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Pangdemonium tangos into controversy with new play

SINGAPORE — Local theatre company Pangdemonium’s upcoming first commissioned play, Tango, was inspired by the removal of two children’s books from the National Library in 2014.

SINGAPORE — Local theatre company Pangdemonium’s upcoming first commissioned play, Tango, was inspired by the removal of two children’s books from the National Library in 2014.

At the time, the National Library Board (NLB) received some criticism for pulling the books And Tango Makes Three and The White Swan Express from its shelves, following complaints about the books’ portrayal of same-sex and single-parent families respectively.

Inspired, Pangdemonium artistic directors Tracie and Adrian Pang invited playwright Joel Tan to take on And Tango Makes Three, the 2005 book by two American authors based on the true story of two male penguins which hatch an egg together. The result is Tango, which Tan describes as “a play that takes gay rights as its theme and subject, but explores a range of other ideas”.

“It looks at different shades of gay life, but also at different shades of parenthood, filial piety, duty, and the different kinds of families we form in life ... It also takes a hard look at the way our society ... responds to (gay-rights controversies) and why it always feels like a painful losing game for everyone,” the 29-year-old added.

Tracie, who is directing the play, said that she and her husband, Adrian, were discussing new stories to adapt in early 2014 when “the whole And Tango Makes Three debacle happened”. The books in question were moved into the adults’ section at the National Library, following the public outcry. The Pangs knew then that same-sex parenting was a hot topic they wanted to explore.

“Coincidentally, we became aware that friends of ours were facing issues (while attempting to move) back to Singapore from the United Kingdom with their two adopted sons ... That led us to believe that this was a story we needed to tell,” said Tracie, referring to events documented in the blog, 4 Relative Strangers, by James D Williams. Williams is part of a mixed-race pair of two fathers with adopted sons, who still live in Britain.

Tan himself spent time getting to know Williams and his family, and heard first-hand of their troubles. Tango is rated R(18) and follows protagonists Liam, Kenneth and their adopted son, Jayden, who live in the UK who move back to Singapore to care for Kenneth’s ailing father. In Singapore, they end up in a confrontation with a waitress at a Chinese restaurant, which sparks a nationwide debate. Newcomer Dylan Jenkins stars as Jayden, while Koh Boon Pin and Emil Marwa take on the roles of the two dads.

Tan's play does not reference the NLB controversy. 

"For me, Tango is more evocative of the fiery dance between points of view, sectors of society, and different world views," he said. "I think the play tries to find the grey areas in the conversation rather than present well-trodden points of view."

“This isn’t a play that sets out to patronise anyone, or convince anyone (to change their beliefs),” Tan added. “With this play, I’m trying to paint a big, complex picture of how our society deals with the crisis of rights and family values.”

Tracie added: “We never want to dictate what audiences get out of our productions, but we hope it will inspire people to reflect on their own families, and their attitudes about others’ needs and rights.” Reena Devi

 

Tango runs from May 19 to June 4 at Drama Centre Theatre (100 Victoria St), #05-01. Tickets are available from $25 to $65 via Sistic (www.sistic.com.sg).

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