CLDDS performance...

I realised I had been going back to RV a lot this few days...
But come on, its great to go back and feel that old environment which all of us are quite familiar with, although yesterday's trip isn't as fruitful as a lot of the other trips back...

The fruitfulness of the trip is dependent upon the following few factors, which are rather self-centered:
1) Number of Rv-ians I get to talk to
2) The amount of people I got to talk to
3) The amount of people I get to interact with...
4) The amount of people whom I get to talk to...

Eh, ok, its actually just one factor, which is dependent on the number of people I get to talk to... But come on, most of us go back other then just to see the school compound or do some other stuff, the next few things that all of us want to do would be to find people to talk to, old friends who are not yet "old" enough to graduate from RV...

Today's main topic however is the CLDDS performance.
This year's cldds performance was... different if you ask me.
Firstly, they changed their style. Its the most distinctive feeling the moment the show starts. Starting with the introduction of the emcees at the starting. It was much much different compared to last time, with emcees making a lot of humour and jokes out of the starting to get everyone's attention. I think its a great improvement from last time.

Another point of difference is that the emcees becomes a sort of evaluation after each show (except for the final one which I feel is supposed to leave you thinking). After each and every show, the emcees would come out and sort of do an evaluation of the show before it. It does help us to think, but its a great departure from what they used to do. Last time, the only intermission between shows are very very short comical skits that serve to lighten the mood.

Secondly, a great difference that a lot of us had felt was the change in the tone of the drama. Previously, the reason why we kept on coming back to watch the CLDDS performance, was because each and every skit left you thinking about life and all its various different aspects. They had a certain sort of impact on you and you are left to start thinking about all the different things in life. This year, they had changed the theme slightly, from the last time impactful and thought-provoking drama, they had switched over to a more comedy based skits, with lots of emphasis placed on the entertainment factor, and less on things like thought-provoking-ness...

I was a bit disappointed in that aspect cause I was looking forward to CLDDS performance in that it always tends to amek you think about life and all the various differnt sections of life. It felt more like what short skits are about, the impact, the feeling... But it does show us like the fun part in life...

Thirdly, they had less of a common theme this year. Previous years, their performances were all explorations on different themes. In 2003, the theme was "love" and I think last year it was "happiness" or something like that.
This year, I'm not very sure, but its either "escape", "joke" or "reflections". But I'll be preferring reflections as all three skits sort of show you reflections of each and every character...

The theme isn't as strong, and it became less of an exploration of a theme, but more to a series of skits based on CLDDS mindsets. Previously, their explorations I felt were good as they allowed us to see the same things from many different angles, and exploire that same event through the eyes of many different people.

Having said all these, breaking away from the tried and tested formula isn't that bad, its just that a lot of us who come back to feel that nostalgia don't get to feel it so easily. Nevertheless, their final play is still their old standard, their old methods...

Of course, the performance pleasure could have been much better, with less sniggering and giggling from the crowd at points in time when it isn't really funny (and in fact not supposed to be funny). I mean, giggle when you are at the last 10 minutes of your life and reflecting on what you are doing???

I don't know, but I feel that the impact of the final skit would have been much better, with less sniggering and giggling...

Discmon