Rainbow Chan is an award-winning vocalist, producer and multi-disciplinary artist. Driven by a DIY spirit, Chan melds catchy melodies and off-kilter beats made up of field-recordings and found sounds. Both heartbreaking and tender, her idiosyncratic brand of pop reflects diasporic experiences and deeply personal tales of love and loss. In 2022, Chan was recognised in the "40 Under 40: Most Influential Asian Australians Award" for her contribution to arts and culture. She won "Artist of the Year" in the 2022 FBi SMAC Award
In “The Bridal Lament” Chan draws on her Weitou ancestry (the first settlers of Hong Kong),and reimagines a Weitou ritual known as the bridal lament, a public performance of grief in which a bride wept and sang in front of family and friends. In this liminal space, brides expressed bitterness towards the prevailing patriarchal rule when arranged marriages took place by parents or even through matchmakers. This ritual tradition allows the bride to express her sorrow and loss of personal identity and marriage to a man she has never met. A husband that, in most cases, will take the bride away from her village, family, and friends. It was as if the bride had died. The husband-to-be was referred to as the King of Hell.Conceived and structured as a song cycle, “The Bridal Lament” (哭嫁歌), brings to life intergenerational and cross-cultural perspectives on diasporic experiences and the complex history of Hong Kong. With direction from Contemporary Asian Australian Performance’s (CAAP) Artistic Director Tessa Leong, this is an elegant and sophisticated production. Over 70 minutes, Chan beguiles and captivates as she takes us through the stages of the bridal process.
Our journey is told through song and narration, striking projection and lighting. The music is all modern and electronic, pre-recorded. Chan moves delicately sometimes with her entire body or maybe just a hand or finger – everything is poised, hypnotic and infectious. Each song is preceded with a recoded narration from Chan’s mother (in Cantonese) translated into English via the spectacular projection (Rel Pham). This was charming and very moving as we have a direct contact with a community elder, passing down story and tradition only to be made new by her daughter.
Onstage there is a huge crystal bead curtain – more of an installation in one part of the stage (designed by Al Joel and Emily Borghi). Its shape echoes a square Chinese character. The character we are told means “return”, “cycle”, “new beginning” –the multiple but related meanings are all there for us to reflect on as is the way Chan moves within and around the installation – to be caught, carried, hidden and ultimately freed.
“The Bridal Lament” is a beautiful and mighty work that resonates deeply long after it is over. As theatre it is a breath of fresh air with a deeply felt but lightly held insight into migrant experience, the plight of women and the (still prevalent) arranged marriage culture. The unique story and the level of artistry make it a Sydney Festival highlight this year.
Not to be missed!
Kate Gaul
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