Charles Wu and Merlynn Tong. Photo: Brett Boardman
Engaging from the first minute, Merlynn Tong’s Golden Blood is a journey into another world. At least, for most of us. Known only as ‘Girl’, we meet Tong’s character (yes, the playwright is also actor) as an abandoned 14-year-old in Singapore. It soon becomes apparent she is bereaved; an orphan following the suicide of her mother. Enter ‘Boy’, aged 21, played by Charles Wu. Boy is clearly suss, opportunistic and full of talk. One of the many things to like about Golden Blood is the dialogue. Sharp, sassy, full of references to Singaporean life that we can guess at if we don’t know, and often very funny, the dialogue is one of the drivers of this 90-minute tale.
Another is the acting. Tong and Wu embody their characters to the max. Utterly believable, often horrifying (because Boy is clearly on the make though Girl takes a while to see it) and fascinating in the unravelling.
Girl’s mother, as becomes apparent, led a troubled life but a wealthy one. Girl, living in the shell of what was once opulence, expects an inheritance anytime soon. Boy, who has been absent from the family for seven years, breezes in and convinces her that he, not an uncle, should be her guardian. Turns out Boy is now a gangster. And off we go.
This is not the squeaky clean Singapore of travel brochures.
Is there an inheritance? How vulnerable is Girl? How dangerous is Boy, self-proclaimed King of K? Is his organised or disorganised crime?
On Michael Hankin’s sparse set, sometimes lit like a disco and at other times as neon bright as an operating theatre, answers filter through as we follow Girl 14/Boy 21 through various stages – eg, Girl 16/Boy 23, Girl 21/Boy 28 – to the finish, when Girl is 35.
Although a two-hander, this is Girl’s story. And it is a coming of age tale. Girl’s dream is to live in Australia and look after ‘the marsupials’. Boy rubbishes this idea. Led by her brother into a dubious money-making scheme – and craving wealth for herself – Girl finally works out what is going on. What makes it more poignant is that some aspects relate to Tong’s life. As she writes on the Griffin website, ‘My mother took her own life when I was 14 years old. At her funeral in Singapore, we burned gold ingots and hell money. Eight years prior, at my father’s funeral, in addition to the gold and money, we also burned a life-sized effigy of his Mercedes Benz, complete with his car plate. We even burned two paper women (utterly bizarre, especially for a six-year-old) and an enormous ornate Chinese palace. We were wealthier when my father died, so we had more to offer him. I was worried for my mother. Perhaps she could move into his palace in the afterlife?’
For Golden Blood, Tong has imagined two siblings and offers an insight into Singaporean-Chinese life and beliefs: complete with gold, ancestor worship, gangsters, Singapore chilli crab – and a toy koala.
Ultimately, it’s a tale of desperation and resilience, told with humour although there is nothing funny underlying this tale, which is directed by Tessa Leong. Tong and Wu have great chemistry on stage, which makes it all believable. The denouement is rather quick; and unexpected. However, Tong has created two characters who will go home with you, and make you think about what happened.
Until 30 July
Tickets $20-$62
More: www.griffintheatre.com.au
