GOLDEN BLOOD Comes to Art Centre Melbourne

Golden Blood, a fast-paced family drama set in Singapore’s criminal underworld, begins previews at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Fairfax Studio from Friday 25th October. After two celebrated seasons in Sydney, which heralded playwright and actor Merlynn Tong as a major new talent, this gripping tale is coming home to Melbourne Theatre Company.

In the backstreets of Singapore, beneath the glitzy skyscrapers and shopping malls, lies a realm of violence, drugs, and chaos. Amid this seedy backdrop, two orphans envision a glittering future. Unfolding with all the urgency and pace of a rollercoaster, this is a funny and powerful coming of age journey. 

Golden Blood was developed at Melbourne Theatre Company through the Cybec Electric Play Reading series and the Next Stage Writers' Program, before a premiere season with Griffin Theatre Company in Sydney that was labelled a sensation.

“I’m excited to show audiences a Singapore that I am sure they have never experienced before. Getting to perform at Melbourne Theatre Company where it was birthed feels like a homecoming” says Merylnn Tong who both wrote and stars in this play. Inspired by events from Tong’s own life growing up in Singapore and presented in a mix of English and Singlish, this play introduces a side of Singapore not often seen.

“Golden Blood is a heart-pounding tale that only Merlynn could have brought to life”, says Anne-Louise Sarks, Melbourne Theatre Company’s Artistic Director & Co-CEO. “It has been incredible to witness the evolution of this high-energy two-hander.” 

Hailed as “hilarious and sharp” (Time Out) Golden Blood follows a teenage girl, portrayed by Merlynn Tong, taken under the wing of her estranged older brother, portrayed by Charles Wu (Bernhardt/Hamlet, Torch The Place) after the death of their mother. The complication? Her brother has become a gangster—an ambitious one at that and thug life doesn’t come with a parenting manual. The siblings must confront the ghosts of their past as they navigate the tension between their values, ambitions, and legacy.

The Golden Blood creative team includes Director Tessa Leong, Set & Costume Designer Michael Hankin, Lighting Designer Fausto Brusamolino, Composer & Sound DesignerRainbow Chan and Dramaturg Jennifer Medway.

 

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