HIS MOTHER'S VOICE
HIS MOTHER’S VOICE, bAKEHOUSE Theatre Company at ATYP Studio, 30 April – 17 May, 2014. Photography by Tessa Tran of Breathing Light Photography, above and right: Isaiah Powell.
Taking us from the early days of China’s Cultural Revolution to the eve of Tiananmen Square, Justin Fleming’s new play His Mother’s Voice is ambitious in scope but deeply moving in its personal details.
Based on a true story, it tells the tale of young pianist Qian Liu (played by Isaiah Powell as a boy and Harry Tseng as an adult), taught to play by his mother, Yang Jia (Renee Lim), at a time when the piano was deemed “the most dangerous of Western instruments” and anyone caught learning, playing or teaching it labelled counter-revolutionary.
Yang Jia’s courage pays off: Qian Liu becomes a piano virtuoso and is about to head to Australia for an international competition when he meets Australian translator Emma (Dannielle Jackson) and her diplomat father, Alex (Michael Gooley).
It’s a familiar storyline that has – somewhat unfairly – seen His Mother’s Voice dubbed as “Mao’s Last Dancer with pianos”, based on former dancer Li Cunxin’s bestselling memoir of escaping Communist China to dance in the West.But the focus here is not so much on Qian Liu’s achievements as the risks Yang Jia is prepared to take for a son she loves and a cause she believes in.
Director Suzanne Millar directs the 12-strong cast – 10 of whom have Asian backgrounds - well in the cavernous space of the ATYP Studio, although the set she has created with co-designer John Harrison feels unnecessarily cumbersome.
Consisting of 40 wooden chairs, and meant as a tribute to artist and political activist Ai Wei Wei, whose detention at the hands of the Chinese government sparked the protest 1001 Chairs for Wei Wei, the intention of the gesture can’t be faulted, but the chairs block the flow of the stage at times, and leave the actors awkwardly manoeuvring around them. Not surprisingly, the play works best in the more intimate scenes between Qian Liu and Yang Jia, and later, between him and Emma.
Renee Lim captures beautifully Yang Jia’s courage and the quiet but abiding love she has for her son, while Harry Tseng convincingly balances both Qian Liu’s steely self-discipline and his romantic awakening.
What stands out most however, is the passion the cast and crew have for the project. They moved heaven and earth (via Pozible funding) to make His Mother’s Voice happen and their commitment and belief in what they are doing shines in every scene.
