Review: THE STORY OF CHI – OZASIA FESTIVAL 2024 at Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Thursday 31st October 2024.

Terrapin and Contemporary Asian Australian Performance present The Story of Chi, a wonderful family piece, specially commissioned by the OzAsia Festival and written by Hiroki Kobayashi, Hoa Pham, and Jeremy Nguyen. The Director is Kenneth Moraleda and the Puppetry Director is Sam Routledge and both have done a great job. Although billed as a family entertainment, there were surprisingly few children in the audience.

A twelve-years-old girl named Chi is caught between two worlds, that of her parents, grandparents, and ancestors, and the modern Australian world in which she lives. She is finding it very difficult to reconcile the two. Her father has died recently and she receives directions from her Vietnamese grandmother and her Japanese mother on what to do and how to behave. Her grandmother has set up an altar, which is downstage centre, on which are placed flowers, candles, and things that bring back memories of him. Chi, already upset by the loss of her father, with whom she was very close, feels pressured to become involved with adding to this altar, and further feels pressured to conform with the demands of her elders, who also do not quite see eye to eye. This sets up a three-way tension which has become too much for Chi to handle.

She meets a very playful teenage water dragon, whom she names Mizu (水 the Japanese for water), who has become separated from his family, and she discovers that he can grant wishes. Be careful what you wish for!

Juanita Navas-Nguyen plays Chi, her mother is played by Mayu Iwasaki, and Eliane Morel plays her grandmother. Navas-Nguyen gives an energetic and enthusiastic performance as the preteen, Chi, conveying her difficulty understanding what her seniors require of her and frustrated that they do not seem to listening to her and taking into account her needs and desires. Iwasaki presents the mother as lost in her own grief and expecting Chi to react in the same way, not understanding why she does not. Morel, as the grandmother, affectionately known as Ba, keeps trying, unsuccessfully, to lead Chi down the spiritual path that she follows. These three fine individual performances are coupled with a complex set of interactions and strong ensemble work.

When they are together, Mizu and his parents are portrayed by three miniature dragons, moved by members of the cast. When Mizu is with Chi, he becomes much larger. Samuel Lau, in an elaborate costume, transforms into Mizu, the magical dragon who fulfils Chi’s wishes. Puppet Maker, Danny Miller, has done a superb job. Although Mizu can be seen and heard by Chi, he is invisible to the adults. He gives a wonderful performance, communicating with non-verbal sounds and with a range of movements and gestures. He, too, has needs, including the wish to reunite with his parents, along the way helping Chi to reunite with her mother and grandmother as they all come to a greater understanding of one another and respect for each other’s cultures.

Benjamin Brockman adds colour through his bright set design, and enhances it with his lighting, and the Costume Design, by Rita Naidu, suits the characters well. Composer, Terumi Narushima, adds some effective and appropriate music to the production.

There are two more performances so round up your children and treat them to a delightful performance, with a message. If you don’t have children, well, just treat yourself.