Everyone
enjoys a good story. Though stories are usually told to children, most
adults appreciate a good story too. Recognising this, the storytellers
of Moonshadow Stories decided to present a storytelling session especially
for adults. Titled The Male Instinct, it promised stories that
would reveal the male perspective on life.
The Male Instinct was performed in the Blue Room at the Substation.
The room was lovely and comfortable, with candles providing a touch
of warmth and softness. The atmosphere created not only made everyone
feel at ease, but also made the evening's tales all the more pleasant
to listen to. The stories that were told originated from places like
India and the Americas.
Verena Tay started the evening off with a story about The Little-Man-With-Hair- All-Over.
Describing the exciting adventures of this little man (he fought ugly monsters,
rescued four damsels in distress and married them), this story proved that
size and appearance are not as significant as true courage and determination,
which always triumph in the end. Tay was an amusing storyteller, aware of
some men's preoccupation with "size" and making use of this to
tickle the audience by adjusting her pants to give an impression of a "big"
man. The ease with which she changed her voice, deepening it or making it
high-pitched to suit the character she was playing was commendable and one
could imagine each character's appearance and mannerisms just from her descriptions.
Tay fumbled her lines a couple of times but admittedly, relating a solo
story in front of an audience can be rather nerve-wracking, unlike a play
where fellow cast members are able to lend support. Besides the story about
The Little-Man-With-Hair-All-Over, Tay also entertained the audience
with coyote stories, reflecting masculine lust for pleasures of the flesh.
The other talented storyteller was Kamini Ramichandran, whose calm
nature and soothing voice made listening to her tales a real pleasure.
She told stories of a tiger and its adopted human son, as well as three
Eskimo stories. One of these Eskimo stories was about a jealous and
possessive husband who always suspected his wife of being intimate with
another Eskimo. He would beat her mercilessly and when his wife could
not tolerate the abuse any longer, she went up to the mountains to seek
the help of a magical entity. In the end, her husband was killed and
she returned to a life of peace and comfort. Though the story's plot
was simple and the solution to its central problem could never be applied
in today's world, the story spoke of spousal abuse, which is not uncommon
in today's society. It depicted some men's need for control over their
wives and how this need sometimes translates into abuse, both physical
and verbal. Ramichandran paced her story well and her use of pauses
succeeded in making the audience hang on to her every word. Her success
in engaging the audience was probably due to the fact that she loves
storytelling to children and has been doing it at pre-schools and private
parties.
Cyril Wong was the guest storyteller for the evening. Relating a story
of which I'm sure most of us have heard at least one variation, he provided
a delightful gay twist. His story was about a gay couple - a fisherman,
his lover, Kevin, and a magical fish that grants wishes. The sweet and
touching moral of the story was simply that the material aspects of
life could never compensate for the love and companionship that two
people share. Wong's facial expressions and naughty references to the
fisherman and Kevin's relationship amused the audience to no end. His
open nature was also appealing and this made his story both comical
and touching.
Though The Male Instinct was only for adults, the stories
that were told had a few childlike qualities - for example, the story
of the tiger and its adopted son is one that could just as easily be
seen in a children's book, and this was also the case with the mischievous
coyote and its adventures. Perhaps the presence of animals in the stories
was to show that humans are not much different from their untamed friends
- to show how we humans have retained animalistic desires. However,
it would have been more of a treat if Moonshadow Stories had provided
a wider selection of tales incorporating slightly more realistic settings.
Nevertheless, The Male Instinct was perfect for those who enjoy
childlike stories with adult themes and naughty twists to them.
I've never attended a storytelling session for adults before and this
one proved to be a pleasant way to spend an evening with a friend, listening
to the beauty of the spoken word. Some might argue that storytelling
is not as challenging as traditional plays. However, with few or no
props, there is a great challenge in capturing and sustaining the audience's
attention. The storyteller's facial expressions, tone of voice, pacing,
use of gesture and attention to details all come into play. And through
these skills, Moonshadow Stories pleased its audience with its simplicity
and its desire to tell good stories.
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"The Male Instinct was perfect for those who enjoy childlike
stories with adult themes and naughty twists to them"
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