Tea Time at the Theatre
It’s not an unfamiliar scene to the Asian child. Unlike the conventional kitchen, aside from the rice cooker the key item in the Asian pantry is the hot water boiler. On any given Sunday, as the youngest in the family I spend most of my time at dim sum inspecting the cup levels to make sure that everyone at the table has a full cup. There’s something about tea that binds the Asian family together.
Guangzhou born playwright Norman Yeung and director Keira Loughran pack a powerful punch of culturally relevant lines and emotionally-loaded monologues that will give you new insight into the Asian Canadian family. With just 3 players and in a little less than 3 hours, the story reveals a family that is caught up in generational differences and the complexities of cultural displacement.
Although some of the lines were delivered in Cantonese, Pu-Erh is a testament that words, not simply actions, can challenge, divide and unite a family. If you’ve ever wondered what it was like growing up as a bicultural Asian Canadian then this play is a must-see.
Pu-Erh plays until May 15th at the Theatre Passe Muraille (www.artsboxoffice.ca), and May 21 & 22 at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts (www.rhcentre.ca).
Happy Asian Heritage Month!
Thanks to Sarah & Carrie at Flip Publicity!
