May 35th at Southwark Playhouse Elephant Review
The European premiere also marks the first English language production
The 35th day of the fifth month of the year - does this mysterious date exist? Those eagle-eyed will have spotted the play on words in the title of the political play, which indeed refers to the 4th of June, a date significant to many in the East and South East Asian (ESEA) community around the world, especially those with personal experiences relating to a particularly historical Chinese massacre on this day in 1989.
The story is set in a single location - an elderly couple's countryside home. Siu Lum, hangs on to her final few months beaten by brain cancer whilst forever grieving over her late son Ah Tzeek, who died amidst the tragic events 30 years ago to when the play was set. Both in denial of the visibly failing national system, she bursts into frequent arguments with his husband Ah Dai, who struggles to mourn owing to his conflicted family background, with his brother Ah Ping thriving professionally in the government.
The way exposition is introduced in an international perspective may seem sightly foreign and require key historical context in order to understand each character's perspective, but playwright Candice Chong quickly provides this by interspersing monologues in between scenes, establishing essential characterisation for each core personality. From each point of view we see how the events affect each generation (in one way or another) revolving around this particular family, from youngsters who buys Tzeek's items off her mother to serious officials on order to interrogate the couple's every move; as well as a third person retelling of the dead son's life against RON's unsettling soundscapes and the increasingly tense mood lighting by Lily Chan.
Further into the story there are moments of flashback that further fills the contextual gaps in the memory play; the desparate mother undergoes an emotional outpour and watches on with the helpless husband as her rights to pay tribute to her own son is unhesitantly stripped away. Kim Pearce's straightforward direction in part to credit, complemented by the Company's raw delivery to the intimate performance space.
One would normally note individual performances, but the fact that most in both the Company and Creative Team are obliged to appear in pseudonyms (noted by the absence of the bolded name mentions above) speaks volumes on the cost of making art, only to be made even more heartbreaking by an ominous conclusion that suddenly shifts to a rallying call for action, ending on a high note.
In a world where censorship dominates art and stagings are banned in certain regions of the world subject to the nature of its content, the courageous play feels urgent to be heard on a global scale - and a sold-out run to four days of packed houses is no doubt the right start; with universal themes of human rights and dignity at its heart, the piece hopefully will leave a poignant thought to stand in solidarity with those who had to pay the price of speaking truth.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
May 35th played at Southwark Playhouse Elephant from 29th May to 1st June. For more information on future runs, keep in touch with the production's social media.
Tickets and Accessibility
🎟️ Tickets were kindly gifted by the press representatives for the show. All views are my own, without any input or approval from the venue or producers. Standard tickets were priced at £28.
♾️ There is a sudden gunshot sound effect at 92 minutes in, followed by around 30 seconds of general loud noise mimicking military equipment. At the end of the play before a sudden blackout there is a moment of bright lighting towards the audience which lasts about 5 seconds.