#traciepang

[viviliciousxo]

Wow! And I mean WOW! I have always enjoyed #Pangdemonium’s work but this one, #FunHome, really blew me away. From the #fantastic cast (including the #amazing @nikkimullerfly) to the clever sets, and that story line. The fact that #AdrianPang and #TraciePang brought this to our shores, hats off. I was not familiar with the #books of #AlisonBechdel but want to read them now! Sadly the play is rated R18 for no real reason but for anyone who can, this is a must see. The message is particularly relevant at this point and time. 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ P.S. And yes, you get to see #BenjaminKheng in some rockin’ outfits! Dem legs 😳😂 (at Drama Centre Theatre)

[visionsandrevisionstoastandtea]

Too Light a Pig (Pangdemonium's Fat Pig)

(Photo Credits: Pangdemonium)

When the play ended and the cast came out for curtain call, many of the audience members gave a rousing round of applause. Some of them even gave a standing ovation.

I didn’t even bother a clap.

Fat Pig’s premise is nothing new: Tom (Gavin Yap) falls in love with the plus-sized Helen (Frances Lee). Antagonists Jeannie (Elizabeth Lazan) and Carter (Zachary Ibrahim), who reflects the prejudices of mainstream society, oppose his choice of mate. It’s kind of like Hairspray all over again, so there’s nothing really groundbreaking about the play.

Playwright Neil LaBute has a good ear for conversations: his lines are rather funny and delectably clever. The text, though, could certainly do with a bit more depth. The play is touted as a rom-com, and it’s such a pity because the rom-com aspects of the play overshadow its poignant concerns about the human conditions.

This is also seen in Fat Pig’s directorial treatment. Indubitably, Tracie Pang’s directions are technically superior: the pacing between the actors and their lines was careful and appropriate; scenes which are meant to be fast-paced were quick and successive; scenes which are meant to be slow and tensed did not hang cluelessly in the air. The comedic elements of the play are also facilitated by precise blocking. For example, when Carter made a promise to Tom, he crossed his fingers while slightly backfacing the audience, revealing to the audience in confidante that he would eventually break his promise with Tom. This created a moment of dramatic irony which really teased the audience into laughter.

But these moments also possibly made the play too light. The play was littered with little shticks like these and Pang had no qualms in making sure that her actors play them up. Because these moments were so light, it downplays the deeper issues of social pressure which the play eventually confronted. Not to mention that these slapstick antics had little contribution to the play’s overall dramatic thrust.

Amongst the actors, the best was definitely Gavin Yap who displayed a good range between being a charmer and being a coward. Ibrahim’s performance as a lovable douchebag was also laudable. Lazan’s performance as the slightly psychotic on-off-ex-girlfriend was decent too, except that her vocal production was so horrendous that her neck vein started popping when she shouted at Yap. Lee’s Helen seemed interesting and infectious at first, but quickly disintegrated to one-dimensionality when it became apparent that her performance was not only canned but uncreative. The overall acting wasn’t so bad, but the choice of accent just sat very strangely with a Pan-Asian cast.

The hallmark of every Pangdemonium production is always its set: Beautiful, checked. Realistic, checked. Meaningful, no. The set and its scene transitions were brilliant, but they functioned on a purely cosmetic and meaningless level. That’s fine, really. Except that I didn’t feel like I was paying for the performance, but paying for its set.

“But I wanna go for the show,” you say. “It’s Pangdemonium!” Well, yes. Go watch it and grab your complimentary beer or wine at the nearby bar, District 10.

But don’t say I neh say.  :)

[meatball-diaries]

Finals make you CRAY.

[traciepang-366]

January 13, 2012.

FSU with Gabby Sanchez <3 oh, this is going to be an exciting next semester :P

[meatball-diaries]

Cause we think it's cute to be as immature as 13 year old boys.

8=============D

[meatball-diaries]

Our rendition. 

[meatball-diaries]

Hi guys. So basically we're the meatballs. We get into a lot of shenanigans. This is basically  going to be our tumblr for anything and everything we do together.

Leggo. 

[traciepang-366]

January 12, 2012.

This entire week so far has been so boring. Did some homework for my online class and then did Insanity. My grandma & my dog like taking naps together :D Also, I had a super nice talk with my mom tonight <3

[traciepang-366]

January 11, 2012.

LAST DAY OF READING FOR MY ONLINE CLASS! Hopefully my days will start to get more exciting now lmao. I played around with eye make-up today even though I didn't go anywhere haha. My life is boring.

[traciepang-366]

January 10, 2012.

Woke up, did Insanity, and read 90 pages of my AAS book -.- Watching Adventure Time with my brother & Cream :)

[traciepang-366]

January 9, 2011.

Another boring day :( I woke up and was inspired to do Insanity again! Yay, me! Then, I spent the rest of the day reading for my Asian American Studies 100 online class. One and a half weeks until this shit is dunzo! 

[traciepang-366]

January 8, 2012.

Left Phoenix today and got home around 3:30ish. Slept most of the day -.- Nothing excited happened. So here's a scary ass picture of my dog that my brother sent me haha.

[traciepang-366]

January 7, 2012. 

I went to the Phoenix Zoo today with my mom & brother. It wasn't that exciting... most of the animals were either sleeping or just not moving at all. The best part of the day was when we got to feed the giraffes. Doesn't it look like we're giraffing fun? :D Then, we went shopping at the Outlets in Anthem, then ate at Golden Corral. Now, I'm just watching Up! in the hotel room with my mother <3 

[traciepang-366]

January 6, 2012.

Phoenix bound with mom & brother! Chillin' in the Holiday Innnnnnn, oh gosh. Throwback song? Left LA at 6am and arrived here at 1:40, Phoenix time. Then, we went shopping and I got a pair of high top Toms, black Uggs, and two skirts, all for under $50 :D 

[traciepang-366]

January 5, 2012.

Gatorade pong in the morning! We go SO hard.

[traciepang-366]

January 4, 2012. 

Went to Disneyland & California Adventure. Bomb ass time. Then kickback with the homies.