Review by Sarah Skubala
The Australian premiere of Scenes from a Yellow Peril is the second exciting offering from Queensland Theatre’s inaugural DOOR 3 program, giving independent theatre companies a platform to stage new works and making tickets to quality theatre affordable. Presented by The Reaction Theory in partnership with BIPOC Arts Australia, Scenes from a Yellow Peril was written in 2018 by the award-winning Chinese-New Zealand writer and poet Nathan Joe and first premiered in 2022 in a co-production with Auckland Theatre Company.
Scenes from a Yellow Peril is probably unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Co-director Egan Sun-Bin has described it as less of a play and more of a series of insights, monologues, poems and a musical number, that when stitched together, exposes the pain of how some people are othered, but whose experiences will not be denied.
This was evident from the opening scene when co-director / producer Chelsea August stepped on stage, welcomed everyone to the opening night and invited the four actors to the stage to introduce themselves. This instantly humanised the performers as we learned not just their real names and cultural heritage, but about their day jobs when they weren’t acting. We also had the chance to marvel at their bespoke costumes, designed by Frances Foo to reflect each actor’s cultural heritage (China, Taiwan, Indonesia and Vietnam).
Chelsea asked each actor a question, these were unrehearsed and different every night. This Q&A segment recurred throughout the play culminating in a frenzied climatic scene. They ranged from softballs like “What’s your favourite bubble tea?” to “Why do you think Nathan Joe wrote this play?” which was a tough one given he was sitting in the audience. Others had more weight, like: “What do you think about diversity quotas?” and “Do you think racism will ever end?”
Scenes from a Yellow Peril confronted uncomfortable topics using performance poetry, political commentary and storytelling and were performed with a mix of humour and rage. The audience was taken on a rollercoaster of emotions through a series of vignettes with titles ranging from ‘Love in a Time of Colonisation’ to ‘My Ancestors Crossed Oceans to be Here and All I Have to Show for It is Bubble Tea.’
Standout scenes included ‘Short History of Humiliations’ whereby the cast recounted, in quick-fire succession, all the insensitive comments that they’ve personally received over the years. ‘You Often Masturbate’ was an outrageous scene involving Asian porn, and the song ‘I Cannot Invite My Parents to My Play’ was hilariously relatable. One of the most provoking scenes was ‘They Kill Chinamen, Don’t They?’ where the stories of Joe Kum Yung, Jae Hyeon Kim and Mei Fan were laid bare, all victims of racially motivated hate crimes in New Zealand.
The four performers, Daphne Chen, Chris Nguyen, Peter Wood and Jazz Zhao, were relatable, personable and downright adorable. Each one was captivating in their own way, and the different tones and styles gave them each moments to shine.
The finale included a personal touch from playwright Nathan Joe in a voiceover that served as an ‘Afterword.’ Joe noted that this play shouldn’t exist, and he questioned whether art can change the world. It was an emotional ending that resulted in a standing ovation. A QR code was projected on the back screen at the end of the play with a Q&A for the audience: what will you continue to fight for? Answers were handwritten on cards and pinned up on a board in the corridor. They are worth a read on the way out.
Scenes From a Yellow Peril is a beautiful, challenging and unique work and is a highly recommended inclusion in the DOOR 3 program. The season runs until 24th August, with a special BIPOC night on Friday 16th August.
Image Credit: Nathaniel Knight