A Taste of Hong Kong engaged me — enough that I wanted it to engage me more.
I was never bored. Written by Anonymous and performed by Derek Chan, this solo show starts off as a cooking class led by an energetic guy named Jackie. Teaching us about Hong Kong street food, Jackie also dishes out tidbits from Hong Kong’s history. And, in a nice convention, we get to taste some of that street food, which is supplied in little boxes that we pick up on the way in.
But the central focus of A Taste of Hong Kong is resistance. Early on, we hear about the protests Hong Kongers mounted in support of unlicensed street vendors. But, before long, we’re getting an insider’s view of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests and China’s brutal crackdown.
In one of the most vivid scenes in this production, Jackie tells us about how he and his best friend Alex happened to be on the same train as protesters who were returning from a demonstration when, at a subway stop, the station and the train were invaded by a violent mob who beat people mercilessly with pipes and other objects whether or not they’d been at the protest. This is based on an actual attack in 2019. It’s Jackie’s contention — and a widely held view — that the attackers were triad members, operating as thugs-for-hire for Hong Kong’s antidemocratic Chinese administration.
Like many other passages in A Taste of Hong Kong, this sequence is effectively staged under Richard Wolfe’s direction. Sophie Tang’s lighting is harsh, focused, and surrounded by darkness as Chan, on a table that serves multiple purposes in Jergus Oprsal’s set, writhes under the blows and tries to protect Alex, who’s been struck in the head.
This visceral, first-person storytelling is A Taste of Hong Kong at its best. And it’s broadly relevant. The writer justifiably draws parallels to the RCMP’s treatment of Wet’suwet’en land defenders; as political thuggery escalates globally, we’d be wise to pay attention.
I have more good things to say, but this seems like the right place to explain why I wanted to be even more engaged.
Narratively, I wanted to be more immersed on both political and personal levels. What the writer gives us about Jackie’s friendship with Alex is effective, but I wanted to have a more nuanced and thorough understanding of that friendship in the context of the region’s politics.
The cooking-class convention is loose and unsustained.
And my sense is that the solo performance could be more effectively modulated. To me, Chan’s Jackie felt falsely buoyant off the top. You could interpret that as the character’s façade, of course, but I thought I saw an actor grasping at a sensibility he couldn’t quite grab. And, once Jackie turned the corner into outrage, I felt director Wolfe could have helped Chan to find more nuance.
To be clear, I didn’t doubt the authenticity of the pain and fury in Chan’s delivery: it’s moving. I’m simply suggesting that theatrically there could be more variety.
And, as I said, there’s plenty more to like in this Pi Theatre production, which is being presented in association with Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre.
Everything about the design is excellent. Giant hanging scrolls subtly embellished with traditional symbols and what looks like graffiti provide the backdrop in Oprsal’s elegant set. Those scrolls are beautifully enlivened by Tang’s lighting and Andie Lloyd’s video design.
Although the script includes plenty of playfulness, its core intent is serious. There’s a lovely moment towards the end of the show that combines the emotional and design strengths of A Taste of Hong King. Jackie is sitting in an airplane. On video projected on the scroll behind him, we see through an airplane window as Hong Kong physically disappears from his life — possibly forever.
A TASTE OF HONG KONG By Anonymous. Directed by Richard Wolfe. Produced by Pi Theatre in association with Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre. In the Vancity Culture Lab until March 15. (tickets and information)
PHOTO CREDIT: Derek Chan in A Taste of Hong Kong with one of his co-stars, a pineapple bun. (Photo by Javier Sotres)
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