Actor Adrian Pang likes quirky, edgy reads

It’s always a challenge to get people to share their fave books and the reasons why they love them, mostly because I approach people who are well known and, of course, quite busy, with little time to recall their favorites. I am therefore always pleasantly surprised when someone I recruited some time ago remembers and writes me.

In Adrian Pang’s case, being an international actor living in Singapore I sent him a Facebook message while he was doing God of Carnage for Atlantis Productions awhile back but only got a reply today. I am amazed and grateful that he replied at all.

He is currently working on the critically acclaimed Broadway play Next to Normal and young Filipina theater actress Julia Abueva will be playing his daughter in Singapore this Sept. 5-22. Make sure you catch it if you are there.

Here is what he calls his “little list of fave books, a couple of which are plays.”

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee “I was introduced to this novel at school when I was 15, and I fell in love with it right away. The prose is exquisite, and account of childhood so beautifully evocative, and the world seen through the eyes of a child so full of wonder, humor and hope. It is also a very moving tribute to a father, and to a man who stood above the small-minded people around him in order to do what was right. A powerful and poignant testimony to moral courage and loss of innocence.”

The World According to Garp by John Irving

“A fabulously quirky look at the world through the eyes of an everyman thrown into extraordinary circumstances. The world of Garp is populated by weird and wonderful characters, and seemingly random events that have great impact on everyone’s lives. Full of humor and vivid depictions of how simple human existence is made complex by the choices we make.”

American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis 

“Nihilism at its most depraved and bleak. A novel about how hollow and vacuous an existence a man can carve for himself when he wills away any trace of humanity. A potentially depressing read, but with perseverance, there is a beautiful monstrosity to behold. A very, very very dark comedy.”

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

“One man’s journey to find the woman of his dreams — and himself. I related to the man-child character of Rob, emotionally stuck in his adolescence and bumbling his way through adulthood, defining himself through his romantic relationships — comically pathetic, but true. A very funny novel about growing old and then growing up.”

The Pillowman, a play by Martin McDonagh

“Without a doubt, one of the most extraordinary plays I’ve ever read and had the privilege to act in. Words cannot describe the sheer brilliance of the plotting, the visceral power of the language, the astute understanding of damaged men. A hysterically funny play about a very harrowing subject — child murders — and about the fantasy world of storytelling. Disturbing and dazzling.”

Rabbit Hole, a play by David Lindsay-Abaire

“A beautiful play about loss, grief, family, and hope. About a family dealing with the death of a child, and trying to find light at the end of the tunnel. Subtle, humane and ultimately packing a huge emotional punch. Once again, a play I have had the good fortune to act in recently with my theater company Pangdemonium.”

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“The Reading Club” recommends A Case Of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif, about love, betrayal, tyranny, family and a conspiracy trying to happen. Available in National Book Store and Powerbooks.

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Send me your comments and questions to mjrodis@yahoo.com.