Su Mi’s wonderful concoction of all thing’s life succeeds in its own WIP, leaving the audience in tears of laughter

Su welcomes us into her work in progress performance of Su Mi: Banana Beard, firstly acknowledging the fact that it was a WIP, a work in progress, tells the audience what to do, in case something goes wrong, ‘It’s all part of the plan’, she says, making the audience repeat it several times. But I am believed to think nothing went wrong. 

The show came in storming, with witty humour, musical interludes and some extraordinary costumes. Su began to share her story of growing up in East London, with hilarious videos of her mum celebrating the football, and Su’s sexual teenage years writing in her diary about her dream boy. All the evidence was on screen, showing us the proof for these intimate, heartwarming, yet slightly alarming stories. 

The performance had a slightly teacher-esque tone to it, with the PowerPoint screen, highlighting things for the audience to see, which was a great asset to keep the audience informed and participating. Particularly when debunking and discusses the Western representation of South-East Asia in film. 

There was constant great care for the audience, never a moment of confusion or isolation between Su and us, I believe it was reciprocated, the audience loving and caring for Su just as much as she held the room for us, the energy was exhilarating. All whilst Su’s comedy and clowning was lighthearted, whilst still being slightly dirty and very down to Earth – an absolute joy to watch.

Su Mi: Banana Beard is a clown’y’, comedy show all about Su, growing up in East London, she creatively discusses, through music, costumes and media, frenzied stories of her teenage years, her mum, queerness and all the things that make Su wild. This show is definitely one to keep an eye out for.