In The Mysterious Lai Teck, acclaimed Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen leads you into the labyrinthine underworld of spies, in this portrait of one of Southeast Asia’s most shadowy historical figures.
Who is Lai Teck?
History remembers him as the leader of the Malayan Communist Party from 1939 to 1947, and a triple agent for the French, British and Japanese secret police. Yet the real man is an enigma. Rumoured to have over 30 pseudonyms, his story is full of gaps and contradictions culled from the accounts of fellow spies and traitors, and various authors of histories.
Blending fact and fictional speculation, visual artist Ho recreates the charged atmosphere of Lai Teck’s times in an inventive staging, featuring an animatronic puppet, visual projections andtheatrical drapes.
Offering a window into an embattled period of Southeast Asian history, The Mysterious Lai Teck is an extended reflection emerging from Ho’s long-term project, The Critical Dictionary of Southeast Asia.
The Mysterious Lai Teck is a thrilling snapshot of the shifting face of Southeast Asia in the Age of Treason, and of a man caught between the ruthless forces of history.
在《神秘莱特》中，备受赞誉的新加坡艺术家何子彦将借由东南亚最神秘隐晦的历史人物之一，带你进入错综复杂的间谍黑社会。
谁是莱特？
根据历史，他是1939至1947年间的马共领袖，继后显示他是同时效力于法国、英国、日本的三重特工。然而莱特的真实身份始终是个谜。传言指他有超过30个化名，根据共事者，包括间谍、叛徒和诸多历史作者的忆述，莱特的故事并不完整，且矛盾重重。
土生土长的新加坡视觉艺术家何子彦，将透过创新的舞台表演，运用动漫木偶、视像投影和舞台帷幕，重塑莱特时代谍对谍的那种一触即发的氛围。
《神秘莱特》为大家提供了一个了解东南亚陷入四面楚歌历史时期的一扇窗，也是何子彦对其长期项目《东南亚关键词典》的一次延伸思考。
融合了小说，以及间谍活动、谍报机构与背叛变节等的描述，作品《神秘莱特》是对叛国时期东南亚的变化，以及主人翁夹在无情历史力量中的惊心动魄之写照。
Approximately 1hr, no intermission
Performed in Mandarin with English surtitles.
Rating: General
Venue: SOTA Drama Theatre
Get your tickets here!
For full festival line-up, please visit sifa.sg
When: 17 - 19 May 2019, Fri & Sat, 8pm | Sun, 5pm & 8pm
By: Singapore International Festival of Arts
