WHITE PEARL – Reviews

“Director Priscilla Jackman embeds ensemble scenes with a thrumming rhythm and a brisk tempo to let the words fall into place with zinging vitality. Though there are many intricate layers, Jackman knits the play’s ideas into a cohesive whole, making it digestible and thought-provoking without sacrificing any of its tough messages.

Most brilliantly, the writing doesn’t so much spoon feed as it does offer an opportunity to divulge in complicated concepts on a global scale, such as the nuances between diaspora and homeland Asians, and the traumas attached to belonging in liminal spaces. King’s assured approach to her female characters – equally magnetic as they are spiky – reflects exactly what makes her play so riveting: the unapologetic display of blemishes and imperfections.”
Debbie Zhou
Timeout

______

“Priscilla Jackman has assembled a spot-on cast – all of whom do a fabulous job of nailing their character – and directs the play with a zinging assurance and an appropriately light touch”
Jo Liston
Limelight Magazine

______

“Jackman directs with scrupulous attention to detail and with panache in her casting and her dynamic choreography of bodies…
You know that feeling when you’re standing on a cliff, and are drawn inexorably a little closer to the edge, and then a little more, and then … This play is like that. It’s all edge, no safety-net. Daring and a touch dangerous, its sense of breakneck velocity and unpredictability are fully realised in this vigorous Australian premiere.”
John Shand
Sydney Morning Herald

______

“The writing is thrilling, all sharp crackles and highly-controlled recklessness. She barrels through scenes with velocity and wit, and you could be left breathless or left behind. Best to lean forward and dive in – and with director Priscilla Jackman at the reigns, a steadying hand and muscular force coaxing full-bodied performers out of her actors – it’s a hell of a ride.
The play has an internal and magnetic momentum that presses you ever forward. It’s near impossible to resist.”
Cassie Tongue
Audrey Journal

______

“Priscilla Jackman’s direction puts all the elements together in a controlled explosion as hilarious as it is whip-smart.
In a seamless intertwining of big-picture issues and personal anxieties, King covers huge ground. Racism, political correctness, corporate responsibility, business ethics, women’s insecurities and the power of social media are just the beginning.”
Deborah Jones
The Australian

______

“Priscilla Jackman does great work directing this propulsive character drama, maintaining its tension and humour in a delicate balance. Moreover, she has an embarrassment of riches with this exceptional cast. It is a true joy to see such an ensemble at work, with terrific representation and such impressive dramatic chops on display.”
Jack Teiwes
Australian Stage

______

“Director Priscilla Jackman keeps dramatic intensity at fever pitch for the entire duration, establishing an unrelenting awareness in our consciousness reminding us that the stakes are very high indeed, not only in the fiction that we encounter, but also the real life implications of this timely tale about our social responsibilities as groups and individuals.
The play’s unravelling of corporate culture, engenders a caustic sense of humour that keeps us on edge, for a wildly funny theatrical ride that never releases us from its moral interrogations.
It is a sensational piece of writing, thoroughly researched and passionately rendered. White Pearl throws us into a cauldron of frenzied chaos, but each line of dialogue is crafted with immense precision, for an insightful examination not only of capitalism and racism, but also of the classism and sexism that govern so much of how these characters operate.”
Suzy Wrong
Suzy Goes See