REVIEW: THE DEATH OF HUNDUN at Etcetera Theatre, London and Greenside Theatre, Edinburgh

‘A magnetic solo performance that commands total attention.’ ★★★★

The Death of Hundun centres on a young female protagonist whose soul is symbolically carved four times, laying bare her deepest fears and her darkest struggles with bipolar disorder. This deeply moving journey navigates the fine line between self-destruction and rebirth. By blending reason with chaos, the performance challenges the audience to experience the powerful collision between human emotion, philosophy, and the physical body.

The story is inspired by the classic text Zhuangzi’s fable of Hundun, a legendary faceless creature in Chinese mythology that personifies primordial chaos, unformed energy and disorder. The creature was rewarded for its hospitality towards two rulers by being offered sensory orifices, but it died after the seventh hole was carved into its body. An illustration that trying to force artificial order into Chaos (Hundun) can destroy its natural essence.

The small rectangular black box theatre was cleverly transformed into a circular stage, creative works of the set designer Yixuan Wang. Neon lights outlined the borders of the stage and strikingly white coloured furniture was scattered on the floor with one mattress leaning against the black backdrop. The performer’s dramatic graceful physical movement maximizes the use of the restrained stage space, offering the audience a glimpse of her life and her quest for acceptance in her relationships, her work life, connections with her family members and seeking breathing space through trips to the seaside. When Wandi Liu starts laying the furniture sideways on the floor and dances over and around them on the floor, it was a delight to realise that we, as audience, were being presented with a ‘bird eye’s view’ of her exceptional physical performance.

One drawback. The 60-minute monologue is entirely delivered in Chinese Mandarin, with English subtitles projected on the black fabric curtains backdrop. The production's heavy focus on physical theatre magnified the difficulty and challenge for non-Chinese speakers attempting to follow subtitles simultaneously in order to make sense of the narrative. Liu delivered a magnetic solo performance that commands total attention.

A beautifully executed physical theatre one-woman emotional monologue, co-written by playwright Roccia Zhang, and performed by actor-director and co-writer Wandi Liu under the movement direction of Lettie Liuby with the assistance of a large creative and production team is being staged for the Camden Fringe and the Edinburgh Fringe. 

Camden Fringe Festival at Etcetera Theatre 12 – 14 August

Edinburgh Festival Fringe at Greenside Theatre 24 – 29 August daily at 11:25 AM BOX OFFICE https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-death-of-hundun

Team Members

Director: Wandi Liu

Producer: Qiaoran Li, Xiaoyu Wang

Playwright: Roccia Zhang, Wandi Liu

Performer: Wandi Liu

Executive Producer: Jiaxin Du

Co-Director: Yi Wang

Acting Coach: Yudun Wang

Dramaturg: Yi Wang

Artistic Supervisor: Jiawen Chen

Movement Director: Lettie Liu

Set Designer: Yixuan Wang

Lighting Designer and Operator: Baysalt

Composer, Sound Designer and Operator: Ganey Zhang

Marketing Manager and Assistant Producer: Rulin Ma

Stage Manager: Linger Wen

Photographer: Peter, Wendy