Curated and
produced by Charlie Wan – Light/Sound production by Craig Dear
Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre Centre Feb. 16th, 2024
Reviewed by BILL STEPHENS
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| Charlie Wan welcomes the audience to "Beneath the Dragon Moon" |
Established
in 2022 by local diversity mover and shaker, Charlie Wan, Monkey King Cabaret
is an annual celebration of what it is to be Asian.
Curated, produced and compered by Charlie Wan, an accomplished gender-fluid burlesque performer and proprietor of the performing arts school, Subsdance Dance Studio, “Monkey King Cabaret” aims to provide a showcase for queer, Asian-identifying artists whose talents sit outside the theatrical mainstream.
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| Performers from the Canberra Prosperous Mountain Dragon & Lion Dance Troupe. |
For the 2024 edition, Wan, had assembled an eclectic collection of artists among them poets, pole dancers , strippers , vocalists as well as the extraordinary Canberra Prosperous Mountain Dragon & Lion Dance Association which commenced the program with a spectacular display featuring two huge Chinese Lions .
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| Ravi Oli performing his snake dance. |
Well-known Canberra Drag King, Ravi Oli then took the stage to perform an interpretive dance celebrating the fact that he was born in the year of the snake. Sydney entertainer, ASAP Merc drew gasps from the audience demonstrating her athletic pole-dancing skills.
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| ASAP Merc demonstrating her pole dancing skills |
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| Charlie Wan during "Beneath the Dragon Moon" |
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| Poet Alexander Cox |
After interval
Wan again took the stage again, this time in Drag King mode as her alter-ego
Charlie Chapstick, to introduce
non-binary artist, Minh Thanh Van who read a long poem before accompanying
himself on ukulele for a gentle rendition of pretty song entitled, “Lena”.
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| Minh Thanh Van performing "Lena". |
Then following an amusing strip-routine by Trey Frenchie, who describes himself as a Doctor Stripper, classically-trained dancer, Kate Tieu performed a gentle flowing dance which allowed her to display her artistry at gracefully manipulating silk fans.
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| Kate Tieu |
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| Escha and Wiz |
Effectively
contrasting with this item, an exotically costumed couple, Escha and Wiz,
performed an energetic apache-style dance before Wan, unrecognisable as another alter-ego, Daddy Charles,
encouraged the cast back onto the stage for the finale, bringing to a close a program, which despite its
haphazard presentation, offered an intriguing insight into the depth and range
of Asian queer theatre in Canberra.
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| Charlie Wan as Daddy Charles |
Particularly interesting with this performance was the thoughtful inclusion of language signer, Lauren Napper- Ferrari who gracefully and good-humouredly signed every performance therefore insuring that hearing-impaired members of the audience were able to enjoy every element of the performance.
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| Lauren Napper-Ferrari and Charlie Wan. |