Presented by: OzAsia Festival and Sydney Opera House
Reviewed: 20 October, 2022
The Demon was commissioned by The OzAsia Festival and The Sydney Opera House. It is based on an idea by Chinese-Australian filmmaker Tony Ayres and the concept is realised by Rachel Swain, described as an ‘Anglo settler director of intercultural performance’ in the programme. Now that’s a name to conjure with. These two have spearheaded a wonderful and diverse group of people to explore an idea in contemporary Australian culture based on an 1860s event that happened in the Chinese camp of the goldfields at Burrangong in NSW on Wiradjuri land of the indigenous people of Australia. The most well known event was the Lambing Flat riots of 1891, when several thousand North American and European gold prospectors attacked the camp of the several thousand Chinese gold prospectors, cutting a swathe of destruction through the Chinese camp that left the Chinese prospectors in disarray and must have had a devastating effect on the Chinese prospectors and their families.
This dance/drama explores the effect, in a modern context, of the journey between an Aboriginal/Muslim detective Matthew/Mohammed (Kirk Page) and his Arab counterpart Jihad (Johnny Nasser). They enter the action of the piece after an enigmatic and dramatic introduction. The first five minutes play out without words in front of a neutral backdrop that enhances, with projection and silhouette, the xenophobia that is highlighted throughout the piece. The Lambing Flat riots should never be forgotten, but they pale into insignificance when one ponders on the effect of the European invasion of Australia and what that did to a thriving race of people who have populated our planet for eons before they arrived. But I digress.
This is a very clever concept and the work of the cast to bring this new work to life is quite wonderful to watch. The integration of dance into the narrative of the piece is always a brave and difficult task to accomplish. The opening infused great vitality into the movement and clarity of the story, which moved from a mimed re-enactment of some of the atrocities associated with The Lambing Flat Riots seamlessly into the story of two detectives who were caught out by their own distractions while attempting to arrest two Asian people trying to escape the modern day demon. The dialogue of Michael Mohammed Ahmad is witty and sparkles and fizzes along with great energy. It is funny, incisive, down to earth and challenging. It is contemporary writing with flair, wit and a peppering of challenging thoughts designed to make you think. Yvonne Huang brought great chutzpah to the role of Wei. Her movement skills are exceptional as is her ability to hold an audience with her storytelling. Jonas Liu as Ivan has no fear; what a great commitment to the energy of the story. And Joshua Thompson as The Demon gave a performance full of strength, fire and manipulation which was at times breathtaking to watch. Not forgetting Christy Tran as Daphne, an enigmatic and pivotal role that brought great thought and substance to the story.
There’s a great team behind this show who have all contributed, with their exceptional talents, to make a show that crosses barriers, and tries to break down barriers and make us aware of how much we have to learn from our past. Tony Ayres’ script concept is bedded in history both past and present. Rachel Swain’s direction is fluid and integrates with the choreography of Gavin Webber to great effect, though there were times when I felt the transitions were a little heavy-handed and lacked finesse, which took away from the story telling… something I’m sure will be ironed out as this really important piece of theatre finds its feet. Stephen Curtis’ design is a director’s dream to work with: simple, industrial, but lending itself to the creation of so many interiors and landscapes. The use of the black clad actors to move the set as part of the action was very clever, and Damien Cooper’s lighting design was mood enhancing and relevant to the journey of the piece.
Nick Wales’ music was a great and effective addition to the work. When music really works it becomes another actor in the piece, and this music really worked.
The curse of history is if we do not learn from it, it repeats itself. I don’t need to quote anyone to remind us of that – just turn on your television or listen to the news. This is a very important and relevant piece of original Australian drama that embraces our multicultural nation. It reminds us we have to work together to find a solution that serves us all well as we move forward.
I really enjoyed this piece of work, though at times it left me trying to piece together the story. I’m sure it will grow into its paws as it finds its way into the theatres of Australia and, one hopes, the world. It felt like it suffered a little from style over substance. I think the story can tell itself if you lose some of the padding.
Reviewed by: Adrian Barnes
Photo credit: Prudence Upton
Content: The Demon contains coarse language including explicit racial and sexual slurs and visual, physical and verbal references to historical and contemporary race and gender-based violence. There is flashing lights, smoke, incense and haze effects.
Suitable for ages 14 and over.
Venue: Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre
Season: Thursday 20th October – Friday 21st October 7.30pm, Saturday 22nd October 1.30pm
Duration: 90 minutes
Tickets: Adult $55.00, Conc $50.00, Under 30’s $38.50
Bookings: https://ozasia.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/whats-on/the-demon
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