Review: Sure to be a stand out at this year’s Fringe
Hello Kitty Must Die is a musical adaptation of the Angela S. Choi novel by Gail Rastorfer and Kurt Johns, with music and lyrics by Cecilia Lin and Jessica Wu. The musical is a ruthless and unapologetic examination of stereotype, sexism and violence, comprised of an all-female East-Asian cast.
Sure to be a stand out at this year’s Fringe
Narrated in the first-person, the story follows Fiona Yu: a thirty-year-old Chinese-American who is caught between the suffocating racial and sexist prejudices of a white patriarchal society and her family’s high expectations. She is longing to destroy the harmful ‘Hello Kitty’ stereotype that infantilises Chinese women, expecting them to be quiet, obedient and sweet. Fiona suffers through her father’s arranged dates, but reconnects with an unconventional friend from her past who helps her find dark new ways to release her anger.
The show is dauntless from the outset as Fiona Yu addresses her experience of shame surrounding female sexual pleasure. The cast enter the stage where they remain for the entire performance, multi-rolling as the supporting characters with the exception of Sami Ma as Fiona and Lennox T. Duong as Sean. It is wonderful to see the five carry the show on their shoulders this way, and makes for excellent storytelling. The set is minimal, with a couple of small tables and a few chairs, making the ensemble responsible for creating the environment of each scene. This is done expertly well, and the cast’s energy earns many laughs from the audience. To aid the group’s unity, they wear all black with one element of hot pink, which is simple but effective.
The music is fun and punchy, with numbers that are sure to become musical theatre fan favourites. The upbeat tunes have a distinct techno-pop sound in the accompanying soundtrack and are evocative of the anger that women feel at the restrictions and judgements placed on them. The intense score wonderfully supports the message that women are allowed to be angry, and don’t have to fit the ‘Hello Kitty’ mould that they are placed in. What is particularly refreshing is how the show itself is both intersectional and feminist. It is extremely rare to see an all-Asian cast in Western musical theatre, let alone a production that promotes the destruction of harmful Asian stereotypes that has Asian women at its creative core.
In the lead role, Sami Ma has an incredible stage presence and she delivers Fiona’s story with boldness and sarcasm, challenging the ‘nice girl’ stereotype that her character is so tired of. What’s more is that the entire cast have extremely impressive vocal strength and their acting is superb, comically transforming into male and female characters with absurd voices and physicalities. You relish in the talent of these women, which is especially poignant as they discuss the favouritism towards boys in China that leaves girls feeling second-rate.
Hello Kitty Must Die is the musical we needed. It is incredibly entertaining and an immensely enjoyable watch. It is sure to be a stand out at this year’s Fringe.