Theatre / Reviews
Review: Prayers for a Hungry Ghost, Tobacco Factory Theatres – ‘Disturbingly poignant and elegantly crafted’
Disturbingly poignant and elegantly crafted, Prayers for a Hungry Ghost calls into focus the weight of cultural perception, familial responsibility, the failings within ourselves and the fate of the world around us.
Elisabeth Gunawen’s KISS WITNESS holds this surreal space with clarity and truth through the Chinese mythological idea of ‘Hungry Ghosts’: honouring those who have passed on with offerings of food, money and ritual to feed their unquenchable appetite in the afterlife.
Occupying a physical theatre space – as opposed to a straightforward play – a tale of human greed unfolds before us, undermined by erroneous and harrowing ideas of how a ‘model minority’ might conduct themselves.
This psychological piece follows the struggle of Mother, a Chinese-American immigrant, as she watches the growing strain between her two non-identical daughters.
Little Sister, played by Vinna Law, is the model child who fully assimilates into their American life; as an esteemed concert pianist with a quiet demeanour and intelligent conversation, she calmly navigates the stage and relationships with grace and the ‘aspirational narrative of a model minority’.
This perfect fantasy of societal acclimation only increases an appetite in Big Sister for lust, success and paralysing jealously. Gunawan inhabits this desperate space with masterful physicality and stage presence, using silence and pause to instil dread upon the audience.
The power of her performance almost defies belief – it feels as though a single blink might cause chaos in the room. It is truly a feast to watch, although not without a palpable sense of disquiet.
In their remarkable ability to physicalise words and concepts, the entire KISS WITNESS company impress. Alongside use of projection, sound bites, mirrors, cameras and shadow, the actors inhabit the space with a lucid dream-like quality.
Their partner work and dance sequences drive the narrative forward, and soon, the dream transforms into a grotesque nightmare. All of these small details clarify the idea of ‘the double’, and the weight of expectation coming up against reality. We are shown that attempts to escape our destiny can lead us to fall victim to the greed of the ‘Hungry Ghost’ in all of us.
This piece screams with resonance, shining light on mythology in a way that we can relate to – not least as a modern audience so often chasing perfection; in the thrall of technology to forge online lives that glorify our success.
Prayers for a Hungry Ghost is a disturbingly sharp outlook on the immigrant experience and cultural identity in a world so consumed by success. A work rich both in pain and struggle, it is critical, profound and deeply moving.
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Prayers for a Hungry Ghost is at Tobacco Factory Theatres on May 19-20 at 7.30pm. Visit tobaccofactorytheatres.com for tickets.
All photos: Ikin Yum
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