At the Kirk Douglas Theatre, performance artist Kristina Wong shares how she survived and even transcended the COVID-19 Pandemic by bringing ‘aunties’ together nationwide and making masks from whatever materials they could find and gather.
By John Lavitt
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 02-17-2022
Sweatshop Overlord is about mothers and daughters and heritage and how at a time of horrific anti-Asian bigotry and violence in this country, some of those women harnessed perennially undervalued skills for an urgent common good. Amid corrosive cultural discord, they acted with a kind of ferocious grace.
Some shows are easier to review than others. In a time of woke politics and ethnic inclusion above all else, a show like Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord is like walking a minefield of cancel culture for a white male reviewer. Given the nature of the journey taken and the undeniable courage of many marginalized women and ethnicities in a time of extreme crisis, how can you criticize anything about such a testament of endurance and strength? How can you say anything beyond “Thank you!” as you bow your head as a sign of respect?
At the same time, however, it is a sign of disrespect not to be honest about the quality and nature of the performance. In a strange sense, being a “Yes” man who claps when called upon is almost as bad as being a “No” man who installs a glass ceiling. Although the latter is more repressive and reprehensible, both are examples of dishonesty. Given such a perspective, my review of Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord will reflect the truth of my experience while watching the show at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.
A Center Theatre Group Co-Production with East West Players, the one-woman show had its world premiere at the New York Theatre Workshop. It tells the story of Kristina Wong’s journey during the COVID-19 Pandemic and the extreme politics of the period. As detailed in The New York Times review, the powerful message of the show has received great reviews nationwide.
Frustrated by fear and overwhelmed by helplessness at the start of the Pandemic, Kristina Wong decides to give back by sewing masks made from old bed sheets and bra straps on her Hello Kitty sewing machine. Presenting her work on social media and looking for people in need, she is blown away when her efforts quickly evolve into a movement. She ends up leading the Auntie Sewing Squad, a work-from-home sweatshop of hundreds of volunteers nationwide, including her own mother. Together, they sew and distribute thousands of much-needed masks. Moreover, they find a purpose and a passion that helps them survive and connect.
At the show, I sat with my friend, a female Italian film producer, and she kept commenting throughout about the excellence of the writing and storytelling. There is a clear reason why Kristina Wong was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for this work. As we experience what we pray and hope are the last days of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Kristina Wong’s story takes us back on a powerful journey from the very onset of the quarantines and political upheavals. The writing reveals the story in a manner that is nothing less than transportive. It is sometimes uncomfortable to relive these moments in such a visceral and immediate fashion.
(Credit) Kristina Wong. Jenna Selby/La Jolla Playhouse.
The show’s biggest challenge is presented, however, not by the writing but by Kristina Wong’s performance. As she sat next to me, my friend mentioned a few times how exhausting the show was to watch because of the machine gun nature of the performance. We estimated that ninety percent of the show is presented at a frenetic pace. The problem is that such an ultra-intense performance loses power after a while. It all feels the same.
As the show’s director, Chay Yew should have had the actor tone down her performance at times to give it more fluctuations of emotion and impact. Also, less of the show should be directed at the audience, and more of it should recreate the moments being recalled. The original resonance that must have fluctuated would be presented by recreating the moments on stage. Rather than a storm that never ceases, there would be moments of downtime when the winds rise, or the dark clouds pass overhead.
In the final act of the storyline, as the Pandemic is coming to an end, Kristina Wong takes longer breaths and slows down. She recalls beautiful moments of connection and tragic memories of loss that resonate more profoundly with the audience. Overall, as a firsthand account of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord is an essential and lasting document of survival and love. The value of the piece is undeniable. With a little more balancing and willingness to modulate the performance’s tonality, this value would come across in a manner that takes its creation to the next level of excellence and achievement.
