‘Scenes From A Yellow Peril’ // The Reaction Theory
‘Scenes From A Yellow Peril’ was gripping.
Claiming the second installation of Queensland Theatre’s 2024 Door3 Program, The Reaction Theory with BIPOC Arts Australia demands attention with their production of ‘Scenes From A Yellow Peril’ by Nathan Joe. Less of a play and more of an evocation of otherness, ‘Scenes From A Yellow Peril’ is a series of poetry, stories and music that shamelessly dives into the contemporary Asian experience of living in a colonised country. Side splittingly witty in moments and then gut-wrenchingly moving in others, it is authenticity staged with a blur between performers and characters but an undeniably sharp message.
The writing of this piece is clever and compelling, not just in its powerful and poetic language but also in its structure. Audiences are immediately invited to befriend the performers as the piece opens with an unscripted Q & A segment. The performers Daphne Chen, Chris Nguyen, Peter Wood and Jazz Zhao are charming and insightful in their responses to the lighthearted questions like ‘Who’s your favourite K-Pop band?’. These are performers but they are also real people speaking their minds. So when the switch to Rage occurs, it is powerful. This scene may be scripted but these are words these performers still absolutely mean.
Each scene or segment is punctuated with design elements that are expertly interwoven to transition from one idea to the next. Sound design by Emma Burchell utilises music and soundscapes to emphasise moments of tension and humour alike. Working with the script effortlessly, her design alongside Briana Clark’s lighting had a cinematic effect on the piece. A particularly beautiful image occurs in Clark’s design during ‘They Shoot Chinamen, Don’t They?’ in which a blue wash is broken up by the golden glow of hand held lanterns carried by the performers. Clark and Burchell’s designs, often working in tandem, punches the audience with a sensory experience that matches the punch of the play’s politics.
Whilst direct and powerful in its political stance, ‘Scenes From A Yellow Peril’ is also written with humour, allowing the cast to display a distinct and stretched range. Completely prepared for this challenge, the entire cast had fantastic chemistry as an ensemble with a boldness and authenticity that was electrifying. Chen and Zhao had the audience in stitches with ‘You Often Masturbate’; both actors displaying excellent comedic timing and physicality whilst also driving home a nuanced commentary on the simultaneous sexualisation and infantilization of Asian women in Western society. In stark contrast, audiences were then moved to tears during ‘They Shoot Chinamen, Don’t They?’ by Chen, Ngyuyen and Wood’s moving embodiment of Joe Kum Yung, Joe Hyeon and Mei Fan. The scene tells the story of these real people’s murder. It is uncomfortable as the performers directly address the audience as You. It forces audiences to consider the role they play in upholding systemic racism and the heartbreaking results of such prejudice. Chen, Ngyuyen and Wood embody their respective characters entirely with a balance of indignation and emotion that is captivating.
Co directed by Chelsea August and Egan Sun-Bin, it is overtly apparent that this is a work that has been tackled with passion and attention to detail. The pacing throughout the entire piece is apt with a purposeful division of text that allows poetry to transform into dialogue and flow with ease. The blocking was sharp and impactful with actors utilising a simple platform to centre the scenes with support from previously praised technical design. All theatrical elements within this piece were woven together to create not just a synergetic piece of art but a warcry that lifts the voices of the Asian identity.
As an independent theatre company, The Reaction Theory has proven the power young voices can have, especially on big issues. Their rendition of ‘Scenes From A Yellow Peril’ was well deserved to play out on a Queensland Theatre stage as it overcame the expectations and limits of independent theatre and shone through as something mainstage worthy.
‘Scenes From A Yellow Peril’ performs until Saturday 24th August 2024 at QLD Theatre’s Diane Cilento Studio. For more information visit their website.
