Cho Cho - Review

Arts Centre Melbourne, National Theatre of China and Playking Productions presents:

Cho Cho

By Daniel Keene

Music by Cheng Jin

Directed by Peter Wilson

Designer - Richard Jaziorny

Lighting – Wang Qi

Musical Director – David Piper

Re-rehearsal Director – Lech Mackiewicz

Cast:

Scott Irwin – Pinkerton

Wang Zheng – Cho Cho

David Whitney – Sharpless

Du He – Guma

Dong Wenliang – Lou Shu

Danielle Barnes – Kate/bar singer

Puppeteer – Hang Xing

Producer – Ziyin Wang Gantner

October 2013

Playhouse – Arts Centre Melbourne

Whether the outcomes are stunningly successful theatre, or not, we are extremely privileged in Melbourne to be regularly treated to valuable cultural exchanges by the Arts Centre.  This work is particularly interesting because of the changes and redevelopment it has been subject to.

Cho Cho in its current rendition is a wonderful opportunity to witness an attempted melding of English and Chinese language and music through the use of a timeless story of a young woman wronged, albeit as interpreted without sentiment and embellishment by writer Daniel Keene over twenty five years ago.  However the combinations of language, music and acting styles do not fully compliment, or indeed sit comfortably with, each other at all times.  This disconcerting disconnect renders the work intriguing though bemusing, and for this viewer, distances the story. 

With the exception of the use of puppets by a master puppeteer Hang Xing, some of the duets and the characterization of the two villainous comic characters, Du He as Guma and Dong Wenliang as Lou Shu the cruel mercenary relatives who foist Cho Cho on the uncaring Pinkerton, Cho Cho lacks light and shade and therefore nuance.   

Combining live music with a backing recording seems to be commonplace now days.  In this instance there is often a sense of a dulling and muting effect on the efforts of the live instrumentalists, though not the singing, which is often entrancing.

Musically composer Cheng Jin affords mixed results. However the voices of Wang Zheng as Cho Cho and David Whitney as Sharpless combine exquisitely a number of times throughout.

Problems of literalism pervade the design of the set by Richard Jeziorny.

Having not caught Cho Cho thirty years ago but remembering the excitement surrounding its inception I rushed to grab a review ticket for this return performance.  Although it is encouraging and interesting to see this twenty-five year old work revived, I doubt it bares much resemblance to the original. 

It feels a little weary, simplistic and frozen behind a proscenium arch.

Perhaps this airing in Melbourne will blow away some of the cobwebs and renew a sense of trusting connected with an Australian audience.

Suzanne Sandow