playwright | screenwriter
reviews
Yam Sing and U-Turn
British Theatre Guide (Howard Loxton)
“[Yam Sing] is cleverly written, and directed by David Tse Ka-shing so that what could be glaringly obvious takes time to unravel. What could be just a brief anecdote becomes something much more entertaining and along the way suggests some wry questions about relationships.”
Public Reviews (Jo Beggs)
★★★★ “Yam Sing (the Chinese version of ‘cheers!’), by Simon Wu, is a cleverly structured tale told by two gate-crashers at a wedding. Stuck at the back of an enormous dining hall, they share their painful stories of love and loss as numerous celebratory dishes are brought to the table – sharks fin soup representing wealth, suckling pig for virginity, lobster for wealth. As they devour the banquet they wallow in what they’ve lost – but how bad can things be when there’s food on the table and a friend to share it with?”
Exeunt Magazine (Alice Saville)
★★★”Yam Sing is perhaps the strongest piece in its current form; set at a Chinese wedding, two men enviously or bitterly look on as their former lovers celebrate their union with an elaborate, multi-coursed feast. Making full use of the evening’s theme, explanations of the symbolism of the food served pepper the narrative, the men’s relationship deepening as they at first fight over then share the constantly replenished dishes.”
Remote Goat (Beatrice Blackman)
★★★★ ”An evening of fresh, charming and amazingly varied entertainment.” “Quality performance in party atmosphere”
Asian Planet
“Incredibly enjoyable in a marvellous setting with a very fine performances from the cast playing complex and comical roles. Scenes were very well written and congratulations to the writers and directors.”
Behind the Arras (Jeff Grant)
★★★★★ “Yam Sing by Simon Wu is the story of the unlikely bond that two uninvited guests share at a wedding, and gave both Leonhart and Biles acres of room to show off their talent …”
Oikos
OIKOS ★★★
Guardian
Review by Michael Billington (1 September 2010):
On Simon Wu
“Simon Wu’s Oikos (pronounced ee-kos) certainly lives up to the building’s ark-like contours.”
“Obviously, his play gains horrendous topicality from the crisis in Pakistan; Wu is shrewd enough to suggest that Salil, whose Indian family was devastated when the Gangs overflowed, learns that ecological disasters are a result of human actions rather than divine intervention.”
On production
“Topher Campbell’s production, staged by the Red Room in association with The Junction, does successfully incorporate live action and film, to convey a sense of watery engulfment. Neil d’Souza as the saturated Salil, Dido Miles as his wife, and Amy Dawson as their returning daughter give it their all.”
“The whole project…is moving. Something remarkable has been built, with loving ingenuity, out of reclaimed materials: it’s an object lesson both for theatre and society.”
Pilgrimage of the Heart
Simon Wu’s The Pilgrimage of the Heart is a stage adaptation of an Eileen Zhang’s short story.
Time Out June 12-18 2008
Review by Lucy Powell
“Wrtier Eileen Zhang examines an Electra complex reaching dangerous maturity in a pre-war Shanghai destined for communism… Zhang’s disturbing story remains a truly wondrous discovery…”
WriteWords Review
"Simon Wu’s adaptation of Eileen Zhang’s short story demonstrates the art of bringing a complete city into a room.”
British Theatre Guide
"Simon Wu is clearly a very capable dramatist."
The Two of Us
British Theatre Guide
“Wu’s skilfully contrived script soon has us wondering which brother it is talking to us – and is it always the same one? Are we really to believe that one twin actually kills the other? Whose blood does the speaker see reflected in a mirror?…
Wu’s stage directions describe a set with a multiplicity of mirrors, some facing each other so that an image is repeated to infinity, which would give an endless replication of the single person on the stage. Although in its form the play seems to suggest there are actual twins there is a sense in which there is also an exploration of two sides of a single personality, one in conflict with the other, or the multiplicity of possible patterns a person may chose to follow. It is an intellectual concept rather than a dramatic one but Wu has given it a structure that can be staged theatrically.”
Bruntwood Reader's Report
“There is a fantastic concept that has a hugh amount of theatrical potential.”
“The use of video and multi media within the piece is very exciting and could have a big impact on an audience, as well as advancing the story-telling.”
“The piece has a strong narrative and is a very gripping read.”
“The two central characters are well-conceived and well-drawn; they are both believable despite the fact that one actor will bring them both to life.”
Reviews of previous Hong Kong Productions
South China Morning Post’s Review on Young And Dangerous 97 (by Kevin Kwong, 13 July 1997)
Quote from the South Ching Morning Post:
“Young & Dangerous 97 is an intense psychological drama about a gang of young Hong Kong triads living on the edge of destitution and desperation.”
“Young & Dangerous 97 can be viewed on two levels: a whodunnit and a more sober examination of Hong Kong triads.”
Online review on Mr. Wu File – Missing Person (in Chinese, 2000)
Quote in translation:
“a well construed and well constructed play that begins and ends at the Mass Transit Railway station… with equal emphasis on characters’ psyche and their daily routines, giving them credibility within the context of Theatre of Absurd.”
Wolf in the House
Au Yeung Chun, the younger actor playing the part of Ming, has been nominated for the best actor for the Studio Theatre Award for his role in WOLF IN THE HOUSE.
South China Morning Post
“Simon Wu’s script had the odd character of veering from the predictable to the profound and back again, but this was no liability as the more conventional parts carried the thoughtful ones, and gave them a degree of credibility in terms of theatre.”
British Theatre Guide
“Wu engages in an enigmatic series of revelations that seem to keep on changing the possibilities, gradually peeling layers away to what may be the truth.”
Culture Wars' Review
“The whole play is set in Kai’s flat with the noise of the storm outside creating the sort of claustrophobic and tense atmosphere that one finds in a Tennessee Williams play.”
Royal Court's feedback
“This is a beautifully written, atmospheric play. The unfolding relationship between the two antagonists is well explored and balletic at times.”
BBC Writers Room's feeback
"The characterisation and tension make the script engaging … characters are set up so well and the tension is maintained so effectively throughout.”
