Pittsburgh Public Theater's Dragon Lady is the ultimate story telling experience with a punch of music and song. The author and performer, Sara Porkalob, tells the family history of the dragon lady, her grandmother who was a night club singer in the Philippines before marriage brought her to the United States. This one women show portrays three generations of family struggles, pain and joys. It’s raw, funny and an authentic portrait of generational healing though story telling.
Reflection
The show opens with the Dragon Lady singing and rapping her life version to the beat of “House of the Rising Sun ” and “Gangsta's Paradise.”
On her 60th birthday she
shares it all with her first born granddaughter, Sara. She believes that “60 is last of old
person’s birthdays when we need to start to tell stories to our children before death.”
Her story begins with childhood turmoil in the Philippines and her father’s proclamation that, “you have my blood in your veins, trouble is a family trait.” The account, often told with humour, is of one tough lady who had to claw her way through life.
After intermission, Sara’s mother (Maria) tells a different tale of the Dragon Lady. Maria’s narrative is critical of her mother’s life choices and her own upbringing. It’s a strained mother/daughter relationship sprinkled with love. As I watched this show with my own mother, I thought about the many times that I too played the “blame game” with her.
Porkalob portrays every character: her grandmother, her
mother, mother’s siblings, the night club madam and 18 others, with amazing alterations
to her voice, posture and expressions. These character changes often occur at
lighting speed but with understandable distinction. Porkalob’s singing and the quartet
from the band Hot Dam Scandal enhance this engaging painting of her life.
Sometimes all we have are our stories and memories of our past. Like Porkalob, I have found laughter and maybe even some healing reminiscing about my childhood with my closest friends , or recounting the stories of my immigrant Italian huckster grandparents with my cousins.
This show made me
laugh and cry. There is sure to be something in Porkalob’s tale that will
resonate with everyone because family
relationships, whether good or bad, bring meaning to our present. We all
have a history, a story and even some pain that runs through our blood that “is
of some use to us.”
(Dragon Lady runs until Feb 25, 2024 at Pittsburgh Public Theater. To purchase tickets go to https://www.ppt.org/. Also, you can live stream the show on Feb. 23rd and 25th for $49 per household. Get the live stream tickets at PPT.org/DragonLive.)
All Photos: Sara Porkalob in Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Dragon Lady by Michael Henninger )
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| My mom is first US generation of our family. I am second and my son 3rd. Our stories bring meaning to the present. |
Spiritual Reflection
But now, O Lord, you are our Father: we are the clay, and you are the potter: we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8 (ESV)
Other Sources
https://www.ppt.org/production/87715/dragon-lady