RICE at Queensland Theatre
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Sat 24 Jun 2017 - Sun 16 Jul 2017
This prize-winning play is a "two-hander" with Kristy Best and Hsiao-Ling Tang carrying the dialogue seamlessly, from time to time shifting characters, to broaden the focus of the play.
You can't let your attention wander, for the dialogue is dense and complex, confronting and clever. It asks a lot of the two actors, who need to be driven and humorous, ruthless and compassionate.
The two main characters are Nisha and Yvette, the former a power-dressing late-twenties force of nature, determined to close a massive deal with China, and having to battle with an American high-flying boss equally determined to have his way.
The plot is particularly good in showing how the battle for dominance can become more important than the ostensible purpose of the organisation.
Yvette (who has failed in marketing genuine fake Prada shoes) is currently a cleaner, and so encounters Nisha.
From first impressions ("Indian Princess" and "Phillipino cleaner") the two spark an unlikely dialogue which comes close to friendship, and reveals that both have complex stories to tell, and both are much more than their overt roles.
Nisha's love for her grandmother, lost to Alzheimer's, and Yvette's struggles to provide for her family add depth and poignancy to the play.
A trip to China, based on Nisha's fabricated appointment with a Chinese power-broker, leads to them confronting the human cost of global deals.
The audience was clearly engaged throughout, and the applause at the end was deservedly enthusiastic.
Do not expect this play to be "easy" – it does make demands on an audience -- but the effort is well worth it.
As the program notes tell us "
Brimming with sharp observations on globalisation, power, politics and migration as well as plenty of wicked humour, Rice won Michele Lee the Queensland Premier's Drama Award 2016-2017."
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24 June - 16 July
Bille Brown Studio,
Queensland Theatre
NEW SOUTH WALES
22 July – 26 Aug | Sydney: Griffin Theatre
VICTORIA
29 Aug - 2 Sep | Wodonga: HotHouse Theatre
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CAST AND CREATIVES
Director Lee Lewis
Designer Renée Mulder
Lighting Designer Jason Glenwright
Composer/AV Designer Wil Hughes
Associate Sound Designer Tony Brumpton
Cast includes
Kristy Best, Hsiao-Ling Tang
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!date 24/06/2017 -- 16/07/2017
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109162 - 2023-06-12 14:15:34