Review: LOST IN SHANGHAI – OZASIA FESTIVAL 2022 at Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Friday 21st October 2022.

Presented by Contemporary Asian Australian Performance (CAAP), Lost in Shanghai is journalist, Jane Hutcheon's, tribute to her mother, Beatrice. She began researching her mother's history when visiting Shanghai in 2016. Written and performed by her, it begins with her mother's childhood in China, before Communism. The production is co-directed by William Yang and Tasnim Hossain, who is also the Dramaturge.

Family photos, curated by William Yang, are projected to accompany the storytelling, and music has been composed and is performed by Dr Terumi Narushima using an array of European and Asian instruments, not always played in the conventional ways. As I am a percussionist, and also studied an elective in Chinese Music whilst at the Conservatorium, I found her work particularly fascinating.

Hutcheon initially takes us back to the late 18th Century, to her great-grandmother and her English husband, the start of her Eurasian ancestry. It transpired that there was no record, in fact, of them ever having been married, and he eventually went back to England, leaving her alone with her children, who were not only Eurasian, but illegitimate.

Generation by generation, we hear about her extended family, their histories, relationships, husbands, wives, children, and we finally arrive at her own story, understanding how all that went before influenced her. It is all put into context against the larger picture of changing China, the war with Japan and their occupation, the end of the 100 year lease of Hong Kong, the rise of Communism and ultimate change of government, Kee Mun tea, and a range of world events.

Hutcheon provides an ever-changing stream of personal reminiscences, stories passed down through her family, told by her mother, and historical facts, with a well-balanced blend of narrative, emotional moments, and humour.

The OzAsia Festival is always full of little gems, and this is one of them. It is captivating from start to finish, and a rewarding way to spend an hour or so. Like all OzAsia events, unfortunately, there are only a few sessions, and it ends on Saturday.

Photography, Clare Hawley