{"id":149113,"date":"2023-08-22T14:45:26","date_gmt":"2023-08-22T04:45:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/?p=149113"},"modified":"2023-08-22T15:49:52","modified_gmt":"2023-08-22T05:49:52","slug":"miss-peony-touring-theatre-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/miss-peony-touring-theatre-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Miss Peony (touring) &#8211; theatre review"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What a delightful, joyous and life affirming hoot Miss Peony is.\u00a0It concerns the fractious relationship between Chinese grandmother Adeline (Gabrielle Chan) and her 26-year-old granddaughter, Lily (Stephanie Jack).\u00a0In her heyday, Adeline won umpteen beauty contests in her native Hong Kong and is still feted for her achievements all these years later.\u00a0Lily is an all but friendless loner, who never thought much about her cultural ties.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_149115\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-149115\" style=\"width: 560px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-149115 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_002_gabrielle_chan__stephany_jack__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=560%2C373&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_002_gabrielle_chan__stephany_jack__c_jason_lau.jpg?w=560&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_002_gabrielle_chan__stephany_jack__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_002_gabrielle_chan__stephany_jack__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=272%2C182&amp;ssl=1 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-149115\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photos by Jason Lau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her family wanted her to be a doctor. Instead, she didn\u2019t go to university and became a bar manager, complete with tattoos.\u00a0Now, she is in the throes of packing her belongings because in a week she is set to leave Australia and start her life anew in England.\u00a0Her grandmother, whom she calls Poh Poh (which translates to mean grandmother) is on her deathbed.\u00a0Poh Poh\u2019s dying wish is for her granddaughter to compete in a community pageant titled Miss Peony Australia.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-149117 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_007_stephanie_jack__gabrielle_chan__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=560%2C373&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_007_stephanie_jack__gabrielle_chan__c_jason_lau.jpg?w=560&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_007_stephanie_jack__gabrielle_chan__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_007_stephanie_jack__gabrielle_chan__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=272%2C182&amp;ssl=1 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is something to which Lily doesn\u2019t give a second thought until Adeline passes away and Poh Poh\u2019s ghost returns to haunt her.\u00a0Adeline maintains the only way she can rest in peace and stop following Lily around is if her granddaughter enters and wins the contest.\u00a0Further, she promises to tutor Lily to deal with the various elements involved, but even that is derailed.\u00a0As Lily moves deeper into the competition, she forms a bond with three other girls, who also make their way through the preliminary rounds.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-149121 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_017_jing-xuan_chan_shirong_wu_stephanie_jack_mabel_li__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=560%2C374&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_017_jing-xuan_chan_shirong_wu_stephanie_jack_mabel_li__c_jason_lau.jpg?w=560&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_017_jing-xuan_chan_shirong_wu_stephanie_jack_mabel_li__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_017_jing-xuan_chan_shirong_wu_stephanie_jack_mabel_li__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=272%2C182&amp;ssl=1 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mind you, there is no shortage of rivalry and jealousy, which constantly threatens to derail the girls\u2019 link.\u00a0Each is intelligent, even if they don\u2019t necessarily present that way at first.\u00a0I speak of bogan Sabrina from western Sydney (Mabel Li) and gay Minions\u2019 backpack-wearing academic Joy (Shirong Wu).\u00a0And then there is haughty Marcy (Deborah Faye Lee) who uses every available opportunity to promote her family\u2019s business.\u00a0Lily doesn\u2019t get off to the best start with Miss Peony Australia producer and compere Zhen Hua (Jeffrey Liu). As it turns out, both have their eyes opened.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-149116 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_006_jing-xuan_chan_mabel_li_shirong_wu_stephanie_jack__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=560%2C374&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_006_jing-xuan_chan_mabel_li_shirong_wu_stephanie_jack__c_jason_lau.jpg?w=560&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_006_jing-xuan_chan_mabel_li_shirong_wu_stephanie_jack__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_006_jing-xuan_chan_mabel_li_shirong_wu_stephanie_jack__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=272%2C182&amp;ssl=1 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Carrying important familial and cultural messaging, Miss Peony is loads of fun and highly entertaining.\u00a0It has been beautifully written by Michelle Law (<em>Single Asian Female<\/em>), who deftly navigates generational change, displacement and intercultural racism.\u00a0Characters speak in English, Cantonese and Mandarin, with three sets of surtitles \u2013\u00a0English, simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-149122 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_020_shirong_wu_jing-xuan_chan_jeffrey_liu_stephanie_jack_mabel_li__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=560%2C374&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_020_shirong_wu_jing-xuan_chan_jeffrey_liu_stephanie_jack_mabel_li__c_jason_lau.jpg?w=560&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_020_shirong_wu_jing-xuan_chan_jeffrey_liu_stephanie_jack_mabel_li__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_020_shirong_wu_jing-xuan_chan_jeffrey_liu_stephanie_jack_mabel_li__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=272%2C182&amp;ssl=1 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stephanie Jack makes a fine lead, navigating the contrasting character traits implicit in the role.\u00a0Gabrielle Chan brings a no-nonsense approach to her representation of Lily\u2019s dogmatic grandmother.\u00a0Mabel Li is a scene stealer, providing laughs aplenty every time she opens her mouth or pulls a face as the rough and ready Sabrina.\u00a0There\u2019s a naivete to Shirong Wu\u2019s realisation of Joy, who enters the competition hoping to find a partner.\u00a0Deborah Faye Lee\u2019s bravado hides vulnerability as Marcy.\u00a0A standout from Jeffrey Liu is his mellifluous singing voice, on show towards the end of Miss Peony.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-149120 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_015_jing-xuan_chan__mabel_li__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=560%2C373&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_015_jing-xuan_chan__mabel_li__c_jason_lau.jpg?w=560&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_015_jing-xuan_chan__mabel_li__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_misspeony-highlights_015_jing-xuan_chan__mabel_li__c_jason_lau.jpg?resize=272%2C182&amp;ssl=1 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I should add that popular karaoke numbers provide a warm welcome to patrons entering the theatre.\u00a0With a simple but effective set design from Jonathan Hindmarsh (who is also responsible for costuming), Courtney Stewart directs a big-hearted crowd pleaser.\u00a0Miss Peony will play Canberra Theatre Centre from 23<sup>rd<\/sup> to 26<sup>th<\/sup> August, before moving to Illawarra Performing Arts Centre from 30<sup>th<\/sup> August to 2<sup>nd<\/sup> September.\u00a0The Australian tour finishes with shows at Geelong Arts Centre from 6<sup>th<\/sup> to 9<sup>th<\/sup> September, 2023.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Alex First<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What a delightful, joyous and life affirming hoot Miss Peony is.\u00a0It concerns the fractious relationship between Chinese grandmother Adeline (Gabrielle Chan) and her 26-year-old granddaughter, Lily (Stephanie Jack).\u00a0In her heyday, Adeline won umpteen beauty contests in her native Hong Kong and is still feted for her achievements all these years later.\u00a0Lily is an all but&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":149114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[801],"tags":[3152,21,9197,3,1850,9196],"class_list":["post-149113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-theatre","tag-chinese","tag-comedy","tag-cultural","tag-drama","tag-michelle-law","tag-miss-peony"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Miss Peony (touring) - theatre review -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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