It was a tragic tale, the story of a young girl, stricken by leukemia, who endeavored to fold a thousand cranes in order to get one wish - to return her state of health. Such is the tale of Sasaki Sadako, a girl who had survived the bombing of Hiroshima ordered by Harry Truman at the ending exodus of World War II, and had contracted the “atomic bomb sickness” as her parents called it. The story of this extraordinary young girl is now a symbol of peace for children all around the world, and the inspiration of the play produced by Center Stage Productions, and organized by the Taylors University College Business Studies Club, a charity production for the National Kidney Foundation (NKF).
The play was scheduled to run two shows, from 14th August to the 15th August 2009, a two and a half-hour play telling the story of Sadako, leading to her demise. With a cast ranging from various students from Universiti Malaya, The One Academy and Taylor’s University College, it was a multi-campus event, and was long and hard in the making. On the Opening Night, Mdm Ong, the MCA Youth Chief said that she was “Very proud of the young people who organized this event, for they had proven that they could show the effort for charity, apart from studying like machines and enjoying themselves.” The head of the National Kidney Foundation, Miss Shirley Kwok, also thanked everyone for their effort in supporting a meaningful cause.
In due time, the play began, with the dimming of the lights, and the emergence of several characters, dressed in gossamer, white garb, donned with masks. Within mere seconds, a haunting, mesmerizing dance came to life, followed by the lead character’s appearance upon the stage, stating her name, and how she had experienced the atom bombing of Hiroshima. Her expression was grave, her words chilling.
However, the scene that followed, was one of light-heartedness, in which, Sadako, and her friend, Kenji, were racing one another, revealing that Sadako was to compete in a city-wide race for girls in the next month. They shared many a friendly taunt, portraying a lighter side of such a tragic yarn. And in another, Sadako’s parents were introduced to the audience, who were shown to be greatly grieved by what had happened ten years previous.
Ultimately, ‘Wish Upon a Crane’ is a play of profound emotions, and often relying on the use of the spirits - both Black and White, to convey a mood that verges on the macabre, chilling the audience to the bone. Still, the storyline is simple, and uncomplicated, the cast, talented and spot-on in their acting. It is a very, very successful play, one that manages to wrench and tickle perhaps the hardest of hearts, combined with excellent lighting and a fabulous soundtrack, reminiscent of various Japanese-sounding tracks. There were some liberties taken music-wise, particularly from Memoirs of a Geisha, Rurouni Kenshin and also Blood+. The characters were lively and very, very engaging, as well as able to convey the story to their utmost abilities. It must also be stressed that one of the characters, Sadako’s Mother, is portrayed almost alike that of Datuk Michelle Yeoh’s Mameha (from Memoirs of the Geisha).
“The acting was good,” said Joshua Lau, an alumnus of the Cambridge A-Levels Program. “It’s just that the venue is too cold for my taste.” Of course, many others sang praises for the play as well. Chiang Zejing, a member of the Taylor’s Business Studies Society claimed that the play in its entirety was “very touching, but scary,” probably due to the extensive use of spirits and eerie music.
The death of a child is never a good turn of events, but when this child comes to be elevated into a symbol of global peace after her death, her passing becomes meaningful, and would always remain an inspiration to all, especially in these troubled times. Sasaki Sadako’s story is one of those tales, and although she never managed to fold all one thousand cranes before succumbing to her battle with cancer, thousands upon thousands of children helped her to finish her task many times over. Every year, children from all walks of life pay tribute to her by laying down the origami cranes that they had folded at the feet of her statue, and as long as it still stands, she is immortal. This is what ‘Wish Upon a Crane’ is trying to convey, and let me tell you, it has succeeded beautifully.
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