Sun & Sea

by Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė, Vaiva Grainytė and Lina Lapelytė
Singapore International Festival of Arts 2024
Esplanade Theatre, Singapore

Here's a sight you don't see everyday: an opera on the beach! A backstage portion of the Esplanade Theatre has been converted into an artificial beach with holidaymakers in colourful bathing suits lounging on tons of imported sand. 

Created by Lithuanian artists Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė, Vaiva Grainytė and Lina Lapelytė and presented as part of the Singapore International Festival of Arts, Sun & Sea features a libretto by Grainytė that has been translated into English, performed by established opera singers who are scattered around local extras from a diverse set of backgrounds. They play badminton, build sandcastles, eat snacks and generally enjoy themselves. Audience members are free to roam around a raised platform to survey the scene and surtitles on either side of the space make it easy to follow. 

The opera, which is performed in a continuous loop that lasts an hour, starts on a casual and breezy note. An elderly couple apply sunscreen. A wealthy woman describes her glittering vacations and all the seas her son has swum in. A man complains about burnout at work. Yet what initially appears to be a light-hearted satire of holiday life eventually coalesces into a deeper, more urgent message about climate change. We are made aware of the vacationers not being allowed to wade in the water due to riptides and whirlpools, the pollution on the beach and destruction of coral reefs and other natural habitats. 

There is an important ecological message behind the work and the very sight of so many bodies crammed into a strip of sand only drives in the idea that humans are contributing to the toll on nature, forcing Earth to slowly fracture and break down. Yet, the sedate pace and somewhat uninspired text (the English language does not lend itself particularly well to the operatic form) make this a little dull. Twin sisters singing about 3D-printing the world so that everything can live on forever seems rather naive. The flippant, vignette-like treatment seems to gloss over these meaty themes rather than offer any genuine insights.  

Ultimately, Sun & Sea is best remembered for the experience it delivers, allowing one to gaze at an everyday sight from a unique vantage point. It brings to mind crowded beaches in the height of summer with bodies jostling for space on the golden sand. Does it live up to expectations based on brochures and guide books? Did we get our money's worth? And at what cost? As a frequent traveller myself, this artificial holiday scene made me wonder just how authentic our vacations really are.

The Crystalwords score: 3/5