Review: SCENES FROM A REPATRIATION, Royal Court

Photo credit: Alex Brenner

This is a play about a statue, stolen and then sold and sold again until it became an exhibit at The British Museum. But that is not where the story ends and Joel Tan's new play Scenes from a Repatriation explores how this statue arrived from China and the twists and turns that lead it to find its way home.

As the name suggests, this show does not have a traditional narrative or fixed set of characters. The stellar ensemble cast play over forty characters who all appear in just a single scene. The story is tied together by the omnipresence of the statue, whether it features in the scene or not. Tan's choice to make the 1000-year-old statue of the Boddhisattva Guan Yin the protagonist ensures that it is the focus of the conversation instead of the wants or desires of interested parties and governments. That is not to say politics does not come into play; Tan is Singaporean and frequently interrogates the politics and society of East Asia. In this piece, the themes of censorship and the power of the Chinese government are explored alongside the complex matter of repatriation claims. The theme of cultural identity is also central, and the impact migration has had on the simplification and whitewashing of colonial history. This is a powerful, thought-provoking, and educational theatrical experience.

Directed by experimental theatre-makers emma + pj, Scenes from a Repatriation certainly contains some quirky elements - a twerking Chinese dragon is not something you typically see at the theatre! The setting of the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court is an intimate setting for the stories which span generations, class, continents and even venture into the supernatural world of witches. The sparse set, designed by TK Hay, allows the cast to shift from scene to scene punctuated by projections which state the subject, location, and language in the style of a museum label.

The projector screen has its star turn in the opening scene of the second act when we are transported from the UK to China to witness an interrogation in Mandarin Chinese. The screen is used to show English subtitles which the majority of the audience appear to utilise, but the location of the screen at one end of the traverse space means this intense scene is rather static. This singular use of Mandarin also leaves us feeling confused in a later scene which takes place in Beijing and relies on the fact that one character does not understand Mandarin but is performed in English.

Scenes from a Repatriation is a true ensemble piece and the cast are fantastic as they convey the plethora of ages, nationalities and walks of life. The characters are nameless on all except one damning occasion when Tan includes a Chinese character’s English name. We wonder if the play could have been even more impactful with an exploration of fewer characters? However, despite the brief time we spend with each persona, you do get sense of their history, emotional connection to the repatriation of this ancient statue. Kaja Chan is a standout as she demonstrates her mastery of accents, Mandarin and singing with a crooning performance of a ballad, but the whole cast work tirelessly to communicate the ambitious message of this play.

Scenes from a Repatriation is an impressive and, at times, uncomfortable investigation into the complex world of cultural artefacts and their repatriation. One-character remarks “All of human history? It’s basically people taking things from each other” but Joel Tan’s new play shows that it really isn’t that simple.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Sophie Luck

Scenes from a Repatriation plays at London’s Royal Court until 24 May, with further info here.