The Lady of Burma

Synopsis

The inspirational true story of Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi is told in this compelling solo performance about the life of the only Nobel Peace Prize winner who is also a political prisoner. Despite being the democratically elected leader of the country, Burma’s military junta have kept Suu Kyi under house arrest for over a decade. This powerful performance has already achieved sell-out appearances at the Edinburgh festival and the Old Vic in London. Regardless of what you know or think about Burmese politics, this show is an unmissable hymn to the power of the human spirit in the quest for freedom.

Our Review:

11 November 2007

How could you possibly not think that The Lady of Burma, a solo show about Aung San Suu Kyi, the inspirational leader of Burma’s pro-democracy movement, is not a good thing? It is a fine, indeed an admirable thing, but it is not a great night out in the theatre. It is slight and short.

Richard Shannon’s sketchy play, just 70 minutes long, was first performed by Liana Mau Tan Gould at an Old Vic gala last year and comes to the Riverside Studios via this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe and a one-off charity event at Soho Theatre. Tan Gould as Suu Kyi sits in a drab prison cell and revisits her own life on our behalf. You always think at such plays: why is this person talking to us?

In this case, the answer is simple. The campaign to free Aung San Suu Kyi from her house detention order is a focal point in the growing international concern with the military regime in Burma. The recent demonstrations by the monks highlighted the problem. And Tan G...

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Latest User Review

Richard - 12 November 2007:

Fantastic performance, gripping script....

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