3 Queens

by Haresh Sharma
The Necessary Stage
Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre, Singapore

Time is the greatest villain in The Necessary Stage's 3 Queens, a tender and quietly lacerating examination of friendship that unspools over the course of decades. Written by newly appointed Artistic Director Haresh Sharma and co-directed by Sharma and Adib Kosnan, we visit sisters Bedah (Siti Hajar Gani) and Zeina (Munah Bagharib) and their neighbour Aida (Siti Khalijah Zainal) around Hari Raya every few years. 

These are three Malay-Muslim women who grew up together, ready to face the world as one, but whose paths slowly diverge as time goes by. We hear of career milestones and failed relationships, death and disease. The everyday dreams and disappointments that fill out a life.

Part of the pathos of the play is that we never see the moments that happen between each scene, instead having to fill in the gaps from fragments of conversation, piecing together how time has slowly changed these characters. They drift apart, as so many people inevitably do, but slowly find their way back to one another.

Like Sharma’s taut, naturalistic dramas Good People and Fundamentally Happy, 3 Queens is a play whose apparent simplicity masks a deep, intuitive understanding of relationships and how they twist and evolve over time. A final scene set in the past proves especially poignant because we finally see these characters without all the pain and baggage that has accumulated over the years, while still knowing what lies in store for them.

Photo Credit: Tuckys Photography

3 Queens is bolstered by warm, infectious performances by its three actors, seasoned performers who inhabit their roles with warmth and sensitivity. Sharma and Adib give us a clean, homely staging that allows the emotions to land, balancing moments of girlish silliness with genuine emotional anguish. A simple hug shared between two friends who see each other after a space of years speaks far more than any words ever can.

There are subtle references to politics, class and religion here but it's ultimately human relationships that are put under the knife. It's hard not to reflect on one's own relationships over the years, wondering when things shifted and how time slowly drove a gulf through what once felt impenetrable. A reminder, if anything, to reach out and connect with that special person before time has had its final say. 

The Crystalwords score: 3.5/5