The Girl Who Turned the World Upside Down Fredric Mao Project Arts Festival, Cultural Centre Until Wednesday This radical and exciting reworking of Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan has been directed with great verve and imagination by Fredric Mao.
The essential story remained. She inspired the French to win battle after battle only to find herself criticised by church, king, politicians and generals. Captured by the English and tried by a religious court and burnt at the stake as a heretic by the English.
The most innovative feature of this production was the creation of two actors simultaneously playing the lead role.
One side of Joan, the noble soldier of God, is acted by Bonni Chan, the other, the simple but incredibly brave peasant girl, by Olivia Yan.
The round stage put the audience in the position of the jury making it a perfect forum for advocacy when the actors tried to justify their actions.
Creating two Saint Joans was a gamble that paid off. Their relationship was carefully thought out and their interaction beautifully staged. The ritualised confrontation of the two Saint Joans with church and state was a highly charged scene.