"Simple concept having greater meanings" 'Roots' by The Finger Players 16-26th of October 2014 @ Dra

“You don’t have any roots anymore.”

This might be one of the most horrible things that anyone can say to me. As a Chinese, knowing your roots, your origins and your dialect is really important. And Oliver Chong’s restaging of 2012’s ‘Roots’ really explores that importance, and whether it should still remain important. Directed, written and performed by Chong, it is a wonderful blend of simplistic direction, set, lights and sound that articulate a much greater meaning.

Based on a true story, Chong’s character, based on rather flimsy evidence, goes on a search for you guessed it, his roots. His journey leads him to somewhere in the Guangdong region of China, where he meets individuals that might be related to him, or not. This confusion leads to him questioning two sides of a story about his great grandfather and ends with him never really finding out what truly happened. What really caught my attention was the writing. Through all the funny or sometimes miserable moments, I was constantly engrossed in his story, continuously wanting to find out the truth about his great grandfather. The ending I expected never came. The abrupt ending of him questioning why he set off on this path threw me as an audience member off-guard. Was the story about his great grandfather so important? Or was the whole play to discuss whether his journey was a waste from the start? Did it matter anymore? The narrative and message was very clear and how the journey was conveyed was interesting. The entire piece felt really raw and honest, it did not feel exaggerated at all. Though the movement of the piece felt a little mechanical at times, the way Chong delivered his lines was so sincere that it was easy to be pulled in to the struggles he was going through. The use of silence was very effective as well. Chong had his moments of humor, intrigue and mystery, but also moments of silence. These moments actually helped me understand him as a character more, and how much this conflict in his family was affecting him. Chong’s handling of his multiple personas was spot on, portraying a loud yet sympathetic grandmother, his quiet father and the multiple people he encountered in China. It was clear that this entire piece was told from Chong’s perspective. Although he played other personas, the perspective remained constant, which helped me relate to his character even more.

The simple set was the one that aided the entire performance. It was a bare stage, the entire floor just covered in rice grains. Chong had three instruments to create or erase the visuals, a broom, a stick and his hands. In a way, he drew his journey on the stage, drawing references to Chinese calligraphy. Every single time his story took a different turn; he would convey it through his change of direction on the stage. Visuals created through the use of rice were meant for multiple reasons and not merely for esthetic purposes. Every visual he created symbolized his journey from Singapore and China, and simultaneously created a sense of confusion and worry for the character to go through. The use of rice was also a strong symbol of the Chinese culture, which he was exploring through Roots. I initially mistook the rice for sand, until Chong ate a few grains of it as the show’s final image, which left a very strong mark for the ending. Rice is considered a staple food for Chinese, China being one of the main exports of it. The choice of rice as the defining factor of the set held a very grounded and effective concept.

In conclusion Roots got ideas of identity, race, family and culture across to me effective, even with some nostalgia elements. Its simple concept, set and honest writing made it a wonderful piece to watch and think about. It made me wonder what matters most in our world today.

Aaron.

#thefingerplayers #oliverchong #roots