Pangdemonium’s staging of The Father is a poignant and devastating exploration of a 70-year-old man’s deteriorating mind as he sinks under the frightening weight of dementia and loses his grip on the sanctuary of his home and the security of his loved ones.
André has lost his beloved watch again. His daughter and her husband are behaving very oddly. There is an unseen presence in his home playing cruel tricks on him. And as he fights his demons and drowns in his murky memories, he is beginning to question his own sanity and identity…
The Father is a poignant and devastating exploration of a 70-year-old man’s deteriorating mind as he sinks under the frightening weight of dementia, and loses his grip on the sanctuary of his home and security of his loved ones. As his mind unravels and his reality continues to warp, we begin to perceive his morphing, crumbling world the way he does, with family members becoming strangers, and strangers turning out to be something even more sinister.
Pangdemonium’s staging of The Father runs from March 2 to 18 at the Victoria Theatre with Lim Kay Siu in the role of Andre, a 70-year-old who finds his possessions missing and for whom family members seem to turn into strangers. Tan Kheng Hua plays his daughter and caregiver Anne and the cast includes Janice Koh, Frances Lee, Emil Marwa and Keagan Kang in other roles.
Nominated for Best Play at the Olivier and Tony Awards, The Father is part family drama, part thriller, part mind-bending puzzle. A tale told with gripping suspense, brutal honesty, and profound compassion, it asks the urgent question: When you’re losing everything you know and love, who will care?
“In many ways, the play shows how the father does not accept that he is losing control over his own life, thoughts, and interactions. That makes it very difficult for his daughter, and it makes it very heartbreaking. It’s a different thing when the daughter has to take on the responsibility of having to care for a father with dementia. While there is a certain amount of duty, she is not his life partner, and she has her own life to live”, said Lim Kay Siu, who stars as Andre, the character living with dementia.
Pangdemonium hopes that this compelling production will inspire people to reach out to those in our community with dementia, as well as their caregivers who are suffering in silence and fear.
“The Father is one of the most ingenious pieces of writing we have come across in recent years. While it is a devastating and compassionate study of dementia, it is first and foremost a brilliant piece of drama: gripping, emotionally-charged and thought-provoking. Pangdemonium is very privileged to stage the Singapore premiere of this terrific play”, said Adrian and Tracie Pang, Artistic Directors, Pangdemonium.
Post Show Dialogues
As part of The Father, Pangdemonium will be hosting a series of post-show dialogues on dementia and the experience of caring for those with dementia. A full schedule will be available on the Pangdemonium website closer to the show.
The Father plays at Victoria Theatre, Singapore from 2nd – 18th March 2018. Tickets are available from SISTIC.
Photo Credits: Crispian Chan and Pangdemonium
