Dark and demented political play

SO far, one of the strongest offerings at the Singapore International Festival of Arts is the Hungarian play Dementia, helmed by the Cannes award-winning film and theatre director Kornel Mundruczo and staged by the company Proton Theatre.

Dark and unnerving, the play is set in a mental hospital which has faced so many budget cuts, its staff strength is down to two - one doctor and one nurse - while its patient numbers have shrunk from hundreds to just four.

What little they have, however, is about to be taken away from them. Callous capitalist Janos Bartonek (Janos Szemenyei) has bought the building they occupy from the Hungarian government and wants the hospital denizens to clear out.