SINGAPORE — In Hum Theatre’s latest production, the phrase “We are like this only” intermittently pops up. The irony, of course, is that while it supposedly applies across the board for all Indians, the “we” here has proven to be a prickly issue in Singapore these days.

This tension between local Indians and newcomers from India (new citizens and residents alike) are presented in a series of skits by an enjoyable cast of four (Rishi Budhrani, Sivakumar Palakrishnan, Sharul Channa and Daisy Irani, who also directs).

Drawing from interviews and online discussions, writer Gauri Gupta wastes no time in plunging into this cauldron of views, opinions and sentiments from both “camps”.

History is brought in to establish the pivotal and long-standing presence of the “old Indians”: British prisoners transported from India as labourers who eventually make Singapore their home, the halcyon kampung days of yore, the racial conflicts of Konfrantasi of the ’60s, and icons who’ve been a source of pride (S Rajaratnam and George Suppiah, Singapore’s first World Cup referee).

Grievances and impressions about “new Indians” are also aired: The supposed arrogant and outspoken attitudes, the propensity to stick to their own groups (the idea of Tamil losing its “dominance” of the community with the arrival of other Indian languages like Hindi, for example), the go-getting (and getting around the system) attitude, as when a woman tries to get her son exempted from National Service.

But the newcomers are also given a voice: A businessman who envisions Singapore as a cricket hub due to the influx of Indians explains that it is all about business. The queue-cutting new citizen is also a community volunteer. There is a subtle suggestion that integration shouldn’t be artificially imposed but come naturally — and a rebuttal that in India’s complex make-up, people have “learnt to live with our differences.”

We Are Like This Only offers all this food for thought, even as it stumbles as a piece of forum theatre. That it’s the company’s first attempt is evident during the opening night, where facilitator Subin Subaiah could have perhaps done more in guiding and shaping the interaction.

Much time was spent on the skits themselves while audience participation — the central idea behind the theatre form — felt rushed right at the end. Only a few minutes were allotted to audience volunteers given the chance to change the outcome of certain skits as active onstage participant. Whatever meaningful feedback came in the form of a lively but more passive “interviews” with the piece’s characters at some point.

Nonetheless, Hum Theatre deserves full praise for putting out a funny, gutsy, and more importantly, timely piece of work that, while keeping its focus on the Indian community, resonates in the larger scheme of things.

We Are Like This Only! runs until March 3, 7.30pm, Goodman Arts Centre Black Box. With 3pm weekend matinees. Tickets at S$28 from www.humtheatre.com.