Sifa 2023: The last hurrah

IN DAVID Foster Wallace’s cult novel The Pale King, he famously wrote: “Every love story is a ghost story.” Many have dissected this line, interpreting it as a reflection of how romantic relationships carry remnants of loss, whether it be the loss of innocence, freedom, idealism, or even the loss of a person themselves.

This statement feels particularly fitting when applied to New-Illusion, a beautifully written play by Toshiki Okada, a pioneering figure in Japan’s avant-garde theatre scene, and his company chelfitsch. This production was one of the final shows presented at the Singapore International Festival of Arts (Sifa) 2023, which concluded over the weekend. 

In the play, actors Ayana Shiibashi and Tomomitsu Adachi portray former lovers looking back at their failed relationship. Like forensic scientists inspecting the evidence, they recreate their apartment and its furnishings, how they once sat in the living room to read, work or converse. They reflect on what was said, reminiscing about their lofty ideals that were ultimately shattered by the harshness of reality.