Tale of family in financial trouble too straightforward to impress

A family of women's fragile hopes to reunite in Canada is the central conceit of this quiet play, its simplicity of a very different sort from the elaborate set-ups and wordy banter that have come to predominate Singapore theatre fare.

- Clement Yong

THEATRE WHITE, ALL WHITE The Necessary Stage Esplanade Theatre Studio Oct 24

Mostly dressed in white – the play's cipher for a superficial harmony – daughter Genevieve (Coco Wang), mother Shi Hui (Koh Wan Ching) and grandmother (Goh Guat Kian) eke out a modest living in a Housing Board flat.

Their ambitions are small, but they are content – that is, until an invitation from Shi Hui's sister Shi Min (Jodi Chan) materialises.

The family have not seen one another for over three years and she wants to pay for the trio to visit Canada so they can see the life she has built for herself.