Review- The Sin Family- Hong Kong Rep
2-4-15
By: Meaghan McGurgan
English speaking audience members often shy away from seeing Chinese work. They think they won't understand the scripts or the jokes but often times seeing work in another language can really open your mind to what is happening in our city behind closed doors. Matthew Cheng's The Sin Family is about a contemporary, upper-class and highly dysfunctional family in Hong Kong. They have too much money, a lot of problems and they don't talk about these issues until they implode.
The story mainly revolves around a male character named Sit. He is privileged, spoiled and pampered by his family from the day he is born. Like many only children, he thinks the world revolves around him and his problems. Therefore he has issues connecting with women and making lasting relationships. Sit comes to his family and asks for his inheritance early to start his own business and become his own man. The arguments that come out over the dinner table are very common in families - regardless of whether you speak Chinese or English.
Cheng's script is very dark for black comedy and very reminiscent of Tracey Letts' work. Be prepared for deeply disturbed and unlikable characters. Blocking and presentation for this play by director Fung Wai Hang is nothing remarkable but it has a nice build vocally in the second half of the play. I appreciated the subtlety in some of the performances. I especially liked Candice Yu.
The show is well designed. Costumes by Charfi Hung make the characters appear expensive. Lighting by Lau Ming Hau was simple but effective. Joanna C. Lee's surtitles were appreciated but often times gave away plot points before they happened on stage. It would have been great if they could have been synced better with the action on stage rather than spoil the jokes for us.
Overall, The Sin Family is a very well produced show by Hong Kong Rep. If you enjoy black comedy, you might want to check it out and see the dark, twisted things that high-powered Hong Kong families are hiding in their closets.
The Sin Family is playing at the Shouson Theatre through April 4th. For more information, click here.
Comments
No comment at the moment.