Review: Shanghai Dolls, Kiln Theatre

Henrik Ibsen was a writer so blindingly engrossed in his own work. When a curious reader of A Doll’s House commented that Nora had a peculiar name, Ibsen immediately replied: “Her full name was Leonora; but that was shortened to Nora when she was quite a little girl.” This backstory is not revealed in the play itself, but illustrates Ibsen’s familiarity with the history of all the characters he created.

It is fitting, then, that Shanghai Dolls opens with a frank conversation between Lan Ping and Li Lin (who become Jiang Qing and Sun Weishi), discussing the emotional undercurrent of Nora at the auditions for A Doll’s House in Shanghai, 1935. This production was so significant in Chinese theatre history that the year was named the ‘Year of the Nora’. As Amy Ng’s play opens, a reserved Li Lin (Millicent Wong) exhibits her eye for directing, inspiring and encouraging the confident but pessimistic actor, Lan Ping (Gabby Wong), who is certain “some rich actress” will get the part. As the pair bond, a believable relationship develops. Soon, the pair are inseparable, living together, and discussing their dreams and ambitions. The actors’ performances are convincing and charged. I felt thoroughly transfixed in their lives.

Through the use of visual projections on a large back wall, we are taken through a timeline of Chinese history, from the auditions in 1935 all the way to Jiang Qing’s death in 1991. This never feels gimmicky and helped keep the pace moving along as society in China went through historic changes. This is aided by Nicola T Chang’s searing sound design, with punchy percussion and thumping rhythms punctuating the timeline and scene changes emphatically. In fact, it is probably some of the best scoring I’ve heard in a play. 

The decision to have newspaper cuttings and headlines flashing up to contextualise the action unfolding outside of the characters’ lives was also a good one. Akhila Krishnan’s video design is impressive, and the ending is particularly poignant, with real archive footage of Jiang Qing’s trial. 

That said, the sheer amount of history that crammed into the 80 minutes running time means that the character’s emotional journeys suspended belief at times. The bubbly, full-of-hope Lan Ping turns into the cruel, unforgiving Jiang Qing almost instantaneously. That is a tricky shift for any actor to make at a moment’s notice. 

But the attention to detail is what really shines through in this production. As Sun Weishi is beaten in prison, Wong’s exemplary demonstration of powerful physical theatre, coupled with the unsettling sound and Aideen Malone’s lighting design, makes her torture an unnerving, yet captivating watch. Ng has dramatised a fascinating and previously wholly inaccessible slice of history. There is no question that her writing feels as though, like Ibsen, she’s become uncannily familiar with the history of her characters.

Writer: Amy Ng
Director: Katie Posner
Designer: Jean Chan
Lighting Designer: Aideen Malone
Composer & Sound Designer: Nicola T. Chang
Video Designer: Akhila Krishnan
Movement Director: Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster

Shanghai Dolls plays at The Kiln until Saturday May 10.