Review-Night and Day-Liars' League HK
30-7-14
By: Lynn Gong
When I walked into Fringe Dairy at 7:40pm, there were already people scattered about and chatting. My eyes were however captured by an older lady with white hair in a black dress. She was rehearsing on the stage wholeheartedly, (she later turned out to be my favorite performer of the day). For a first time visitor to Liars’ League, this scene told me much about the passion and seriousness Liars’ League’s actors were applying to their work.
There were three stories read in the first half and another four read after a ten minute break. You can relax and enjoy the more playful pieces, and in another minute you might be grasped by a serious and intense performance. It is most pleasant to be seated amongst a full house of audience that keeps absolutely silent during the readings and that does not begrudge the due giggles and applause at key points.
The story “Narcissus and Echo” by Jennifer Rickard was the most experimental piece that plays with the theme “Night and Day” and rewrites Latin mythology. It played nicely with different pairs: male and female, strong and weak, light and dark, etc… It went onto role switching. It has the potential to become a really good story. But it is a pity that the story did not dig into why and how the role switching takes place and therefore loses some of the possible depth. It was enjoyable to have two readers, Hin Leung and Saffron Chan, for this story. They did a lovely performance, but it would have been better if there were more interaction and stronger tension between these two characters.
Performance-wise, Susan Lavender, was no doubt the star of the night. She went off-book and did an impeccable performance of Judy Darley’s “Night Flights” that allowed no room for distraction. She was on the stage for one second and you couldn’t help but feel like you were already holding your breath, watching her every tiny little movement. Her Italian accent fit well within this sad context of the story where the narrator mourns her lost brother. Her body contracted and stretched; the imaginary space was transformed, as her voices spelt the charm of Darley’s words. She truly gripped my heart when she stood on her tiptoes reaching forward in an airplane position, and when her tearful eyes gazed in the thin air, my heart broke. This was a well-structured, sad, and yet heartwarming story that was wonderfully performed.
Liars’ League offers a good range that caters to different tastes but I cannot help mentioning more of my personal favorites. “The Sleepwalker” by Kate Whitehead is a simple but powerful story that touches on sexual repression and traumatic memories. Namrata Bindra suits the story, in that she had an impressive stern gaze and that her acting was natural and not too much. Her look does not resemble what you would imagine an Irish heroine and this helps cut down the audience's reflections on Irish Catholicism or sexual repression. Instead, her performance brings you to a possible Indian family's story. This adds another dimension to the text because it reminded us that sexual harassment can happen everywhere.“Lupa” by Ysabelle Cheung is a cute bedtime story. Jeanne Lambin did a good job with her expressions, the different accents, and even her buns on top of her head, helped solidify her as the Asian girl in the story.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the satisfaction I received from the seven stories and their performances. They all had their sparkling points here and there and offered a good amount to be discussed among friends. Moreover, I enjoyed very much the amiable atmosphere probably facilitated by “member price” drinks as the emcee Sean Herbert remarked. The idea to bring audience, writers, and actors closer worked brilliantly. I had the pleasure of speaking with some of the performers after the show and found them to be caring and friendly. Can you imagine enjoying stories, performances and drinks, and personally congratulating the performers who you admire? Just go to Liars’ League’s next event “Cruelty & Mercy”!
Liars' League plays the last Monday of every month at 8pm. Night and Day has closed. For more information, click here.
Comments
No comment at the moment.