The Melbourne Fringe Festival comedy is based off a short story of the same title that Diana Nguyen contributed to Alice Pung’s anthology Growing Up Asian In Australia. Nguyen received commendation for the story’s compassionate approach to cultural integration in Australia. In Nguyen’s karaoke adaption, Singing 5 Ways To Disappoint Your Vietnamese Mother, the comedy heralds Nguyen’s childhood, explicitly shining light upon the fact that growing up ethnic in Australia is hard.
Set in the quaint Chaplin Karaoke bar, a bubbly Nguyen ushers you into one of the karaoke rooms where a pile of trinkets and several microphones are positioned upon a table. It’s small, intimate and perfect for the atmosphere of Nguyen’s comedy: a touching story about family regrets, disappointments and heartaches.
Through a selection of carefully selected songs, Nguyen leads you through the dilemmas of being a first generation Australian coupled with the imminent desire to please your parents. She delves into the pivotal moments of her childhood that ignited her love of music, to the moments that shaped her career, including Pauline Hanson’s anti-multiculturalism days in Parliament.
Singing 5 Ways To Disappoint Your Vietnamese Mother reveals the difficulties of growing up Asian in Australia. The cultural and language barriers, and that mounting expectation to settle into a high-paying occupation. Add your typical teenage plights to this, then you have a recipe for disaster. Through confessions made during the bridges of each song, Nguyen captures these feelings of angst, heartbreak, disappointment and love, we all empathise with, regardless of our ethnicity.
Trinkets, photographs and various other sentimental objects serve as shaping catalysts for each pivotal moment. Nguyen’s effervescence added humour to sombre moments, while the interactivity of the karaoke created a fun atmosphere.
The Melbournian actress also draws on her catalogue of acting experiences (Miss Saigon, Underbelly, Like Tears in the Rain) to re-enact arguments with her mother. Notably, Nguyen sings a heart-wrenching cover of Imogen Heap that cannot be missed.
Overall, Singing 5 Ways To Disappoint Your Vietnamese Mother is a quirky comedy that resonates with everyone. In explores the love of a mother and a child set to the paradigm of karaoke songs. Who could ask for more?
