Wakka Wakka, the theater company behind Made in China, says the show is “inspired by true events.” I suspect the true part doesn’t include Mary and her neighbor getting sucked down her toilet and winding up in the People’s Republic of China, where a dragon eats them.
This puppet musical – equal parts surreal fantasy, bawdy romantic comedy, barbed political satire, and hilariously inventive visual spectacle — does include at least one true event, sort of. In a verified story that occurred in 2012, a New York shopper discovered inside the packaging of the boots she bought from Saks Fifth Avenue a handwritten note from someone seeking help, because he said he was a captive in a Chinese prison factory.
Full review at DC Theatre Scene
Made in China, a satirical puppet musical, was “inspired by true events,” according to Wakka Wakka, the theater company that produced it. I suspect the true part doesn’t include an American named Mary and her neighbor getting sucked down her toilet and winding up in the People’s Republic of China, where a dragon eats them. In any case, one of the most memorable moments occurred before that event, when Mary’s household appliances came to life, explaining that they were made in China – such as a toilet plunger. A gun sings: I was made by children in Hunan! Fifteen hours each day, they’re having fun! Safely tucked away from awful sun make for you the cheapest All-American gun! Pointed satire about worker exploitation and gun violence all in one verse. It was…memorable. Opened in January.
