Sky Yang and Fiona Hampton in Scenes from a Repatriation [Alex Brenner]

SCENES FROM A REPATRIATION
Royal Court
☆☆☆☆

Singaporean playwright Joel Tan’s Scenes from a Repatriation follows the fictional return of a 1,000-year-old statue from Britain to China.

The play begins at the British Museum, where we learn how the Bodhisattva Guanyin statue was looted by British troops from Beijing’s Old Summer Palace during the Second Opium War.

A Chinese businessman effectively bribes the museum to facilitate its return, then places the statue in Pudong airport for maximum exposure – “the whole world passes through Shanghai… who goes to a museum?” Reclaiming the artwork, it seems, is less about heritage than a show of strength.

While a couple of early scenes feel unnecessary, the students’ protests and experts’ hot debate are compelling, their arguments often profound. As one character claims: “a statue can be an exile, a refugee… a witness to atrocity.”

The second half, set in China, ignites as Tan powerfully conveys the state’s repressive machinery. One empire may have fallen, but another world power is flexing its muscle. An interrogation of an artist boldly unfolds in Mandarin and Cantonese with translations projected on screen

Inventively directed by experimental duo emma + pj, this high-octane production demonstrates how antiquities can be weaponised in displays of power, and questions who truly owns cultural artefacts – the deity was originally depicted as male in India.

In TK Hay’s imaginative design, the traverse stage is strewn with sand; the statue of Guanyin is at one end, a platform is well utilised and a mirror distorts and reflects both actors and audience.

The six-strong cast – Kaja Chan, Aidan Cheng, Jon Chew, Fiona Hampton, Robin Khor Yong Kuan and Sky Yang – impress in multiple roles. Recommended.

Until May 24
royalcourttheatre.com/