The Prose and the Passion

by Haresh Sharma
Singapore International Festival of Arts 2024
Esplanade Theatre, Singapore

“Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height”, E. M. Forster famously writes in his novel Howards End. And indeed, this elegant, elegiac play is all about connections. Past and present. Fact and fiction. Writer and director. This Singapore International Festival of Arts commission unites two of the country’s most prolific theatre makers – Haresh Sharma (playwright) and Chong Tze Chien (director) – and mashes together themes from Forster’s iconic novels Maurice and A Passage to India with distinctly Singaporean characters.

At the centre of this intellectual whirlpool is Aakash (Shrey Bhargava), a writer trying to make sense of his life through his words. As he devours a series of letters from his past, we segue into two separate storylines. In 1971, Cecily (Medli Dorothea Loo), who feels trapped in her own body, seeks to persuade a doctor (Ghafir Akbar) to perform Singapore’s first-ever gender reassignment surgery while battling rejection from her conservative sister (Siti Khalijah). In the present day, Aziz (Ghafir Akbar) and Fielding (Lian Sutton), two men separated by race and class, find themselves inexplicably drawn towards each other in the final days of their national service. Fans of Forster will immediately spot parallels to the novels in the character names and their journeys towards self-discovery. 

We move back and forth between these stories while the anguished Aakash is haunted by Forster (Matt Grey) himself, a man who kept his homosexuality under wraps during his lifetime and never lived to see the publication of his gay love story 'Maurice'. Will Forster’s past inspire Aakash’s future? Will Aakash be able to accept his authentic self and find a way to heal?

Incisive and fast-paced, The Prose and the Passion feels like an intellectual thriller, leaving audiences guessing till the end. While the references may be a little on-the-nose, the scenes beat with deep humanity and there is great pleasure in watching things slowly and satisfyingly lock into place. The production is carried by a strong cast who fully immerse themselves in their characters. Loo shines as a spunky youngster determined to live her truth, Ghafir has a moving and relatable turn as a man forced down a thorny path and the ever-malleable Siti confidently complains in Hokkien. 

Wong Chee Wai’s set comprises of a curvilinear, raised platform where Aakash presides, with a staircase on either side leading down. Key words, names and themes are scrawled across the surface in a giant mind-map that underscores the connections between the characters. Like fragments of memory coming alive, sections of the platform are occasionally illuminated from the back (lighting design by Faith Liu Yong Huay), showing a bed, motorcycle ride or shower stall. It makes for a striking visual aesthetic though it results in a central acting space that is somewhat under-utilised.

The Prose and the Passion is a work that infuses Forster’s prose with Chong and Sharma’s passion in telling powerful Singaporean stories. It's a dazzling marriage of wit and words, a play that warms both the heart and the mind.

The Crystalwords score: 4/5