Learning How To Swim – The Swimming Instructor

Recently Serge went to KLPAC to watch The Swimming Instructor which was directed by Christopher Ling and starring the awesome Niki Cheong, Davina Goh (no she is not Serge’s cousin) and Michael Chen.

Did Serge learn how to swim and was the swimming instructor hot ? Well if the instructor was a lifeguard as well, Serge might say that the swimming instructor is hot (insider joke). After the jump Serge talks about the play and his thoughts about it.

In the first part of the scene Guan (Michael), Dave (Niki) and Jan (Davina) were on stage and each spoke their piece. Each piece contained information about what their character is all about. Jan from her piece, we could tell that she’s a snobbish rich girl who things that money can get everything. Dave is the man with a 5 year plan who is the youngest advertising executive who likes to be systematic. Guan’s character is a deep and meaningful person who is down to earth but has a hidden fear.

The following scene shows Dave sitting on a beach chair looking at children swim while Guan coaches them. Guan then ask Dave why he is not swimming since he has his goggles on. The explanation was simple, Dave’s glasses broke and the goggles had power. Later Jan comes in (Guan is out of the scene) and sits on the other beach chair that was next to Dave.

After some conversation, Jan forces Dave to apply some some nipple-perking lotion on her hard to reach place. Conversation between them and here we get to know that Jan has an interest in Guan. The scene after this, Serge can’t remember fully.

In one of the scenes, Dave has a dream of Guan being interested in him. Interested in the homosexual manner before being awoken by Guan who saw Dave getting some night terrors. It was funny as at the point what had happened during the dream sequence repeated.

Another dream sequence which was great is when both Jan and Dave complained to each other to get the fuck out of each other fantasy as both of them dreamed about Guan. Finale of this sequence came with Guan taking both of them by their head and putting their mouth at his crotch.

There was this “Single Ladies” scene where Dave was doing the Queen’s Wave with Jan who was at first reluctant to do so. Serge like this scene a lot as the timing of the song was good and it did remind Serge of this video :

Somewhere in the second half of the play, Jan tries to use her money to get to Guan. This did not turn out well as it made her look like a slut and at the same time Guan had problems as well. A scene of Jan and Dave came somewhere after this scene. Here Jan looks as though she had given up on Guan; however, Dave knows that she is a strong woman and will not give up so easily.

A scene of drunken stupor happens. Guan needed a drink as it was the anniversary week of his fiancee leaving him 5 years ago. We get a confession that Guan sees Dave as a good friend. There is a scene at a bus stop where Jan goes for the kill and tells Guan how much she is interested in him.

Dave was a troubled man and Guan being the caring guy asked. After being pestered many times, Dave broke down. His grandfather had recently passed on. Guan tried to comfort Dave as Dave told Guan that his grandfather called him his luck boy. Dave was upset as his grandfather might have passed on with sadness in his heart.

Sadness that was due to him indirectly confessing that he was gay. This indirect confession was due to one of the aunties who disliked the fact that grandfather took care of Dave a lot.. Dave then spoke with sadness in his heart, for when he went to the funeral some of the relatives were busy pointing at him; saying that he was the caused of grandfather’s death.

Somewhere in the ending, Dave and Jan gets called by the police for some routine investigation. Fast forward a few months later, Dave is going out with a new guy, Jan is pursuing a course in photography and after they talk; they held hands and fade to black with lighting at the swimming pool.

We see Guan repeating his opening speech but this time he finishes what he wanted to say and with that the play ends.

Serge gives this play 4 out of a possible 5 stars. There is a lot of hidden morals in this play and all of it can be summed up by Guan’s sentence to Jan in their bed room scene;

“Even if there is one chance…One chance that you can love, you must take it. Because the little chances we waste can change our whole life” -Guan, The Swimming Instructor