REVIEW: While The Essence of GOLDEN BLOOD is Anchored in Singaporean Chinese Culture The Universality Of Family Challenges And Need To Belong Burns Through.

Tuesday 5th July 2022, 7pm, SBW Stables Kings Cross

Playwright and Actor Merlynn Tong's GOLDEN BLOOD is a captivating two hander exposing the underbelly Singapore would rather people not see as a young girl's life is turned upside down when she's left orphaned, in the care of her older brother. Fictional, though inspired by personal experiences, this work blends the superstitions and rituals of Chinese culture with a contemporary side of Singapore and the challenges of family dynamics when that family is far from conventional.

With a heavy focus on the auspicious nature of the number seven, the audience witnesses the life of a young girl (Tong), simply referred to as "Girl", who lost her father at the age of 7 and her mother at the age of 14. Following the rituals of death that gather a swarm of vulture like relatives, she is finally left with her 21-year-old estranged brother, simply known as "Boy" (Charles Wu). Surprisingly Boy convinces her to let him be her guardian rather than resigning herself to a life with their more responsible uncle and his family. What unfolds is both hilarious and shocking as Boy is far from the ideal responsible adult that should be allowed to care for an impressionable young girl given his life of dodgy, illegal schemes and loyalty to a suburban gang of drug dealers and petty criminals.

Under Tessa Leong's direction, Tong and Wu deliver a powerful performance filled with humor and insight into the Singaporean Chinese culture and the ongoing struggle Boy's 'career' leaves the siblings with as they alternate from living like kings and starving like paupers as the career criminal's schemes, scams and outright crimes have varying levels of success. Leong ensures that Tong and Wu's performance is truthful to the Singaporean Chinese experience and that their expression is easily recognizable for those familiar with Singaporean Chinese mannerisms and speech patterns. Tongs expression of the Girl at different stages of her life is brilliant, capturing the grieving 14-year-old with as much lived in ease as the other milestones that are marked out over the following 7 years. Wu's presentation of Boy ensures that he is easily recognizable as a formidable leader of his 'gang' who appears to want to ensure that his only remaining family, the Girl, is looked after while holding an air of mystery and doubt as to the purity of his intentions.

Michael Hankin's set design is kept remarkably simple while capturing the essence of a home that has been stripped bare of the luxuries that have been sold off over time, retaining the basics of an Asian apartment in the cotton covered foam mattress, plastic stools, and bookshelf of various possessions. A white window shelf and an illuminated opaque wall box provide a contrast to the dark gilded floor that echoes the culture's connection to gold. Hankin's costuming is also kept simple with only the addition of designer tops indicating when the pair have come into significant money but the actor's physicality being the main indicator of the characters advancing years with is reinforced with the surtitle screens.

GOLDEN BLOOD is an intriguing story that feels like it is so much more than two performers. While the work has an Australian connection, its essence and appeal lies in the expression of the Singaporean Chinese culture and the ultimate understanding that the challenges of family dynamics is universal, though hopefully most people won't have a family member as ethically challenged as Boy. While Tong adds a great deal of humor within the shocking weighty moments, Leong ensures that the Girl and Boy are presented with a sensitivity that has them always seen as real people, not caricatures or stereotypes of the Asian characters that non-Asian directors are often tempted to do. GOLDEN BLOOD is well worth catching, particularly for anyone that wants to see more varied stories, representative of our cultural diversity on stage as this representation reinforces that regardless of personal background, some things are common for all humans.