His Mother’s Voice

Enduring piano lessons as a child is pretty standard in western society, but in Shanghai of ’66 when the Communist Party reigned, one defiant mother had to teach her son to play in secret. Justin Fleming’s play, His Mother’s Voice, details the true story of a mother-son relationship from the birth of China’s cultural revolution to the eve of the Tiananmen Square protest. The story demonstrates the love of two people from different worlds: a mother’s love that drives her to sacrifice; and a young man’s love for his country.

Director and co-founder of bAKEHOUSE Theatre, Suzanne Millar, was drawn to this story that is at times poetic, humorous and dramatic and believes it is more relevant today than ever before.

“With Australia building its relationship with China, it’s important to be aware of miscommunication, of things unsaid,” she explains. “Justin has taken a big idea – the relationship between China and Australia – and gently examined it through the prism of a family.

“At its heart, it tells the story of someone who has come from a difficult life in a brutal place, who asks Australia to give him refuge; to give him a future.” (AE)

Apr 30-May 17, atyp Studio 1, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, $20-30 (02) 9270 2400, bakehousetheatrecompany.com.au

BY ALEXANDRA ENGLISH