DramaLondonReview

Taking Flight 2018 – New Diorama, London

Writers: Lekha Desai Morrison, Michael Phong-Le, Samuel Daram

Director: Ross Ericson

Reviewer: Richard Maguire

The Taking Flight Festival, now in its second year, is a venture led by Red Dragonfly Productions, and encourages playwrights from the British East Asian, South Asian and South East Asian communities to write about they want. Too often writers from these communities are expected to write about their minority status in Britain with stories discussing racism or the journeys of refugees when they may want to write, say, a more traditional comedy. Despite this broad remit, the three short plays chosen for Taking Flight all place ethnicity at the heart of their tales, but with mixed results.

The first play, Clarissa, by Lekha Desai Morrison, seems a little dated. This two-hander records a conversation between Jasmine, from a British Indian family, and Clarissa, her future mother-in-law. Expecting to be dissuaded from marrying George, Jasmine is surprised to learn that they have more in common than she thought. The two women are both imposters into the upper-middle-class, Jasmine through her ethnicity, and Clarissa through her humble origins. It’s a neat trick, but it is overdone, with the reveal – ‘ I was in service’ – coming too early. While Reynah Rita Oppal’s Jasmine has some depth to her, Clarissa, played by Louise Thomas, is a paper-thin stereotype of a suburban wife.

The two actors return in the final play, Taylor Swift’s Dog, which directly discusses the strategies of the Festival. Thomas, along with Michelle Yim, play literary agents who cold-heartedly discuss the way Asian writers are expected to write about their experience only, or at least change their names to disguise their heritage, if they want to write a bestseller. This is an important problem in publishing, but repeating the argument, as this play does, is not the solution. Samuel Daram’s play would be better as a comedy sketch lasting a few minutes rather than the excruciatingly long 30 minutes it currently takes.

Fortunately, sandwiched between the two is the highlight of the evening, Khon,written and performed by Michael Phong-Le. Khon is a Vietnamese word meaning ‘the bending of the rules’ and Phong-Le’s character is caught between the traditions of his family, and the traditions of Britain. First seen in prison, it seems that his khon has landed him in trouble. While Phong-Le’s Vietnamese heritage may be the backbone to his narrative, Khonworks on other levels too. His story of moving from London to Bedfordshire as a teenager, awkward and impressionable, speaks to us all, and his quest to find out the family secret is part of a wider experience, a plot that transcends ethnicity. Phong-Le is a confident and affable performer, but if he wants us to feel sympathy for his mother’s plight then we must know more about her. Otherwise, it’s a strong performance.

Clarissaand Taylor Swift’s Dogneed big overhauls – and new titles – if they are to extend their lives beyond this festival, but Khon, with Phong-Le at the helm, is ready to go, and seems perfect Fringe material. Look out for him.

Reviewed on 4 June 2018 | Image: Contributed

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The Reviews Hub London is under the acting editorship of Richard Maguire. The Reviews Hub was set up in 2007. Our mission is to provide the most in-depth, nationwide arts coverage online.

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