Theatre review: Tree Duet
TREE DUET
NEW TOWN THEATRE (VENUE 7)
SIR HENRY Ridley – known as Mad Ridley, or Rubber Ridley – was born in 1855 and lived to nearly 101. A noted botanist and director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens in the 1900s, he brought rubber trees from the Amazon to Malaya, where an industry was born.
Ridley's story is one strand of Tree Duet, a Singaporean showcase production exploring our relationship with trees. It ranges from carbon offsetting to "heritage trees" standing in the face of urban growth, and the 100-year-old Bohdi tree at the Jin Long Si Temple in Singapore.
Delivered by Kaylene Tan and Paul Rae – who literally acquires green fingers and a green-treed stomach – it has a dreamy, meditative, quality. Trees, declares Rae, "cause us to behave in a particular way". They create performance.
The gentle drama is enhanced by the formidable, evocative piano playing of Shane Thio – who could easily have delivered an hour-long show by himself.
TIM CORNWELL
Until 22 August. Today 11:30am.
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Tuesday 29 May 2012
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