The impact of the disease is explored in theatre company Amberjade Arts’ upcoming production “Opium at Closing Time”. The new play, written and directed by Tarrant Kwok, revolves around a man named Chai who cares for his mother Yen, an Alzheimer’s sufferer.
In sharing the inspiration behind his script, Kwok told FMT that it all began after his paternal grandmother, who had had Alzheimer’s, passed away in 2017. He also drew on his experience of caring for his grandfather, a stroke survivor, during the pandemic.
The play features historic elements such as the Malayan Emergency and the 1967 Penang Hartal, as well as the role of “comfort women” who were forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
“Opium”, which is set in Penang, is based on oral histories, secondary research, and archived interviews. “In writing about comfort women, I interviewed relatives of my friends who were old enough to remember what they saw,” Kwok said. “It is quite harrowing.”
Between the narrative of caring for an ageing parent and Malaysian history, where does the opium connection come in?
“Opium was a facet of the time,” Kwok, 32, explained. “One of the things we don’t really talk about is the fact that our country, as a British colony, grew a fair amount of opium until its total ban.
“Instead of talking about the trade as a whole, I chose to portray this on a personal level: how opium consumption affects people – in this case, Chai’s parents.”
The audience can expect an interesting mix of languages. While primarily in English, “we punctuate it with Hokkien, Hakka, and even ‘Bahasa Tanjung’, which is a dialect spoken on the island side of Penang”.
Producer Wendy Wong cautioned that the play may contain triggers for certain individuals as it covers content such as abuse, war crimes, sexual assault, and use of graphic language. As such, it is recommended for those aged 15 and above.
A recipient of the BOH Cameronian grants for new productions, the staging of “Opium” has been made possible by an allocation of RM10,000.
Thirty-nine-year-old Penangite Samuel Low, who plays Chai, also shared some light on how he prepared for his role. Like Kwok, it came from personal experience.
“I spent 10 years of my life taking care of my parents: my mother is wheelchair-bound and my father, too, a stroke survivor.
“Although I was very happy to be in the role of a caregiver and my parents tried to make it as easy for me as possible, you still have dreams and things you want to do,” he said in reflection.
“My parents eventually gave me their blessing to relocate from Penang to Kuala Lumpur as they now have another caretaker. That phase of my life made Chai very relatable to me.”
Commending Kwok’s work as “very well-researched”, he added that these glimpses into life in the 1940s-60s can help audiences better understand those who lived through that period.
“When you look at Yen’s life, you will get the dynamics of her parenting style and why she is that way. I hope that younger people who watch the play will become more aware of the struggles their grandparents and parents faced.”
This sentiment is echoed by Wong. “Hopefully, after watching the play, they will be kinder and more patient with their older relatives who may act in a certain way,” she said.
‘Opium at Closing Time’ will be staged at the Black Box, Damansara Performing Arts Centre (DPAC) in Empire Damansara, Petaling Jaya, from Oct 20-30. Tickets are priced at RM49, with concession for students, senior citizens, and the differently abled at RM39. To book, click here.
Group booking promo: get one free ticket for every nine purchased, and three free tickets for every 17. For group bookings and enquiries, email [email protected].
To learn more about Amberjade Arts, visit its Facebook and Instagram profiles.