Details Cannot Body Wants
| Details Cannot Body Wants | |
|---|---|
The 1993 cover of The Naturalisation of the Camelia and Details Cannot Body Wants | |
| Written by | Chin Woon Ping |
| Based on | Some of Chin's personal experiences |
| Directed by | K. K. Seet |
| Chorus | Unnamed 3-person chorus |
| Characters | Unnamed speaker (Chin Woon Ping) |
| Date premiered | 12 September 1992 |
| Place premiered | The Substation's Guinness Theatre, Singapore |
| Original language | English |
| Original run | 12–13 September 1992 |
| Subject | Asian women's social identity in a mixed-influence society |
| Genre | Dramatic monologue |
Details Cannot Body Wants is a Singaporean feminist play written by Chin Woon Ping and directed by K. K. Seet. It was first published in 1992 as The Naturalization of Camellia Song & Details Cannot Body Wants (which included the poetry anthology The Naturalization of Camellia Song) and staged on 12 and 13 September 1992 in The Substation's Guinness Theatre as part of the double bill Renewable Women, which contained Robert Yeo's Second Chance. It is a monologue by a nameless character (played by Chin) who rants against the societal, cultural, and emotional restrictions of Asian women in a mixed culture society and is supported by a chorus as well as an array of props. Due to its unconventional structure, reviewers gave the play mixed reviews, with the play later being restaged by the Ubu Repertory Theater in New York City, 1998.
The play mostly originated from Chin's personal experiences. When the play was to be adapted on stage as a part of Renewable Women, the Public Entertainment Licensing Unit (PELU) initially refused to administer the license unless certain parts of the play were changed, but later allowed it to be presented uncut (through an appeal by Yeo) with an R-rating, on the condition that all publicity material for Renewable Women contained a warning "discouraging" those under 18 years old to view the play. This technically made both Second Chance and Details Cannot Body Wants the first R-rated play in Singapore, though it was only Details Cannot Body Wants that was deemed as "offensive".