Rishi Vadrevu will tell you that a character he plays is bright, funny, and the life of the party, but I can tell you that these features seep into his non-stage persona too.
He uses the full length of his arms and hands to recreate anecdotes and activates every facial muscle to say his response. Rishi, 27, is a perfect candidate for the theatre world and has only dipped his toe in the professional theatre space over the past year.
Rishi started acting full-time, on screen first, in 2023. “I love both screen and theatre, but there’s no joy like actually going through rigorous rehearsals,” he said.
“Screen is a different beauty; it’s that instinctively immediate authenticity. But with stage, you have the whole process. It’s two different things that will grow your brain.”
He has also starred in local director Anthony Chen’s film We Are All Strangers, which has garnered much recognition since its release this year for being true to its Singaporean identity.
“It’s a wonderful thing to feel like I’m a small part of something really big and wondrous. I do feel pride because I do feel like a little part of Singaporean history,” said Rishi.
His latest theatrical production is Gateway Arts’ The Parting Glass, where he plays Jim – a hawker centre chef who is working through addiction, mental health issues and a break-up.
The play aims to shine a light on men’s mental health and the impact on the people around those who may be suffering.
“It’s been a good reminder that if you are going through a period of poor mental health, that it really doesn’t define you and that you are always so much more,” he said.
“The last few weeks of rehearsal, I’ve started to text my friends more. If I feel like my friends are more down, I will reach out to them, because sometimes we forget. It’s hammering into me also, the importance of community,” he added.
Raising a glass to awareness
Scents of malty beer and freshly fried french fries fill up the room as the audience shuffles on their bar stools, as opposed to cushioned theatre seats, waiting for the show to begin.
The play is originally set during a birthday party in a bar, and so the company has decided to immerse its audience as party guests at the gastro bar The Blackbird in Gillman Barracks.
The party in question is for Jim and is planned by his ex-girlfriend Sarah, played by Juliana Kassim Chan.
Through the 75-minute-long runtime, we watch Jim’s mental health deteriorate, as the dark asides Jim makes in the middle of his jokes start sounding more like confessions.
Even though there are plenty of laughs and cute moments shared between Rishi and Juliana, at the heart of the play is a message about men’s mental health.
Keeping the themes of suicidal ideation and alcoholism in mind, the company has partnered with Eagles Mediation and Counselling Centre to offer guidance throughout the production. They also have a booth at the bar and post-show dialogue sessions where audiences can engage with mental health professionals and people who have lived through situations similar to Jim.
Because of this central theme, however, the script can get a little bit preachy sometimes. There are very earnest declarations of why mental health is important, or what someone can or should do in certain situations.
However, these monologues are packaged naturally through Rishi and Juliana.
Speaking of them, both actors are truly the reason to come watch this show. The chemistry and comedic timing between them is infectious and makes the sombre bits hit a lot harder. It also helps that they continuously interact with the audience, running up and down the bar, cheers-ing guests and cueing for response.
Though Jim is bubbly and constantly cracking silly jokes, Sarah is witty and snyde, and you feel like you could spend the whole night with them, laughing into a pint of beer and then crying into a burger.
The show was originally written by British playwright Chris O’Connor, and the title relates to the Irish song and term for a farewell.
However, the adaptation to Singapore will make you believe that this couldn’t have been written anywhere else but here.
There are plenty of Singaporean references and jokes written in, including one about how his favourite bar could be shut down due to land reclamation.
Additionally, the production went the extra mile to sprinkle references to Rishi’s Indian identity through a Tamil dance sequence mashed up with an Irish jig. Even in the quiet moments, you have Jim’s mother saying, “Beta, have you eaten?”, to symbolise the complexities of showing affection.
“I think our art should reflect our society. So I think there should be more Indian characters and more Indian stories, not just to represent the community, but because Indian stories in Singapore are Singaporean stories,” said Rishi.
The Parting Glass runs till Sept 13, with tickets available on sistic.com.sg.
