The setting is Singapore. The story is universal. It could be set anywhere as WHITE PEARL explores racism, corporate culture and hypocrisy. Loaded with humour, conflict, tension and some touching moments, this modern play is fine writing.
Young Asian women start a cosmetic company. They are an Indian-Singaporean who uses her British education as a weapon, a Chinese woman who fears for her life if she returns to China, a Japanese woman escaping a toxic workplace, a whacky Thai, a Thai-American and a South Korean chemist responsible for the safety of their key product, which is a skin whitening cream. Imagine the cultural identity crisis, the safety concerns, the potential marketing disasters! The company bases its beauty product on the belief that all women hate the way they look. Therein lies the joke when one of them asks ‘How white can you be?’ Sales sky rocket. They are a united team, thrilled with their success, until an unauthorised racist advertisement for their cream is hacked and goes viral. Who will be the scapegoat? Who becomes the Machiavellian? Who protects the vulnerable?
The Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Indian women revert to their true beliefs, revealing their ingrained dislike of other Asian nationalities and westernised Asians. Team spirit dissolves. Ancient prejudices, racism and brutal honesty play out in physical raunchiness and excellent comic timing. Yet, the women’s sudden honesty makes us laugh at the very universality of racism. And oddly, their honest vitriol unites them.
It is better to bring racism out in the open. The characters’ admission of their prejudices lifts the stakes. Honesty brings forth the best moment in the play when the Chinese woman admits she believes the Korean woman would dislike her simply because she is Chinese. But as the two individuals seek to support one another through the crisis, they forget their acculturated prejudices and admit they should be friends.
Actors Deborah An, Manali Datar, Melissa Gan, Nicole Milinkovic, Shirong Wu and outstanding understudy Mayu Iwasaki in the role of Ruki, establish a wonderful pace and quick-time humour. The one male character, played by Stephen Madsen, is the French ex-boyfriend of one of the women. Perhaps he represents the demonised western male, a disgusting fellow who tricks his ex-lover yet again. This confusing subplot detracts from the comic edge and plot trajectory established by the women.
The playwright is Anchuli Felicia King, a Thai-Australian. She developed the play with the National New Play Development Program of Playwriting Australia. WHITE PEARL won the Sydney Theatre Award for the Best Ensemble in 2019. It has been performed at the Riverside in 2019 by the National Theatre of Parramatta, the OzAsia Festival in Adelaide, Queensland Theatre and the The Royal Court in London.
The Director is Priscilla Jackman; the designer is Jeremy Allen. WHITE PEARL is fun, intelligent, slightly over-the-top contemporary theatre. It’s good to see a bright new work by a young, internationally-oriented Australian. Congratulations to playwright Anchuli Felicity King and all the creatives involved.
Running time 90 minutes.
Anchuli Felicity King’s WHITE PEARL is playing the Wharf Theatre in Walsh Bay until April 23 2022.
If you miss the season at the Wharf Review WHITE PEARL will also have a short season at the Riverside Theatres Parramatta between the 5th and 7th May, 2022.
https://riversideparramatta.
Featured image : Shirong Wu, Manali Data, Melissa Gan, Kaori Magda-Judge and Deborah An in White Pearl at the Wharf Theatre. Pic Phil Erbacher