Sheldon Long’s epic musical Caged Sisters currently runs at 75 minutes of content (with an unnecessary interval), but has enough scope and plot for twice the length.
It’s the story of a Red Mansion, a jealous wife, a scheming servant, and two sisters, You Er and You San. The two paths the You sisters take within the confines of their cultural and gender expectations lead to high drama.
There is some significant vocal power on show here, particularly from Michelle Yim as Lady Wang and Yiting Jiang as You Er. There’s even traditional movement and dancing just prior to the second half.
The Bridewell Theatre stage is used well with curtains offering layered scenes and plates from background projections and one use of video. The lighting by Nirul Wardani and Sammy Kissin has warmth and depth.
Caged Sisters utilises a story from Hónglóu Mèng, a celebrated Chinese novel about power, freedom, and love. It has a lot of potential and the songs (musical director Yezi Guo) reflect this, although the story obviously has to unfold quickly.
Western audiences may leave a little confused as the book leaves out a lot of the plot, making the fate of the sisters come out of nowhere. I recommend reading the programme notes!
Tradition and honour have their place, but You San’s (Yiqian Shao) story in particular feels rushed, although she makes the most of her role as the woman seeking equality.
Ping Er (Lois Lau) and the Doctor (Sok-Ho Trinh) are the villains of the piece, with the latter even emerging from the assumed cauldron of hell. They play their parts extremely well and with an air of menace.
Now and again the choreography falters or a vocal note is missed, but in the main this is an emotional production with clear ambition. It was a pleasure to see it so early in its journey.
3 stars.
Caged Sisters is at Camden Fringe until 30 Aug – you can follow its progress at the show’s website.