A spirited hour spent in the company of some excellent actors and some very entertaining dragons
Presented by: Adelaide Festival Centre, Commissioned by OzAsia Festival
Reviewed: Oct 31 2024
Terrapin and Contemporary Asian Australian Performance
Some things are pure joy to behold before they start; walking into the Space Theatre for the opening night of The Story of Chi was one of those experiences where the pure joy of the set and lighting took your breath away and brought the anticipation of what was to come into sharp focus.
The welcome to the space finished with the phrase ”welcome to the past so we can serve our future” resonating and hanging in the air as Juanita Navas-Nguyen bounded onto the stage and into our hearts. From the moment this charming piece of theatre started the warmth and charm of the greeting wormed its way into your heart. As the central driver to this piece, about how the cultural aspects of the present-day clash with the cultural requirement of our parents and grandparents, Juanita didn’t pull any punches but picked us up and carried us through all the problems encountered by a child of mixed race parents (Japanese and Vietnamese) and its minefield of cultural expectations both Asian and Western. How do you navigate all this territory when dealing with loss and its cultural differences? Well, you find solace in the dragon that turns up to help you heal your heavy heart and help you deal with this expectation whilst living in a modern Australian society with its own minefield of cultural responses to other people’s needs to deal with.
Ba (grandma) played by Eliane Morel, is a finely drawn characterisation of a Vietnamese Matriarch. She is alive with the cultural expectations of life after death and gives us so many things to bring into focus when we deal with the passing of a loved one. Mayu Iwasaki’s Japanese mum was pitch perfect. She was the balance between cultural appropriateness and inability to understand her child’s needs through her own need to grieve. Very clever performance.
And then there were the dragons, brought to life by all four members of the cast. The family of dragons was captivating and I’m sorry not one of them was a puppet. Actors wielding puppets can often be distracting; these puppets had so much personality oozing out of their presence you didn’t notice there were humans underneath them. But a very special mention must go to Samuel Lau, His exceptional interpretation of the main dragon, I wanted to take home with me, was a total triumph. That dragon was cheeky, naughty, divisive, loving, empathetic, melancholy and downright entertaining. And we all need to remember that every action has a consequence. What a great lesson the relationship with the dragon and our protagonist was to take away with us.
This show was designed to allow young people to enter into the world of a teenager caught in the limbo created by a sudden need to unravel the many expectations that need to be honoured when we mix our ethnicities and cultures. How do we help the next generation to be aware that we all have different ways and means of processing the inevitable consequences of dealing with life’s big challenges. You know, I reckon it will serve both an adult and a juvenile audience in much the same way. This work (commissioned by the OzAsia Festival) is a wonderful and unique offer of a way to meld our societies into a place where hopefully we can begin to share ways we can better understand; we are all joined together by a very special network of dragons. Every child should see this. And I mean the big ones too.
Our world at this time is peppered with conflict and war. It is a concern when we dismiss the cultural needs of others who share our society. This piece of theatre reminds us we all have a responsibility to try to understand how other people process loss. It is a thing we all share and retaliation in the place of understanding only serves to blunt our growth.
A beautiful piece of work allowing us to be part of a journey that all of us will experience at some time.
Beautiful design, exciting lighting, empathetic and clear direction. A spirited hour spent in the company of some excellent actors and some very entertaining dragons.
Reviewed by Adrian Barnes
Venue: Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre
Season: 31 October – 2 November 2024
Duration: 1 hour
Tickets:
Family of 4 (2 Adults 2 Children) (Admits 4) $116.00
Family of 3 (1Adult, 3 Children) (Admits 3) $87.00
Child: $29.00
Adult: $39.00
Various concession and group prices available.
Bookings: https://ozasia.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/whats-on/the-story-of-chi-2024
Age Suitability Ages 8 and up.
This venue is wheelchair accessible.
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