Golden Blood 黄金血液 (Sydney Theatre Co) ★★★★

Written by Merlynn Tong. Sydney Theatre Company. 13 Sep – 13 Oct, 2024.

Merlynn Tong’s Golden Blood is back after its 2022 debut at Griffin Theatre Company. Same cast and a subtly enlarged set sees this story of two orphaned siblings growing up in Singapore expand without losing its verve.

14-year old Girl (Merlynn Tong) has to make a big decision. After the death of her mother she has to pick an adult guardian. Should she go with her boring Uncle, or her 21-year old brother, Boy (Charles Wu)? Boy convinces her that he is her best choice, promising “I will always look after you”. Surrounded by his gangland brothers, an entrepreneurial spirit and sheer desperation the two eke out a new life of highs and lows.

This may be Tong’s playwriting debut but Golden Blood is a terrifically sharp 90 minute two-hander that balances the drama with fresh laughs, especially for those with Singaporean connections. Presented in a heavily accented “Singlish”, her language captures both the idiosyncratic cadence of the region but also the youth of the speakers. 

And that’s the show’s real triumph, in convincingly conveying the flawed choices of two children forced to be adults. Boy thinks he’s a man, full of cocky bravado but the audience sees through it in an instant. It’s clear that Girl should not choose Boy as her guardian, but their emotional connection is hard to break. 

Merlynn Tong’s Girl is innocent and precocious. Her love of her toy koala, and desire to go to veterinary school to learn to look after marsupials is instantly charming. Girl and Boy may have no money and be constantly scraping by, but you feel like Girl has a potential way out. 

Charles Wu’s Boy is old enough to know how messed up their mother was before her death, and as the story progresses, and we learn more details, it’s easy to see how he became the man he did. Both Girl and Boy are children of an abusive, mentally ill parent and the scars show.

Michael Hankin’s original set has been given a glow-up to fit the space but retains the iconic Griffin corner-stage shape. Fausto Brusamolino’s lighting channels the frenetic energy of the duo and their fracturing lives. 

Golden Blood may not have much to say in terms of a larger meta-narrative, but its fascinating characters and Tong’s terrific pacing make it an ever unraveling puzzle that is both wickedly fun and heartbreaking. This is an incisive piece of writing and it’s a great move by Sydney Theatre Company to pick it up and present it to a wider audience. It showcases just how much we need the work Griffin does (I can’t wait for its reopening) and how the ecosystem of Sydney theatres can work together.