THE BOOK OF LIVING AND DYING

“Immortality is the wish of procrastinators who can’t get their act together in this life.”

Diagnosed with a terminal cancer, a transvestite in New York tries to discover the meaning of his life, and to rebuild a relationship with the only family he has left — his adopted daughter.

As the daughter prepares her father for death, cleaning and clearing out his apartment, she uncovers a secret which has been long buried and suppressed, the revelation of which drives a wedge between them. The two personal histories collide as the seed of their relationship is cast back to the origins of the universe, the numerous reincarnations they had spent their lives together before finally settling on the tumultuous one that they have today. In the meantime, the transvestite is greeted by divine visions, beckoning him to save the world from destruction, and from his past follies. The play is an odyssey in time and space across contingents and history, a voyage across spiritual and emotional voids in the lives of the characters. The characters discover that the bond and relationship they share with each other today is not a singular event in history but rather an axiom of human experience, repeated in every generation and in the consciousness of every individual.

Meanwhile, their house cat holds the key to their redemption.

The lives of these two characters unfold eons of cosmic and terrestrial history in less than one and a half hours.

The Book of Living and Dying opened at the Singapore Arts Festival 2012 to rave reviews from critics and audiences. Voted as one of the top plays of 2012 by Mayo Martin, theatre critic from Today newspaper, tickets to the production in 2012 were all snapped up within half an hour. This ‘devastatingly beautiful’ (Life! The Straits Times) production is a complex and multilayered story about karma, reincarnation and past lives.

Year 2013:
Produced by The Finger Players (Singapore),
in association with Teatri Sbagliati (Italy)
Co-produced by Esplanade — Theatres on the Bay
Performed in English and Mandarin with English surtitles
Photo credit:
Tuckys Photography & Little Red Ants Creative Studio Pte Ltd
Show duration 1h 30min

Year 2012:
Produced by The Finger Players (Singapore),
in association with Teatri Sbagliati (Italy)
Presented by Singapore Arts Festival 2012

DirectorChong Tze ChienPlaywrightAntonio Ianniello, Chong Tze Chien, Nambi- E. Kelley & Oliver ChongSoundDarren NgMusicDarren NgVocal ArtistGoh RenhuiLightingLim Woan WenPuppetryAng Hui Bin, Ong Kian Sin & Tan Beng TianStarringAntonio Ianniello, Nambi- E. Kelley & Oliver ChongPuppeteerAng Hui Bin, Ong Kian Sin & Tan Wan SzeYear2013 and 2012Date4 – 7 July 2013 and 1 – 2 June 2012VenueEsplanade Theatre Studio (2013) and Singapore Arts Festival Village (2012)AwardsThe Straits Times Life! Theatre Award 2013: Nomination for Best Sound Design and Best Lighting Design