Caged Sisters Musical (Camden Fringe) Review
Written by Cathie for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Trigger warnings: Pregnancy loss, references to sex, depiction of suicide; use of haze, loud sound and strobe lighting.
East Meet’s West theatrical group have created a British musical adaptation of the classical novel Hónglóu Mèng, with ambitious direction and adaptation by Sheldon Long. This story is considered one of the most famous Chinese classical novels of all time and is a truly epic tale of tragedy and romance. While the novel is of similar length to War and Peace, this brand-new adaptation of the epic focuses on the tragic love lives of the You sisters and their experience in the ‘Red Mansion’.
This musical is acted out by an enthusiastic octet of actors including Yiting Jiang, Yiqian Shao, Michelle Yim,Matt Tam, Woogie Jung, Lois Lau and Sheldon Long. This acting troupe has strong chemistry and camaraderie with each other. It is clear they have worked hard to bring these infamous characters to light in a layered and dynamic form. They are very fun to watch and are one of the strongest elements of this musical. The songs are another brilliant highlight of this show as well. The melodies are beautifully sung and harmonise so well that I had permanent chills throughout. I was especially impressed by the solos of the different characters.
The costuming by Yixuan Qiu is beautiful and richly detailed, lending strength and subtlety to this show. The set, designed by Seoeun Hong and Sheldon Long, is simple but immersive and uses CGI backdrops excellently to showcase the emotional tone and poignancy of the scenes. This could be even sharper by including the names and locations of the places portrayed, as the switching of locations and differences between them is not always clear. The use of the Phoenix Art Club’s relaxed seating was utilised well to further illustrate the connections and distance between the characters.
The pacing is methodical and fast, running at only one hour and tells the tragedy with great gusto and enthusiasm. My main suggestion would be that, as this story is not yet as well known to western audiences, they flesh out the characters with more backstory, either in the program or with additional scenes in the show so that the complex plot is explained in richer layers. The novel itself is very long and has over forty characters, so this show has excellently focused on some of the key characters to focus on showcasing that element in depth. The themes of class consciousness, expectations and warfare, social backstabbing, feminism and patriarchal control in 18th Century Chinese society and the bond between sisters is told with nuance and much care. This is a fascinating story brought to the West End for the first time.
I was honoured to be able to attend the opening night of this show. It is a wonderful exploration of Chinese literature and full of heart, sincerity and enthusiasm. This show is bursting full of potential and, with some polishing, could easily become one of the greats of fringe theatre, and in its current form, it is well worth rewatching. If you enjoy watching C dramas, reading classical literature or love a Game of Thrones-style tale of revenge, tragedy and forbidden love, then this is a fantastic musical for you.
Running until 30th August
★ ★ ★
