Find out how critics have been reacting to Amy Ng’s play, running at the Kiln Theatre until the 10th May.
WhatsOnStage: “Ng is a historian by training and her writing is fluent, raising interesting questions of intent.”
The Guardian: “What helps to adrenalise the story and bring context is Jean Chan’s fluidly moving set and Akhila Krishnan’s video design, with projected illustrations and bursts of colour that bear the aesthetics of a graphic novel and bring visual drama. Nicola T Chang’s electronic music design adds to it, culminating in a spectacular blood red set-piece, with a blaze of sound, light and movement.”
The Independent: “The source material here is undeniably compelling – a cautionary tale of resentment and repression. But this production falters in its execution, opting for a melodramatic, borderline cheesy tone that undercuts its own message.”
London Theatre.co.uk: “If it doesn’t fully come to life, it does provide a window into a terrifying period of history where friendships counted for very little in the pursuit of power.”
The Standard: “Whatever its flaws as a piece of drama, I came away from this both informed and stimulated.”
All That Dazzles: “Amy Ng stresses that history is written by the victors, and from all historical accounts we know surprisingly very little about these two titanic women. Sadly, after this performance, I came away knowing more about the exploits and political movements of Chairman Mao, Zhao Enlai (Papa Zhao) and the meaning behind Ibsen’s A Doll’s House than I do of Jiang and Sun. “
Everything Theatre: ” Ng has dramatised a fascinating and previously wholly inaccessible slice of history. There is no question that her writing feels as though, like Ibsen, she’s become uncannily familiar with the history of her characters.”
Theatre & Tonic: “In conclusion, Shanghai Dolls takes time to build, and an interest in the history is certainly helpful, but the emotions and historical significance of the play create a compelling show. I certainly left with a deeper understanding of Jiang Qing and Sun Weishi’s legacies and their impact on China’s history.”
The Reviews Hub: “Ng’s play ultimately trades exploring Ibsen’s doll houses for a history lesson from which the Noras of Shanghai Dolls can never escape.”
The FT: “Gabby Wong (Jiang) and Millicent Wong (Sun), both vivid, bold and sympathetic performers, create a believable bond in Katie Posner’s staging (a co-production with Paines Plough). But it’s hard for them to find subtlety in their characters when they have to switchback through such a complex story and deliver so much exposition. It’s a cracking idea for a play, but sadly the execution doesn’t meet the potential.”
Theatre Weekly: “To be fair, the production per se is quite decent and mature. Both actresses bring the characters great nuance and full brim, and I’m especially impressed by Millicent’s physicality when Sun is put into a dungeon. Jean Chan’s minimalist set design, featuring three movable panels with doors, effectively frames the narrative through a series of vignettes.”
Time Out: “While history zooms around them, Shanghai Dolls remains their story. From their first meeting in a theatre in Shanghai, we see them as seeds growing in different directions. With a longer running time and a little more realism, this could be a welcome study of an extraordinary lost friendship.”
The Stage: ” Garbled two-hander fails to do justice to potentially fascinating hidden history.”
London Theatre 1: “While Shanghai Dolls is worth seeing, and it nudges us to learn more about Jiang Qing, Sun Weishi, and their influence on today’s modern China, the answer may be in a restructured version, if not, its enormous power will remain unleashed.”
Broadway World: “That Ng is a historian is clear from the wealth of exposition delivered in each scene through news articles projected onto the walls and set design. Her love for this period shines through but – even will all the information splashed up and dotted into the dialogue – it is still hard work to grasp the nuances of the bigger picture as we move along.”
To book tickets visit: https://kilntheatre.com/whats-on/shanghai-dolls/