tracie Pang, the family drama stars Adrian Pang, Tan Kheng Hua, Fanny Kee and Frances Lee reprising their roles, with Benjamin Chow, Elizabeth Morse and Matt Grey amongst the new members joining the cast. As the second show in Pangdemonium’s 2018 season, it receives an extended run from May 18-Jun 3 at Victoria Theatre, and tickets are available from $30 here. Don’t be scared away by the prospect of politics; Dragonflies is ultimately a warming story of hope—one of many perhaps, but not without good reason.
Dragonflies runs May 18-Jun 3 at Victoria Theatre.
