★★★★✰
It has been over twenty years since Britain’s handover of Hong Kong back to China in 1997 and the effects are still acutely felt to this day. As civil freedoms were gradually eroded and political and social turmoil mounted, many Hong Kong nationals have chosen to leave their homeland. Tragically, many were forced to cut ties with all their friends and families to protect their safety as the new regime had now criminalised dissent and ‘collusion’ with foreign forces.
This heart-breaking reality is poignantly captured in A Funeral for My Friend Who is Still Alive: a one-woman play that offers a glimpse at the lives of those affected by the social movement in the form of a bittersweet eulogy. Based on Kasen Tui’s true experiences as a former journalist in Hong Kong, the play sees our main character hosting a funeral for her friend who she’s not seen in three years… despite being very much alive. As she prepares a eulogy to celebrate their time together, she must relive the violent and agonising moments from her past highlighting both the systematic brutality yet also fierce resilience in the face of growing oppression.
This dark-comedy marks the first writing collaboration between Tsui and Cathy Lam with them serving as director and performer respectively. Both are passionate about social justice and that advocacy is reflected in the animated performance, clever direction, and bold speeches. Kasen uses physical comedy and miming to create a lively pulsating vision of the protests, plunging us headfirst into a violent climate. Rolling across the stage, darting in and out of the audience, and even offering the audience leaflets, you are always fully engaged.
Even with the delicate subject matter, the physical comedy is interjected mostly effectively. Other moments outstay their welcome, the wackiness becoming too intense and widely derailing the more dramatic tone of the piece. Yet these parts were compensated for by well-composed dark comedy such as when the technicalities of the funeral were discussed—the pole bearer also being the one who was to be cremated.
As Kasen recounts the history of this friendship, heartbreak begins to seep through, punctuated by brief but powerful uses of irony. Journalists were among those particularly hit, as new Chinese legislation cut press freedoms to an all-time low. In light of this, you really feel the sharp sting of irony as Kasen reads the hopeful letter she addressed to herself ten years on, free and full of yearning.
The play’s intimate storytelling helps accentuate the raw emotions and vulnerability felt during the social movement, yet the humanity of all those afflicted remains at the heart of the piece. Individual and collective trauma are inextricably entwined giving us a sensitive portrait of this existing crisis and the healing power of reconciliation and hope.
While the tone loses focus from time to time, A Funeral for my Friend who is Still Alive is, at its core, a tender and moving story about farewell and resolution following hardships.
A Funeral for My Friend Who Is Still Alive will be shown at theSpace @ Niddry St – Studio from 10-12 August at 10am as part of Edinburgh Fringe.
Words by Katie Heyes
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