FOUR years after the formation of The Oral Stage, the company of “theatre-curious youths” is slowly gaining momentum. Since 2004, they have produced shows – from mixed-bills like Rojak and Screwed, to full-length plays like The Illusion -- that have earned them the reputation as KL’s most active youth theatre company.

They have yet to produce a critically acclaimed work however, and there have been reports of people coming out of the theatre groaning after watching an Oral Stage production. The company however has built up a loyal and strong audience base, and their tenacity and commitment to making theatre is something to be admired, and emulated.

Their latest effort brings another Paula Vogel play to the Malaysian stage, the first being Instant Café Theatre’s 2002 production of  Baltimore Waltz, directed by Rey Buono. That production raised the self-righteous ire of DBKL over its portrayal of its  HIV-positive protagonist, performed by Rohaizad Suaidi.

Paula Vogel’s How I Learned To Drives enters similar waters – things that make DBKL officers and their ilk uncomfortable. It is the tragicomedy telling of L’il Bit’s pseudo-sexual relationship with her Uncle Peck (by marriage) through a series of flashbacks. It’s an excellent choice of play by TOS, given the strongly drawn characters, the topicality of incest and paedophilia in our society, and the play’s capacity for both comedy and intense drama.

The play itself is a fantastic rollercoaster of emotions. Though we know that Uncle Peck is in the wrong for indulging in such a complicated, illegal relationship with his underage niece, there are times, as the play unfolds, when you cannot help but empathize with him, and feel that L’il Bit is something of a Lolita, seducing her Uncle and attempting to bind him to her.

When, however, the beginning of their relationship -- Peck fondling his niece the first time he lets her drive is revealed in the final flashback --  we return to the black and white of the relationship -- Uncle Peck evil, Li’l Bit good -- aware that we have, at different times during the play, empathized with a paedophile. Such is Vogel’s deftness in exposing both the ambiguities of any relationship, as well as her ability to take her audience into places it might not want to go.

In the States, productions of How I Learned To Drive have been met with standing ovations, and Paula Vogel experienced unmitigated success. But, with a bar set so high, director Kelvin Wong’s treatment of it has fallen a bit short.

The downfall of How I Learned To Drive undoubtedly is with the casting of the two leads. Johann Lim as Uncle Peck, seems thoroughly miscast. His portrayal of the complex character of the uncle who sexualizes his niece’s early teenage years and grooms her for the night of her 18th birthday, where he believes they will, finally, legally consummate their love simply lacked depth. He may have been going for disturbingly quiet and complacent with a “fire in [his] head”, but it came across as lazy and detached. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe the character was written to be overly sinister and evil, but it felt that in Johann’s attempt to give Uncle Peck that surreal ominous tinge, he overshot and became a robot. We know Uncle Peck is sad, but do all sad people speak in monotone?

During his monologue, where he teaches his nephew how to fish, Johann was particularly disappointing. The scene should have been one of the most disturbing parts of the play (not including the scenes where he gropes L’il Bit), filled with foreshadowing and symbolism, a metaphor for his multifaceted relationship with his niece. But these aspects of the monologue were lost, with many an audience member struggling to suppress yawns.

Amelia Chen, though she fared better than Johann, also failed to get under the skin of her character. Occasional fluff-ups with the lines aside, she just didn’t seem on. I won’t say I don’t think she has the capability or experience to deal with a character as complex as L’il Bit, because she has some excellent performances under her belt. But this time around she didn’t quite crack it. Her constant transitions from one age to another were awkward, and her little-girl-voice rather unconvincing. L’il Bit’s confusion and perplexity with the situation were all watered down into little frowns.

Her present day monologues had more conviction, making it clear that Amelia, while strong an actor enough to carry the role of the woman that has survived her past,  was unable to shoulder the duality of the character. She failed to fully represent the other manifestation of L'il Bit  – the meek and confused teenager - as the play demanded of any actor taking on the role.

Mark Beau de Silva, Davina Goh, and Doreen Loo make up the rest of the cast -- the Greek chorus that play various other characters. The chemistry between the chorus members was the saving grace of the play. The group scenes -- especially the family scenes -- were by far the strongest.

Davina’s performance deserves special mention. She was highly entertaining as the brazen mother giving advice on how to drink, but was also convincing as Uncle Peck’s devoted wife. Her performance was heartfelt and heartbreaking to watch. It was a pity she didn’t feature more.

Even if she did feature more, however, she, and the other actors were handicapped by a weak lighting design. The brassy lighting was often distracting, leaving the performers acting in the dark. It slashed any hopes I had of suspending my disbelief. The set, conversely, was the picture of effort, with a rotating stage-piece to make set changes a breeze -- in keeping with the driving theme that is maintained throughout the play, as stipulated by the script.

How I Learned To Drive, with all of its humour and sadness is a juicy play for any theatre company to take on. I was secretly rooting for The Oral Stage, as I’m sure many were, hoping that this might finally be the one -- the production that helps them finally make their mark, critically. Sadly however, despite some strong performances, a great script and a compelling subject,  How I Learned To Drive was a miss. The open road is ahead of this company however, and it just may get there, sooner rather than later.

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Yasmin Zetti Martin writes for Kakiseni.

How I Learned To Drive ran at The Actors Studio @ BSC from Wed 4 - Sun 8 Jun 2008 (Wed - Sat: 8.30pm; Sat & Sun: 3pm).