The Song of the Brokenhearted Tiger by 3 Tiger

 

Once upon a time, a Tiger and a Forest lay entwined in a coil of love. 

Fear of the Tiger deterred men from their lust for the Forest. And the Forest concealed the Tiger, away from the hatred of men. 

Inside the Forest, the Tiger was invincible.

Then came a tribe of men, vast in numbers, smelling of gunpowder.  They penetrated the Forest, rendered her foul and estranged her from her lover. In tears, the Tiger left.

Outside the Forest, the Tiger wandered in fear.

Without the protection of the Tiger, the Forest was ravaged by men. They stripped her leaves, and broke her wooden limbs.  And the Tiger, without the cover of the Forest, was finally killed in a filthy alleyway.

One day, the Ghost of the Brokenhearted Tiger will find its way back to the Forest. In the ruins of the Green Cathedral, he will sing once more, and the hearts of all who hear his song will burst in grief.

The Song of the Brokenhearted Tiger is a theatrical lamentation about the annihilation of the Malayan Tiger in Singapore. It is as much an exercise in story-telling and a music recording session presented ‘live’, as it is a ritual of sound, light and smoke.

The Song of the Brokenhearted Tiger brings together a group of highly acclaimed local artists from music, dance, theatre and the visual arts with the sole purpose of invoking the spirit of the Malayan Tiger.

The Song of the Brokenhearted Tiger is the first installment of the Three Tigers Trilogy, a set of live performances dedicated to the figure of the tiger as it exists in the imagination, the memory and the history of Singapore.

Photo by Olivia Kwok

Photo by Olivia Kwok

Photo by Olivia Kwok

Photo by Olivia Kwok

Photo by Olivia Kwok