LA BOITE CONJURES A MODERN DAY, MULTI-GENERATIONAL GHOST STORY

An explosive tale of family, ghosts, fate and karaoke hits all the right notes when Congratulations, Get Rich! makes its world premiere at La Boite Theatre from 4 to 20 September.

The brand-new work is set in a Singaporean karaoke bar, where three powerful women convene, compete, commiserate and confront each other through stories, showmanship and song over one fateful night.

Following its debut La Boite season in association with Brisbane Festival, the internationally co-produced work will play the Singapore Repertory Theatre from 28 October and Sydney Theatre Company from 21 November.

Congratulations, Get Rich! explores the complexity of mother-daughter relationships, the legacy of trauma and grief, and the power of vulnerability.

The unforgettable theatrical experience introduces audiences to Mandy on the night of her 38th birthday as she faces the twin challenges of a crumbling love life and a struggling karaoke business.

Things take a surprise turn when two customers walk into her bar – the first, her mother, who died aged 38 and the second, a woman she believes to be her long-dead grandmother.

Congratulations, Get Rich! is written by and starring Merlynn Tong, and straddles the line between fact and fiction.

Growing up in a family-run karaoke bar in Singapore, Tong said the piece draws from her experiences of grief and tragedy while casting a creative lens on Singaporean culture and what it’s like to live among ghosts.

“I have based these characters on very real people, but I have also allowed my imagination to run wild. This has created a perfect fuel of ‘fantastic autobiography’ where our audience will get to meet a suite of characters who feel authentic and real but are also part of a narrative that is outrageous, fun and phenomenal,” she said.

“There is a lot of symbolism in the show about being 38 years old. All three female characters are this age and, coincidentally, I am also turning 38 years old during the seasons of this show. As I approach the age when my mother died, I can’t help but ponder about my blood, about this maternal impulse that lives within me.”

Composer and sound designer Guy Webster is creating an original soundtrack for the work, leaning into the fun and spectacle of its karaoke bar setting.

“Music in theatre is often a background element, so it is always fun to make music that will feature so strongly in a theatre show. I’m always passionate about making original music for shows. I feel it shows a real commitment to the story and opportunities to focus musical ideas on specific characters,” Webster said, adding the soundtrack represents the stories, origins and journeys of each character.

La Boite Artistic Director and CEO Courtney Stewart directs the show and said she is thrilled to see this bold Australian work make its global debut at La Boite’s iconic Roundhouse Theatre.

“Merlynn and I have been collaborating closely with our Sydney and Singapore production partners to realise this wholly new and deeply evocative work,” Stewart said.

“It means so much to our vast spectrum of cultures to see vibrant stories, surprising characters and unconventional backgrounds represented on our stages.”

The two women have collaborated professionally for much of their careers, first meeting when Stewart was an actor performing a reading of one of Tong’s new works.

“La Boite is where I did my mainstage debut in Straight White Man by Young Jean Lee. To get to come back in its 100th year as a playwright and performer, presenting a work that is so close to my heart, is extraordinary. It is an absolute dream come true,” Tong said.