Review: In Dragon Lady, Sara Porkalob Plays a Host of Family Members at the Geffen Playhouse

Dragon Lady is a touching, hilarious mixture of karaoke and familial strife as writer and actor Sara Porkalob’s forebearers see two different realities of the immigration experience. Playing multiple characters in her one-person tribute to her mother, grandmother, and extended family, Porkalob convinces the audience they’re witnessing a cast of 20.

At her 60^th birthday party, Maria Sr. avoids the forced amusement upstairs to sit with her grandchild, Sara, and reminisce about how she fought her way to freedom in the United States. Back in Manila, she suffered servitude under a madam and abuse by a mob kingpin, but she did what was necessary to bring her burgeoning family to the US. Eldest child Maria Jr. believes that her mother is telling tall tales, but later she explains to her daughter what it felt like being stuck at home with three young siblings while her mother was off who-knows-where.

Dragon Lady reveals new perspectives of the immigrant experience as generations with different burdens attempt to heal. Porkalob blends melodrama and bitter humor with characters who use their wits to survive. Maria Sr., who had earned a living as a chanteuse in a nightclub, sings several karaoke hits like “House of the Rising Sun,” and “Love for Sale” featuring altered lyrics that add to the humor and commentary.

Porkalob inhabits characters of all ages with different inflections and body language. These are not monologues, so while Porkalob often has conversations between multiple characters, she keeps it clear who’s talking.  As a writer, she has given each character dimensions that don’t just service the story, they impact the audience as individuals.

Randy Wong-Westbrooke’s basement set gives the impression of an old-world restaurant with red motifs, dragon-tail proscenium arch, and distinctive chandelier. Spenser Matubang’s lighting lends intimacy to the big stage for quiet moments and sultry scenes in the Manila super club.

The jazz trio behind the scrim, led by Pete Irving, has a wicked sound that complements Porkalob’s Broadway voice beautifully. Irving wrote over a dozen new songs to illuminate Mommy Maria’s story.

Dragon Lady is the first part of a Dragon Cycle that also includes the currently-in-development Dragon Baby. With director Andrew Russell, who has partnered with her on all three editions, Porkalob interweaves the trauma to which all the characters cling, while deftly illustrating how her mother and grandmother shaped the storyteller she has become.