BWW Reviews: Les Deux Mondes' GOLD MOUNTAIN Shines

GOLD MOUNTAIN is an intimate portrait of a son's attempt to connect with his father and an exploration of cultural, racial, and generational divides. Written by David Yip and Kevin Wong, the story follows a father's journey from a small town in China just starting to be touched by Communism to Liverpool (home of Europe's first Chinatown), where he strives to build a new life and family. The play, with themes of racism, war, love, hope, and a struggle for belonging, is based on Yip's own father's experience, pieced together from conversations Yip had with his father toward the end of his life. The result is a series of short scenes between the father, Yee Lui (played by Yip), and his son David (played by Eugene Salleh). The scenes are complemented by a bold artistic concept consisting of images, video, and music by the Les Deux Mondes creative team: director Daniel Meilleur, composer Michel Robidoux, and visual designer Yves Dubé.

Mr. Yip's performance is the highlight of the show. His personal connection to the work is evident, and he infuses the role of the father with a complex spectrum of emotions including hope, fear, happiness, and grief. We see a man constantly transplanted and transformed, moving forward and backward, in a quest to find his own "gold mountain." The scenes in which he recounts a shipwreck, remembers his late wife, and learns the fate of lost friends are particularly raw and powerful.

Mr. Salleh is less emotionally accessible. In addition to his primary role of David, Mr. Salleh plays several other characters, among them a Communist leader, a close uncle, and a Chinese businessman and gambler in Liverpool. Although he is convincing in these accessory roles, his David is frequently one-dimensional, rarely moving beyond resentment toward his father. In some of the earlier scenes, which recount tales from his father's early life before David was born, his purpose is questionable -- these stories are best when told from the perspective of Yee Lui himself, rather than from the son's once-removed viewpoint.

The visual presentation is undoubtedly the most striking and imaginative aspect of the show, and the most difficult to keep in balance. The Les Deux Mondes designers have created Yee Lui's many worlds, from a small town in China to an opium den, using minimal props and images projected on large screens, on small screens, and sometimes on the actors themselves. There are many scenes in which the script, the acting, and the multimedia elements all come together to create something truly exquisite, such as when the wedding photograph of Yee Lui's wife is projected in mirror image onto two giant fans, when a shipwreck is recreated in a large vase of water using toy soldiers, and when the screens become terrifying larger-than-life fences as Yee Lui hides from immigration officers. The depiction of the riots at Textoth, using black and white video on a screen in front of bright red fires, is excellent.

There are also times when the visual presentation greatly overshadows all else. It distracts from the emotional core of the play and seems rather like an experiment in how many different surfaces can be used for projection. In these scenes, the multimedia creates an extra barrier between the play and the audience; indeed, sometimes the screens are physically placed between the actors and the audience. The result feels like being kept at arm's length from something you want to be invited into, perhaps in some way mirroring how David feels about his father's life.

GOLD MOUNTAIN is a powerful, often visually stunning piece of theatre. When all of the elements come together, the show is both beautiful and emotionally engaging. There are times when the artists' brushstrokes are a bit too visible, but fortunately, Mr. Yip is able to transcend these barriers with his elegant performance.

GOLD MOUNTAIN runs through April 27 in English with French surtitles, presented by Les Deux Mondes with Unity Theatre, Liverpool, at Théâtre Aux Écuries, 7285, rue Chabot (near metro Fabre). Performance schedule: Tuesday to Friday at 8:30 pm, Saturday at 4:30pm.

Tickets: $12.50-$25.00. Box Office: 514 328-7437 (514 Écu-ries) no service charge or online www.auxecuries.com/billetterie, www.lesdeuxmondes.com/en/spec-index.html, or www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk.

Photo courtesy of Les Deux Mondes.

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