Hello Beautiful Souls, Today's English grammar note: Some stories aren't just written, they're lived, deeply, painfully, and powerfully.
Recently, I had the chance to see Shanghai Dolls at the Kiln Theatre in Kilburn, and let me tell you, this was not just a play. It was an emotional earthquake.
Set in 1930s Shanghai, the story begins with two ambitious young women, both dreaming of the stage. They meet at an audition for A Doll's House, and in a way, that play becomes a metaphor for everything that follows. One of them is Sun Weishi, who went on to become China's first female theatre director. The other is a name you probably know: Madame Mao, who would later become one of the most feared figures of the Cultural Revolution.
From friendship to politics, dreams to disillusionment, this story is layered with everything that makes theatre magical and haunting: ambition, betrayal, power, and heartbreak. It's based on real lives, real pain, and real consequences. One woman ends up murdered in prison, the other making rag dolls behind bars.
Amy Ng's writing captures this brutal transformation with such delicacy and strength, you'll feel the beauty and tragedy in equal measure. It underlines how the personal becomes political, especially for women navigating power in a world that wasn't made for them.
Sadly, the show only runs until 10th May 2025, so by the time you read this, it may no longer be on stage. But please, if you love theatre that brings untold stories to light, keep an eye on the Kiln Theatre. They know how to select work that stays with you long after the lights go down.
Until the next act,
