REVIEW: REFUGE by Pavan J Singh, Camden Fringe at Etcetera Theatre 3 & 4, 10 & 11 August 2024

‘The experience of Singh is evident, and his charisma and storytelling skills are captivating on stage.’ ★★★ ½

What would you do if war broke out in your country and your hometown is suddenly attacked and gets gradually destroyed. The neighbouring towns have already suffered their fate and the sounds of bombs and destruction get louder, approaching your very own house. You would naturally hide or run for safety. Braham, played by the writer-performer Pavan J. Singh recounted the story of his own family of five fleeing the war torn Middle East and North African (MENA) unnamed country. He had a choice, either to stay behind like many of his countrymen, or to take his family on a dangerous journey crossing the Mediterranean sea. He was wealthy, an ordinary business owner running a shop passed down by his father, so he had the means and resources to pay for the high price of the boat trip. His destination. France.

Pavan J. Singh is a Singaporean based actor, theatre artist and part-time lecturer. His solo performance Refuge was created over a period of a year and was first staged in Singapore in December 2016 and in May 2017. It then went on to be performed at the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2023 where it was awarded the Encore Producers award and invited to perform for another weekend. The experience of Singh is evident, and his charisma and storytelling skills are captivating on stage. He wears many hats, literally, taking on the various characters from acting the roles of his father, to his family members, to his fellow countrymen, to a Frenchman he befriended while on a London holiday trip, to the workers on the boat, and to the detention centre officer. And the list goes on.



The responsibilities of putting on a one-person show are challenging. When the writer also acts and produces and directs and is also the sound designer monitoring the sound system from a laptop on stage, there is bound to be some setbacks. Technical issues there were, which brought the show to a silence on a few occasions. However, they did not really slow down the fast-paced production and the audience was kept well on edge of their seats with the tragic turn of events. This one-hour solo performance gives us a glimpse into the life of an ordinary civilian before, during and after war breaks and is an invitation to question if given the ultimatum, what would you take with you or leave behind when fleeing for safety to a new land.

REFUGE by Pavan J Singh, Camden Fringe at Etcetera Theatre 3 & 4, 10 & 11 August 2024

Box Office: https://camdenfringe.com/events/refuge/

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