A son is leaving. Hours before the flight, son and father try to have a conversation. The father speaks only Cantonese, the son only English. They drink tea. They have decades of regret and silence to reconcile. The son returns five years later to a changed family, to a mother he hardly recognizes. She has gone on a journey of her own. She must rediscover the joy of being a parent to her child; the son must learn the responsibility of being a child to his parents. A story of unfulfilled hopes and remarkable achievement, "Pu-Erh" shows how language can challenge, divide, and unite a family. With dialogue in English and Cantonese, this fresh and urgent examination of a modern immigrant family will speak to anyone who has wondered if life begins when you move away.
Keywords: Asian, Asian-Canadian, Asian-American, immigrant, diversity, family, language, Chinese, Cantonese, Vancouver, magical realism
Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play, 2010 — Nominated for Pu-Erh
Herman Voaden National Playwriting Competition, 2009 — Finalist for Pu-Erh
Year Printed: 2017
First Produced: May 6, 2010, Theatre Passe Muraille, Toronto
Running TIme: 100 minutes
Acts: 3
Male Cast: 2
Female Cast: 1