Real Men, Fake Orgasms

Just watched Chong Tze Chien’s Real Men, Fake Orgasms. And I actually liked it! A lot. Quite unexpected coz the director is someone who saved me a lot of money by virtue that that I don’t watch any work of hers. This time was an accident coz when Xuan forwarded me the info for this play, I agreed before I saw the director’s name.

I loved the premise of the story… two men, finding each other through different lifetimes… loving each other, but always missing that elusive happy ending… proving that being friends, lovers, soul mates, doesn’t necessarily guarantee a happily ever after..

I like the innovative use of the white markers and black boards…the actors creating their own backgrounds and props, very imaginative. The first scene was a little chaotic for me, Chua Enlai’s acting over the top as usual. But the pure imagery was amazing. Esp the night safari. Several lines stood out.

“You don’t have me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”

Oh, that hurt.

The edginess of one character to fix a place to meet and the nerves of the one who don’t dare, simply because he doesn’t dare to give himself the hope. The desperateness in the cry “promise me you’ll find me!”

The contrast in the last scene when it is precisely the one who was afraid of stepping out and losing what little they have in the illusion of the “room” who leaves, and leaves simply becoz of the trust he gave the one he loves. The trusted strong one who stays in the end… his original bravery gone. The moment when he closes the door was heartbreaking…the broken trust and the hopelessness...

Loves the three scenes in between of their varying lifetimes..

The first one of friendship shared… the subtleness of one who wants more than friendship and his awkward attempts to keep his friend from leaving for a date… The second one of understanding between two people who’ve seen each other through lifetimes and changes… with that magnetic underlying attractions and no way to return… The third of mistakes made and missed opportunities….of losing what you had and realizing that now your life will never ever be complete… of knowing that loving isn’t enough.. will never be enough… facing a lifetime of regrets ahead and yet no way to go for forward...

Three stories that could stand alone and break your heart by itself…

Real Men, Fake Orgasms is a wonderful play, a surprise and a gem…

Too often, we forget that requited love doesn’t mean that you’ll live happily ever after… In fact, the only guarantee we have from loving someone is that of heartache, pain and unhappiness… the occasional happy moment is often too fleeting… but makes life worth living.