Review: MAY 35TH, Southwark Playhouse Elephant

A production that has its creatives use pseudonyms in order to avoid political repercussions is doing something right and May 35th falls into this category. The protests that took place in China in the spring of 1989 are mostly recalled by our Western minds with the single photo of a man standing fearlessly in front of a line of tanks in Tiananmen Square. It's forbidden to talk about what happened. The National Security Law introduced in Hong Kong by China in 2020 prevents this play from being staged in the country again, so the company has taken it across the world.

With all the records regarding the 4th of June 1989 wiped from the internet in China, the title comes from the moniker given to bypass censorship and open up the discussion. We only have to take a look at the news to understand why this conversation needs a platform right now. The rise of anti-protest sentiments among British politicians heightens the significance and importance of May 35th, a project that, harrowingly, grows in relevance by the hour. 

It’s a sophisticated manifestation of human activism, unafraid to display shared trauma and address the threat of authoritarianism. An ode to dissidents, it's a celebration of the legacy of those who were brutally murdered during the demonstrations and whose deaths have been weaponised to further hatred. At this point in time, the show is a cry for help. The team openly ask for international support in remembering and demanding answers: Chinese history is being erased officiously under our own eyes. 

Though the piece is far from being perfect, its need to be seen reaches beyond the confines of the theatre industry. With bleak visuals and limited frills, Kim Pearce’s direction is focused on the text and its invective against a parasitic government riddled with corruption and favouritism. It’s also a feat of translation, with S.Y. Li (a pseudonym) adapting Candace Chong Mui Ngam’s script in language, tone, and conventions. We see two people with nothing more to lose anymore. Both affected by cancer in different ways, they settle their affairs and make one last wish to each other: with their lives winding down, they want to visit Tiananmen Square and light a candle to remember their son. This is, obviously, punishable by law.

Their exchanges are charged with the history of their country and the weight of an unjust world, but the writing still manages to infuse the characters with snappy banter and dark humour. The result is generally engaging and beckoning, but extended blackout scene changes slow down the pace, distracting the tension. The actors match each other’s energy from opposite ends. He’s cautious where she is brash, she’s hot-headed where he is reflective. They portray a delightful elderly couple haunted by the unfair death of their child.

Their son is as much of a character. His bedroom lies untouched just behind a door and his belongings, which they’re now giving away for free, are used by his mother as a tool to spread his story and that of many who faced the same fate. The pair toe a dangerous line - as does the company. Born out of interviews with survivors and the testimonies of the families who lost their children in ‘89, the entire venture puts everyone who’s contributed to it in jeopardy, making this vital viewing for audiences in the West.

May 35th runs at Southwark Playhouse Elephant until 1 June. 

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