Presented by: State Theatre Company of South Australia in association with OzAsia Festival and ECH
Reviewed: 8 November, 2022
Michelle Law’s 2017 play is easy to pigeonhole as Worthy Ethnic Theatre: a cross between a chick-flick and karaoke night. Whether Asian or not, this is a family drama fully as intense and truthful as any of Tennessee Williams’ works. Playwright Law brings the stresses and distresses of a family together, examining them in an earthy, affectionate manner. Balancing her script on the twin pillars of humour and pragmatism, she introduces us to the Wong family, running The Golden Phoenix Chinese restaurant on the Sunshine Coast. And yes, the family lives above the restaurant – a fact which enriches set and costume designer Ailsa Paterson’s work (remember her Cloudstreet set for State Opera?). Paterson’s elegant set, a marvel of nooks and crannies, bold statements and wry hints, enables the action to encompass the hopes, fears and confusions of the family and their immediate social circle.
Pearl Wong runs The Golden Phoenix – and her two daughters too. In the secure hands of actor Fiona Choi, Pearl becomes an utterly recognisable trope – the Asian tiger-mother. But much more than this, she is also insecure, vulnerable, anxious and lovably daffy. Choi renders a nuanced character, shaped by her adversities but no longer oppressed by them. And she is irrepressibly funny. Pearl’s two daughters, Zoe (Juanita Navas-Nguyen) and Mei (Elvy-Lee Quici) are both at crossroads in their respective lives. Elder sister Zoe, forced to move back home after losing her Brisbane apartment, is a professional violinist desperately seeking contract work, whilst navigating the minefield of dating and its consequences. Mei, 17, is just about to attend her school formal. The only “Asian” girl at her school, she is learning to cope with mean and racist girls while maintaining friendships. Although both are in the earlier stages of their performance careers, Navas-Nguyen and Quici bring more than sufficient strength and truth to their characters, readily balancing Choi’s monster-mummy. These young actors are eminently watchable, hitting each story point with candour and no trace of caricature.
Three other performers play a variety of roles in the Wong family’s domestic dramas. Kristen O’Dwyer’s main role is as Mei’s best friend Katie, an exuberant Sinophile. Crisply articulate, a non-stop buoyant Eveready bunny of a girl, Katie brings late-teen friendship dramas, kindness and sturdy individuality to Mei’s turbulent life. Kathryn Adams shows some of her formidable acting range as mean-girl Lana, as well as a snidely saccharine violinist. Versatile Allan Lyra Chang plays immigration lawyer Paul, Zoe’s sort-of boyfriend with an inner calm and strength which helps contrast the mercurial emotions flying around the Wong home and restaurant.
A comic highlight at the start of the second act is a droll series of monumentally dire “dates” who magically appear, one after the other, attempting to charm an increasingly appalled Zoe. Each swain (alternating between Adams and O’Dwyer) is more comically dreadful than the last, and a tribute to these two actors’ comedic skills.
There’s karaoke in this show. In fact, the whole thing starts with Choi rendering an excellent version of “I will survive”, in celebration of divorce from her chronically unfaithful ex-husband. O’Dwyer renders a rapid-fire MC Hammer number. The finale features Choi, Quici and Navas-Nguyen, each one singing brilliantly. And yet the karaoke element is not merely a charmingly “Asian” element, designed to lighten the mood. Karaoke is a natural part of the family and their world; it’s treated as an accepted element of their lives. With a nod to Rosie Hosking as singing coach, the vocal work is consistently splendid.
Direction by Nescha Jelk is so good it’s almost imperceptible. Casting appears preordained; staging choices are never forced or overtly “clever”. Everything flows from the truth of the circumstances in Law’s text, with Jelk a wise, firm and unassuming conductor of the whole.
“Whatever makes the gweilo (Westerners) happy”, sighs Pearl, as she rushes around her restaurant, clucks over her daughters, and fears for her future. While this play examines racism and the migrant experience, it is also a play that makes us all happy. Law’s writing stands with the likes of Gow, Bovell, Murray-Smith and Enright. The honesty, joy and wisdom inherent within this play are recommendation enough for it to be included in the sacred canon of Australian plays. We see ourselves on stage – and we learn a little bit more.
Reviewed by: Pat H. Wilson
Photo credit: Matt Byrne
Venue: Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre
Season: 4 – 19 November, 2022
Duration: 2.5 hours (incl. interval)
Tickets: $80:00 (conc. $70:00)
Book: https://statetheatrecompany.com.au/shows/single-asian-female-2022/
