In Michelle law’s MISS PEONY, Stephanie Jack plays Lily a young Australian born Chinese (ABC) woman who is preparing to leave Sydney and relocate to London.
Lily visits her dying grandmother Adeline in hospital. Adeline is worried that Lily is losing her Asian identity and wants her to enter the local, community based, Miss Peony beauty contest, where she will mix with other young Asian women. Lily tells her she doesn’t want to.
The inevitable happens and Adeline dies, however Lily’s plans to go to London are derailed when Adeline returns as a ghost. Adeline insists that she enter the beauty pageant. Adeline tells Lily, in essence, that she will haunt her and make her life hell unless she does what she tells her to do. Lily relents.
Courtney Stewart’s production is fast paced, glitzy and very flashy. Her creative team, chiefly Set and Costume Designer Jonathon Hindmarsh, Lighting Designer Trent Suidgeest and Composer Dr Nicholas Ng contribute to making this a ‘big’ show.
Michelle Law’s characters are well drawn and the actors inhabit them well. I have seen two of the performers, Charles Wu who played the pageant’s producer and emcee, and Gabrielle Chan who was Lily’s grandmother, perform before in independent theatre productions around Sydney. Their performances are always of good quality.
Stephanie Jack as Lily gives a good performance in the leading role. In regards to the other contestants vying to be Miss Peony, Mabel Li’s performance as westie Sabrina shone the most.
Which brings me to how do I rate MISS PEONY. The show was well put together both in terms of storyline and production. Thematically, the play spoke as to how modern Australian born Chinese women are able to assimilate well in to Australian society as well as maintain their cultural roots and traditions.
For me, the show didn’t have that X Factor except in the innovative way that the play was performed in its entirety in the three languages, English, Mandarin and Cantonese, through the use of surtitles. It is a wonderful innovation because it opens up mainstream theatre to audiences who wouldn’t attend shows because of the inherent language and cultural barriers.
Michelle Law’s MISS PEONY is playing upstairs at Belvoir Street until the 29th July 2023.
Cast : Gabrielle Chan – Adeline, Jing-Zuan. Chan – Marcy, Stephanie Jack – Lily, Mabel Li as Sabrina, Shirong Wu as Joy, Charles Wu as Zhen Hua
Creatives : Director – Courtney Stewart, Set and Costume Designer – Jonathon Hindmarsh, Lighting Designer – Trent Suidgest, Composer – Dr Nicholas Ng, Sound Designer – Julian Starr, Choroegrapher – Kristina Chan, Singing Teacher – Sheena Crouch, Fight and Intimacy Director- Nigel Poulton, Additional Dramaturg- Polly Rowe
Production photography by Sherry Zhang
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