THE BOOK OF LIFE - A STORY OF DEATH
At a certain point I inwardly muttered to myself “try not to take it personally, it’s a goddamn play.”
The Book Of Life was performed at the State Theatre Center of WA as part of the Summer Nights 2017 program. It was bold and brash and blessed with an incredible cast and crew.
As an artist I the one obsession I keep returning to involves how we are meant to live morally when surrounded with so much privilege - this play, with live music, Greek gods, dinosaurs, and a bizarre, fourth wall breaking ending, was my homage to it.
My Team:
Performers:
Jo Morris as Charon
Morgan Owen as Lily
Nicola Bartlett as Tiktaalik
Indigo Keane as Pikaia
Paul Grabovac as Tyrannosaurus Rex
Nick Pages-Oliver as Hades
Brett Smith as Live Musician
Joe Hooligan Lui (me!) as Live Musician
Jo Morris as Charon
Morgan Owen as Lily
Nicola Bartlett as Tiktaalik
Indigo Keane as Pikaia
Paul Grabovac as Tyrannosaurus Rex
Nick Pages-Oliver as Hades
Brett Smith as Live Musician
Joe Hooligan Lui (me!) as Live Musician
Creative Team:
Sally Phipps as Set and Costume designer
Jess Russell as Producer/Publicity and Stage Manager
Brett Smith and Joe Lui as co-composers
Sally Phipps as Set and Costume designer
Jess Russell as Producer/Publicity and Stage Manager
Brett Smith and Joe Lui as co-composers
REVIEWS
"Punctuated with blues tunes, vast emotions, swaggering gods and encompassing a mindboggling sweep of history made intimately personal, Joe Lui’s The Book of Lifeis simultaneously grand scale and an intimate theatrical experience."
-Nerida Dickinson, Artshub
"Bluntly put, its meta-ness is so brazen that it will most certainly leave your mouth agape. Whether you find that appealing or not is a matter of taste. It’s certainly a bold gambit."
-Rhys Tarling, Perth Arts Live
The two leading ladies - Jo Morris as Charon and Morgan Owen as Lily
Lily confronts T-Rex
Hades in a contemplative moment
Lily and Charon float down the river styx
The denizens of Hell in a family photo
Pikaia and Lily ruminating on all that could have been
Tiktaalik convinces Lily to Sip Tea
