I’ve been asked not to tell you about the content of this play.
It’s good practice to not give away too much in a theatre review,
but writer, co-director and performer Wang Chong, very early in Made in
China 2.0, asked nobody to share information about this work on social
media. It could get him into trouble.
Watching
theatre can be thought-provoking, harrowing, joyous, life-affirming, confronting
and a real pleasure to witness. Making theatre is hard work and it can be
frustrating, thrilling, heart-breaking and eye-opening. Imagine not being able
to see or make the work you want.
Wang is a
director of an experimental theatre company in China, though he has made work
all over the world, including directing the play Little Emperors by
Lachlan Philpott at the Malthouse in 2017.
Wang has
co-created Made in China 2.0 with local director, Emma Valente, and
together they have crafted an intimate, one-man performance about his life and
his life’s work.
Running at
around 65 minutes, the show has a lot to say about theatre craft and how it can
be used to present an idea without making it explicit. The true joy of this
work is listening to Wang being open and honest about his craft. I could have
listened to him talk for hours.
🐰🦀🦙
Props on
stage can be a literal representation of that thing or they can carry hidden
subtextual meanings, giving the audience an insight into character or as a
reiteration of place or time or theme.
This show
gives depth to a blank piece of paper. It invests in it such hidden meaning. It’s
both ordinary and extraordinary.
Made in
China 2.0 feels
like it must be a catharsis for Wang and is a wake-up call for us, a
Western audience, sitting comfortably in the Malthouse in Melbourne.
It's moving, insightful and intensely political.
But even saying
that might be too much.
Talk about
this play with your friends. Generate word of mouth. Urge them to see it. Go
see it and have your world-view expanded.
But don’t
post about the content of this play on the internet.
And, to keep
Wang Chong safe, please don’t share this review.
- Keith Gow, Theatre First
Made in China 2.0 is on at the Malthouse until March 19.
Photos: Tamarah Scott
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