01 April at 8pm | 02 April at 7pm & 9pm
The Flying Nun at Brand X

Read the Program

True love? Or duty to family?

An unlikely literary phenomenon – a Chinese play written in English by Hsiung Shi-I. This new production flips tradition on its head – a fusion of theatre of East and West.

Creatives

Playwright S. I. Hsiung
Director Tiffany Wong 黃寶珠
Dramaturg Liangyu Sun 孙靓钰
Composer Jolin Jiang 蒋钟毓
Production Designer Rachel Hui 許蓓欣
Lighting Designer Catherine Mai 麦子晟
Makeup Artist Bonnie Huang 黄晓悦
Producer Aaron Cornelius
Assistant Producer Susanna Pang

with Chloe Ho 何英瑋 , Mym Kwa 柯悲德, Enoch Li 李樂斌, Tim Lim 林敬虔, Susan Ling Young 楊成蘋 & Steve Lu 陆俊杰

Special thanks to Sifu Josh Smith from Australian Jow Ga Kung Fu Academy, Sydney University Dramatic Society, Genesian Theatre, New Theatre, Zoe Crawford, Adam Yoon, Nick Thompson.

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Read More…

“Before the play had started, a slideshow above the stage displayed a dozen photos from previous productions of Lady Precious Stream throughout the 20th century including the program from the last known performance in Australia in 1961. Seeing cast after cast of white actors done up in traditional Chinese clothing and makeup, proudly posing with their fans and swords, was an immediate introduction to the overlapping cultures involved in this production, considering the play’s origins as an English script written by a Chinese immigrant in London now recontextualised for a contemporary Australian audience by Asian Australian artists. Director Tiffany Wong, influenced by Hsiung’s interest in Shakespeare, reimagined the classic original text by injecting elements of Peking Opera and jazz and re-setting the action with 1930s Western costuming. The fusion of influences and cultures worked to generate a globalised atmosphere that centred no particular nation without diluting the impact of each chosen influence. There was an air of deliberate consideration and curation to the reimagining which was a refreshing approach to making contemporary a classic text with complex cultural origins.” – Night Writes

“It works beautifully on two levels: working within the parameters of the charming form of orientalism, and operating as a gentle parody of the reductionism that all orientalism tempts us into if we read it as realism.

What’s so marvellous about this production by director Tiffany Wong and her brilliant cast is its exuberant lightness.

The Flying Nun by Brand X provides an invaluable space for artists to experiment, and Wong uses the opportunity magnificently. Her playful mixing of modern tech and more traditional elements of movement and sound create an art work that is gloriously conscious of its status as an artefact. Who needs reality; this is magic.” – Paul Gilchrist (Veronica Kaye), Theatre Reds

“Directed by Tiffany Wong, Lady Precious Stream brings back to life a Chinese play written in English by Hsiung Shi-I in the 1930s which was a raging success in London at the time. This long-forgotten work has been resurrected by Wong and the cast and crew into a refreshing adaptation, with Wong challenging that if we can take classical Western theatre such as Shakespeare and flip it on its head using modern conventions, why can’t we do the same with Chinese theatre?

Wong’s adaptation of Lady Precious Stream also draws on the style of Peking Opera, which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. This brought flavour and movement to the piece, helping bring life into the more formal and at times stilted nature of the script and providing ample opportunity for comedy which never missed a beat. The use of simple props and off-stage cameras for scenes in two locations were clever devices for helping keep the focus on the energy and joyful performances of the actors on stage.” – Anja Bless, Theatre Travels