Entertainment
Miss Peony, The Arts Centre Melbourne and Michelle Law: A match made in heaven
We were extremely excited to see the production of ‘Miss Peony’ showing at The Arts Centre Melbourne in the Fairfax Theatre on opening night.
As the audience gathered in the lobby, the air swelled with excitement. Guests and staff could be seen donning their own crowns and we were all invited to take a photo for our own chance to be crowned Miss Peony, which was just magical and only heightened the atmosphere and created a sense of belonging and fun.
At 7:15pm, the warning bells rang to advise it was time to go in – the quaint theatre was lovely and the perfect venue for this play. As you entered, music was playing with the lyrics displayed on the screen (this was a sneaky hint that we would be able to read subtitles of the dialogue during the play which is performed partly in Chinese – for those of us that aren’t bilingual, we were very grateful), but if you’re anything like me, it just encourages you to do a little karaoke performance for yourself or friends. This set the scene for this production and had us getting a little more excited. I found myself giggling a bit – it was just so fun. The set design was classic and elegant. The white geometric style backdrop prepared you for class and poise, the fire pit downstage centre ensures that the curiosity level is raised right away.
When the lights dim, your senses are already tingling with the combination of the atmospheric lighting and music playing. The scene opens with Poh Poh (Played by Gabrielle Chan– featured in HalfTime, I’m With Her, Here Out West, Jasper Jones & Ruby) and her granddaughter Lily (played by Stephanie Jack-Recognised as one of 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian Australians in 2022) discussing her upbringing and Poh Poh’s wishes for her granddaughter. This was a pivotal point in setting the tone of expectations for what lay ahead.
The exchanges between the two become passionate and heartfelt whilst discussing the lifestyle of Lily being 26, unmarried and not pursuing studies (with a cheeky visit from uncle and aunty to really hone in the importance of following family culture and her Chinese heritage). During this interaction, Poh Poh sadly passes but she soon returns- as a ghost! Much to the shock of Lily. In her ghost form, Poh Poh scares Lily and during this moment, this adorable story unfolds when Poh Poh convinces Lily she must compete for the title of ‘Miss Peony’ with one compromise.. that if Lily wins that she be left alone!
Left with words of wisdom, Lily then looks into ‘Miss Peony’, as the legacy of her grandmother. Though reluctant, Lily wants to try and it’s here we are greeted with the other contestants each displaying their own personality and character.
To add contrast and uniqueness to this play we meet Joy (Played by Shirong Wu – Featured in the highly appraised White Pearl,Cursed! And What Every Girl Should Know, Rachel Chen on Neighbours) who is an adorable post- grad donning a minions backpack, even when going to Hot Pot and has a side story of their own, which challenges sexuality. She also has a love for calligraphy which is a highly recognised artform throughout traditional Chinese culture.
Sabrina (Played by Mabel Li– Featured in Ruby in SBS drama series, ‘The Tailings’ and Zhang Lei in the historical drama series ‘NewGold Mountain’) is a fun, witty and spontaneous character from the depths of NSW reflecting an eastern ABC (Australian-Born-Chinese) stemming from their love of KPOP and rave music to the tone she takes through this play.
Marcy (Played by Jing-Xuan Chan– nominated at the Green Room Awards for her work on Golden Shield and Wit. TV appearances in The Family Law, Glitch and City Homicide) seemed to take on the more traditional values of Chinese culture by following in her family’s legacy (but of course not without a cheeky advertisement promo here and there!) who also tries her best to do as instructed.
Each character has their own personality and ties in with different aspects of ABC (Australian-Born-Chinese) styles and traits.
Zhen Hua (A rising K-Pop star and student at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Made acting debut in K-BOX and hosts weekly radio show ‘Tall Pop’.) rounds off this wonderous cast as the producer with quick wit, an incredible singing voice and just entertainment plus. He challenges several topics even those more sensitive and he in return is challenged by his fellow cast members through this script. There is so much to unpack with this show it’s almost impossible to capture every point but let me tell you it is entertaining, confronting, educational and exciting
Michelle has done an incredible job with this play – making it hilarious, relevant and even a little scandalous. There’s references from both Western and Chinese culture making this the perfect fusion of East and West. There are several topics raised throughout the performances (not just how to do a glorious fan dance or get a new talent within a day!) such as sexual identity, cultural history, spirituality and more. I found myself laughing, crying and cheering along with the audience and it really felt like we were all sharing the moment together.
The way the pageantry was done mimicked real life without being cheesy and had its own flair, with so many moments geared to make you feel a certain way. The pageant aspects were designed in such a way that the audience actually felt as though they were watching a pageant in real life with all the commerciality and individuality all at the same time, it was truly a unique experience.
Within each individual performance you could tell each character was well rounded and lots of thought had gone into developing how they would work the scenes seamlessly into the scripting. From lighting, set design (inclusive of that one time clothing fell from nowhere aka light boxes!), the musical score and how much fun each cast member was having delivering this production.
Theatre is one way you can really send a message whilst making the audience feel welcome, safe and ensuring they have a good time. There was definitely food for thought and I am still reeling from all the messages delivered through this production.
Ending on a positive note, each girl in the pageant and even the producer mapped out the next steps on their journey, whilst supporting each other and forging lasting friendships (more of a sisterhood really!) and celebrating each other.
There is a lot to be said about a performance that has such an impact emotionally and this style of production is one reason I fell in love with theatre when I was younger and now has me considering returning to acting. I would genuinely love to see a sequel to this to see how they each person progresses. (No spoilers here! you definitely should go watch this if you have the opportunity.)
‘Miss Peony’ is showing from the 2nd- 20th August 2023 at the Arts Centre Melbourne in the Fairax Studio. You can book tickets directly through the Arts Centre Melbourne website and we definitely recommend you see this amazing show.
Following the Melbourne show, you can also view this production on the following dates as located on the Miss Peony official website.
Michelle Law is the genius behind ‘Miss Peony’, having created and written the play, along with many other outstanding creations. She is a talented writer, author and performer.
Michelle Law was recently awarded in the Arts & Culture category of the ‘Most Influential Young Asian – Australian Awards’, joining brother Benjamin as a recipient. She has excelled across multiple disciplines over her career, with widespread acclaim for Single Asian Female (2019–present), co-creation on award winning SBS series Homecoming Queens and author of Asian Girls are Going Places (2022).
All Access Asia would like to thank the Arts Centre Melbourne for allowing us to join this once in a lifetime experience and we wish Michelle, the Cast and Crew a successful tour with Miss Peony – Break a Leg!
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Written by Sandy.
Edited by Narelle
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