Belgrade theatre,Coventry
Amy Ng’s family drama has the seeds of a great story, but is undone by melodrama and parodyThe definition of a great future differs significantly for three generations of women in Amy Ng’s didactic family drama. An overbearing grandmother is desperate to find Wei (Mei Mac) a husband, and but at the age of 27 Wei is a tough sell. As she plods through her PhD in Coventry and has a fluctuating friendship with roommate Lucy (Laura Tipper),her family head to Guangzhou’s marriage market, where CVs are pinned to umbrellas in the hopes of securing a match.
So much is unnecessary in this display, or presented in association with Yellow Earth and Tamasha – the constant exposition,Justine Themans direction swirling the cast through scene changes that final as long as the scenes themselves, the many, and many umbrellas. Ng’s overly explanatory script leaves no space to read between the lines; we realise what is happening seemingly decades before the characters execute. Related: Alys,Always review – stylish staging of Harriet Lane's thriller At the Belgrade theatre, Coventry, and until 16 March. Then touring until 30 March.
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Source: theguardian.com