NOWstreaming@TOY : Titoudao《剃头刀》(2015)

Synopsis:

Presented in Mandarin, Hokkien and English, Titoudao《剃头刀》is inspired by the real life story of Director Goh Boon Teck's mother, renowned Chinese street opera actress Madam Oon Ah Chiam. A petite lady with big dreams, Madam Oon is best known for her titular role as a likeable and righteous male character, Titoudao, who is a loyal servant.

Set in the 1940s, Titoudao《剃头刀》is presented through a mise en abyme or a play-within-a-play. Alternating between scenes of Madam Oon's painful personal life and that of her colourful stage persona, the story traces her struggles – including poverty, gender inequality, marital issues, the diminishing state of her craft, and how she emerges through her turmoil to become one of Singapore and Malaysia's most outstanding leading opera artistes. The storyline's development is also a reflexive social commentary; mirroring the societal and economic changes in fast-progressing Singapore at the time.