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Skeletons are out of the closet

Vis-a-Vie Theatre takes a sympathetic look at the lives of three siblings who are deeply influenced by loss and separation. PHOTO: COURTESY OF VIS-A-VIE THEATRE

Vis-a-Vie Theatre's (對．面劇坊) newest production, Papa (第二波新聞稿 ), looks at the lives of soldiers and their families during China's civil war. The production - one of few to examine early 20th-century Taiwanese history - opened last night at the National Experimental Theater (國家戲劇院實驗劇場).

When asked about the political overtones in the play, producer Jocelyn Change (張育嘉) said, "We don't want people to look too deep into the story, because it is about a family trying to come to grips with itself."

A few scenes are enough to prove the point. Though politics play a part, the main story is about a family trying to come to terms with loss and separation.

Papa focuses on three siblings - two sisters and a brother - who are left in Taiwan after their Chinese father moves to China following the death of his Taiwanese wife.

The opening scene shows the eldest sister returning home from abroad, where she has been traveling in an attempt to escape what she sees as a stifling family life. As the play progresses, it becomes apparent that she hasn't succeeded. The younger sister suffers from a stutter - seemingly brought on by her mother's death - and spends her days creating masks that mediate reality. The younger brother, a misfit, holds ostentatious parties that nobody attends.

Theater notes: What: Papa (第二波新聞稿) by Vis-a-Vie When: Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm; tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm Where: National Experimental Theater (國家戲劇院實驗劇場), 21-1 Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei City (台北市中山南路21-1號) Tickets: NT$400, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw

The absurdity of the characters is brought down to earth by the shared loss the siblings feel for their mother and their confusion over the family's history, especially their parents' marriage.

Further on in the story, the three siblings have to resolve the mystery of their father's disappearance, and in the process reveal and come to terms with a long-kept family secret.

Formed at the beginning of this year, Vis-a-Vie consists of Lea Huang (黃莉婷), Wang Li-wen (王莉雯) and Sunteck Yao (姚尚德), who all studied theater in Paris. They are noted for infusing their work with realism, which is noticeably absent from Taiwan's contemporary theater scene. Papa benefits from the fact that the trio wrote and directed the play, as well as act in it. The three realistically portray characters and the struggles they undergo to make sense of their lives.

Judging by ticket sales, the troupe's desire to bring reality back into the theater will be a success. Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon performances have already sold out.

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