'The Paiseh Pieces' is No Soggy Fry
On "The Paiseh Pieces" by The Second Breakfast Company (Singapore)
Disclosure #1: When The Second Breakfast Company invited me to an in-process read for a new work back in October 2022, I just couldn’t resist. An original musical about the trials and tribulations of growing up and #adulting in Singapore? Sign me up!
Nothing could have prepared me for the wholesome emotional roller-coaster that is The Paiseh Pieces* staged just three months later.
Disclosure #2: In those three months, I had myself gone through some massive #adulting milestones—I applied for a flat (shudders in lifelong debt), met with two financial advisors to take stock of my own financial independence (I’m still struggling with it) and had just celebrated the first-year of a career switch (Cheers! …I guess?).
There’s nothing quite like seeing your life play out on stage, complete with the songs you wish you could burst into when nothing seems to be going your way.
The Paiseh Pieces follows the lives of three best friends: Tobias, Sara and Rina (played by Kevin Brendan, Nadya Zaheer and Gail Belmonte respectively). Despite being besties of 8 years and university mates, their paths are now diverging.
Tobias is a freelance actor/data entry part-timer who is short on opportunities and feels like he does not fit into life in Singapore. Sara, on the other hand, lands a job as an engineer, but faces uncertainty about her partner Johan with whom she has already secured a BTO flat**. While her best friends have graduated and are finding their footing in the world, Rina has to be retained in university for failing her modules. Yet, she continues to pursue her passion for animal welfare, much to her mother’s distress.
Sara, Tobias and Rina at an Iced Milo Conference.
The three commiserate at their ritual ‘Iced Milo Conferences’, where, alongside MacDonald’s iced Milo, nuggets and fries; vulnerability and unhappy truths are also up for grabs. It is at one of these conferences that they declare themselves to be just like a paiseh piece, and hope to “take life by the chicken nuggets”!
There is plenty to like about The Paiseh Pieces, especially if you are a new adult or somebody who still struggles with making big decisions.
For one, the characters are deeply relatable. And while I typically dislike using the word ‘relatable’ to describe a show, The Paiseh Pieces is buay paiseh—or unabashed—about being just that.
The work is chockfull of characters and scenarios for their audience to identify with. Although the main leads have specific situations, their problems are common amongst many new adults. It also takes into account class and privilege, pointing out that some of us can afford to struggle in ways that are different from others.
The strong performances and diverse set of compositions (Bennett Bay - music, Stephanie Phang - lyrics) also deepen the emotional range of the work. A highlight for me are the solo numbers for the main cast. Gail Belmonte’s sweet and steady performance in Rina’s solo is refreshing and uplifting, Nadya Zaheer stuns in Sara’s angsty rock track; and, together with the ensemble, Kevin Brendan delivers a mocking and haunting story of choosing between “being an actor or a clown”. It is a triptych that effectively shows the trio’s personal turmoils.
Tobias and the ensemble consisting of Tan Rui Shan, Rino Junior John, Fiona Chua and Misha Paule Tan sing about his troubles as an aspiring actor.
However, not all of the musical is doom and gloom. Beneath Ian Pereira’s mix of rainbow lights for the adulting circus, the ensemble plays up hilarious moments of a (strangely universal) financial advisor, cartoonish wait-staff and more. In fact, the cast fires up the stage with their playful chemistry, and every interaction is a joy to watch.
But beyond the #adulting problems, The Paiseh Pieces is a celebration of friendship. Sometimes, all you can count on are your friends—not that they know exactly what you are going through, but that you are struggling and giving your best ‘alone together’ is often the best comfort that friends can offer.
The Paiseh Pieces is a story about growing up and growing together.
Ultimately, The Paiseh Pieces is a straightforward response to the responsibilities, hopes and ever-present uncertainties in new adult life. Along with solid performances and endearing chemistry from the cast, the work is crisp, full-hearted and satisfying to my senses— most definitely not a soggy fry.
That said, there is a specificity to The Paiseh Pieces that not all audiences may understand or enjoy, especially if one cannot relate to this generation’s struggles of confidently calling ourselves a full-fledged adult.
Yet, perhaps this is The Paiseh Pieces’ greatest strength. There is something so precious about a piece of work that is current to this degree and strongly resonant with its demographic.
Life is short, and shared moments are even more fleeting. That The Paiseh Pieces can capture this moment in time for many millennials and new adults to empathise with together makes it deeply validating and cathartic.
Sometimes, it is just really nice to be reminded that you are not the last lone nugget in the box.
* A ‘Paiseh Piece’ refers to the last piece of food left on the plate because everyone is too embarrassed/coy to take it for themselves because it could come across as impolite. ‘Paiseh’ is to be embarrassed or coy.
**BTO: Built-to-order. The BTO market in Singapore is very competitive. It is a huge financial burden for many couples and is usually a commitment made 5-7 years in advance.