Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep
Presented as part of the Sydney Opera House’s 2020 UnWrapped festival, Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep presents the life and work of legendary musician Margaret Leng Tan. Co-produced by Chamber Made and CultureLink Singapore, the piece is performed by Leng Tan and combines spoken and recorded text, projected images and original music by Leng Tan’s long-term collaborator Erik Griswold.
Directed by Chamber Made’s Artistic Director Tamara Saulwick, Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep is a celebratory and stunning exploration of Margaret’s work as a performer and musician.
“She’s a powerhouse performer. She’s 74 going on 35. She’s totally unstoppable actually,” Saulwick said of Leng Tan. “We’ve been inspired by her as an artist and her life as an artist.”
Saulwick shared the way in which the piece leans toward theatre, despite Leng Tan being primarily a musician.
“There are these visual and narrative elements that are woven into the music in the piece. I’m really interested in works that sit at the intersection between performance and sound and music,” said Saulwick, going on to say, “Margaret is a natural performer and she does speak in the piece but she’s not an actor… so we wanted to find a way to frame what she does well.”
“It’s gloriously beautiful and quite nostalgic,” Saulwick concluded. “It’s quite a transporting and beautiful work that invites you into someone else’s experience of the world. There’s a little bit of something for everyone.”
Mar 18-20. Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney. $30-$45+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.sydneyoperahouse.com
By Madison Behringer
