Foreign Goods

A Selection of Writing by British East Asian Artists

Jingan Young

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781786823595
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Drama
• Index: Literature

An essential introduction to the British East Asian theatrical community, this is acollection of full plays, short plays and monologues from British East Asian writers, including Jingan Young, Kathryn Golding, Amber Hsu, Cathy Lam, Lucy Chau Lai-Tuen, Tan Suet Lee, Julie Cheung Inhin & Stephen Hoo. Contains a foreword written by David Henry Hwang and Jingan Young.

UNDER A BLOOD RED MOON

A play in one act

by LUCY CHAU LAI-TUEN

Production History

Under a Blood Red Moon started out as a short play commission from the Royal Court and was presented as part of Live Lunch Hidden under the title Restrain Your Grief and Adapt to the Mishap. It was performed in the Jerwood Theatre upstairs (script in hand) on the 19th and 20th June 2015 with the following cast and creative team:

Cast

Lourdes Faberes

Daniel York

Creative Team

Writer	Lucy Chau Lai-Tuen
Director/Producer	Lucy Morrison

Many thanks to the many British East Asian Artists
who have helped me. Special thanks to Lourdes Faberes,
Daniel York and The Royal Court

This play is dedicated to the memory of Junix Inocian,
actor and friend

Characters

MA, CHU

MA, LI

CUSTOMER

GANG MEMBER

(JIAN) JACKIE CHAN

MR. CHAN

MRS. CHAN

MONA HING

IDA BRAMBLE

Suggested doubling

MA, CHU/MR. CHAN

MA, LI/MRS. CHAN

JACKIE/CUSTOMER/GANG MEMBER

CHU’s take away It’s a Wonderful Wok and a hospital morgue.

CHU’s dead body is wheeled into the morgue covered by a white sheet. LI, CHU’s wife enters and sits next to her dead husband.

CHU slowly sits up, the sheet falls into his lap. Newly dead CHU can still interact with those he knew and loved.

IT’S A WONDERFUL WOK

LI: They stamped on you like a bug. Twenty-three of them and they’re out on bail. Unbelievable! Police tried to charge me with aggravated assault! I laughed.

CHU: Now I’m a one-eighty by one-fifty rectangle of news.

LI: ‘Local news. Owner of It’s A Wonderful Wok Chinese takeaway killed in an incident’.

It’s all over the TV. They rushed you to A&E, but you died before they could get you there.

I’m so mad at you!

For leaving the shop – for leaving me –

You were always telling me…

CHU: Stay inside, don’t get involved…

LI: It’s none of our business.

CHU: I thought you’d be happy, I did what you asked.

LI: He’s back –

CHU: And he’s not alone…

LI: So many of them!

CHU: Why are they screaming?

LI: Get away from the window.

CHU: Call the police!

LI: You call the fucking police!

CHU: Look!

LI: What?

CHU: The moon…

LI: Eh?

CHU: It’s important…

LI: Not a good time…

CHU: ‘When the moon is shining…’*

LI: Make this stop! Or – I’m done!

GANG MEMBER: Fucking Chinky-Changalings!

What right do you have to come over here?

Walk down our streets? Live in our neighbourhoods?

LI: Chu! Come back! Chu!

CHU: Who would have thought, my last memory, feet.

I was a man so I swallowed the insults.

I don’t make a fuss, I don’t draw attention to myself.

I knuckle down, I pay my taxes.

I work, work, work.

‘I had no fear of the long road.’

CHU drops to his knees.

A boot cracks the back of my skull, then stops. I thought, oh, it’s raining. Then the smell. They were pissing on me I look up and I focus on the blood red moon.

BLACKOUT.

*the cripple becomes happy for a walk.

HOSPITAL MORGUE

LI: That Chinese lawyer turned up. The one you don’t like. If it hadn’t been for him, I’d be in prison.

CHU: See what happens when we draw attention to ourselves?

‘Life is ruled by letting things take their course. You don’t rule it by interfering.’

LI: I didn’t ask for attention! Just help, because you failed.

CHU: Li, ‘is not whether I failed, but whether you were content with my failure.’

LI: I’m here, only, I don’t know...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword and Special Thanks
• Foreword
• No More Lotus Flower!
• Suzy Wong: Fitting In and Fucking Up
• Jamaica Boy
• The Stone
• Under a Blood Red Moon
• The Confession
• The Swing
• I’m Just Here to Buy Soy Sauce