Singaporean theatre is back in a big way! Don't miss Checkpoint Theatre's latest offering on the challenges of relationships and parenthood...
It’s difficult to describe the transition into parenthood to non-parents. It can also be difficult to discuss the monumental changes and challenges of raising a child with other parents. We all know that everyone’s journey is so different. The Fourth Trimester play by the team at Checkpoint Theatre is a breath of fresh air, as it highlights all this and more, plus the challenges we face in life whether we are parents or not.
Enter: Newbornhood
Bringing to life the hazy days of a newborn entering the world, ‘The Fourth Trimester’ refers to the three months following a baby’s birth. In the play, we follow the story of three couples and a single thirty-something, all navigating their status as parents, new parents, the journey of trying to conceive, and newly single. Real life is hilariously captured in the messy living room, from the wayward diaper changes to the spilt milk. The easy dialogue feels like watching a scene from your own life. We all know about those steep learning curves, and the production is on point in portraying them so well, from learning that it is much harder to breastfeed for some than it would appear for others and discovering that so many of us are fighting secret battles.
The Fourth Trimester is for parents and non-parents
Everyone will take something away from the show, whether they are a parent or not, married or not. Like all great theatre, it is certainly thought-provoking and enlightening. Some of the characters felt as though they were more fully explored than others. We were left wanting to learn more about their journeys and their futures. The strongest scenes were so well-written and acted that they brought us to tears; however, some monologues felt more forced. This didn’t take away from Singaporean playwright Faith Ng’s gifted writing or the enjoyment of the play as a painfully accurate look into married life, forming a family, and the struggles of women to balance it all.
Mum guilt is real (and don’t forget about Dad)
The production highlights mum guilt so well and the constant question: “Which regret am I willing to live with? Derailing a career or missing out on moments in their baby’s childhood?'”. The Fourth Trimester reminds us that not all women have the luxury to make this choice though. The play also does a great job of sharing the transitions men can go through in becoming fathers, the pressures to provide for the family and their expectations of their partner as a caregiver.
The grass isn’t always greener
With a three-hour run time that flew by, every inch of the stage in The Fourth Trimester is utilised with exceptional set design by Petrina Dawn Tan. The detail in the new parents’ apartment brings the show to life. Even down to the bowl of noodles hastily eaten and the tiny baby clothes being folded over again. In contrast with the sparsity of the neighbours’ apartment that doubles as a void deck, we explore their journey trying to conceive, the emotions that come along with it, and their feelings of being incomplete without a baby versus how they might just be a happy family as they are.
Don’t miss this wonderful piece of distinctly Singaporean theatre; we promise you won’t regret it.
The Fourth Trimester now playing at the Drama Centre Theatre from 4 – 14 August. Book now
