Engaging, interesting and multi-faceted. For me, the strongest element was the play's treatment of its theme of translation - staged through the figure of the narrator-translator himself (a constant observer and interpolater, making literal the idea that translation is a character in its own right), the acts of translation (interpreting) involved between Chinese and American actors and institutions, the multi-vocal and multi-perspectival presentation of many of the scenes, and the links made between intercultural and interpersonal translation, communication, and speech.
Also interesting but less satisfyingly developed, including in their interconnections, were the personal stories (both those of the central sisters Julie and Eva, and the dissident and his wife, were more sketched than fully fleshed out and a bit told rather than showed) and the social and political implications of China's state surveillance system as played out through the 'great firewall of China' and the Communist Party's centralised/decentralised apparatus to monitor and crack down on dissenting voices, and as writ large theatrically via the large screen projections of the action on stage.
Some aspects of the writing weren't as tight as they could have been - the little sister's 'breakthrough' that sets up the case seemed elementary, the erroneous implication that a 400% increase in speed is the same as being four times faster, the leading questions during examination in chief (the last being most forgivable). But overall Golden Shield was very good - high quality and intriguingly layered, and making good use of the theatrical form alongside its prestige-televisual elements.
(w R)
Also interesting but less satisfyingly developed, including in their interconnections, were the personal stories (both those of the central sisters Julie and Eva, and the dissident and his wife, were more sketched than fully fleshed out and a bit told rather than showed) and the social and political implications of China's state surveillance system as played out through the 'great firewall of China' and the Communist Party's centralised/decentralised apparatus to monitor and crack down on dissenting voices, and as writ large theatrically via the large screen projections of the action on stage.
Some aspects of the writing weren't as tight as they could have been - the little sister's 'breakthrough' that sets up the case seemed elementary, the erroneous implication that a 400% increase in speed is the same as being four times faster, the leading questions during examination in chief (the last being most forgivable). But overall Golden Shield was very good - high quality and intriguingly layered, and making good use of the theatrical form alongside its prestige-televisual elements.
(w R)
