PoC Revue IV: Heroes of Time Past

WORDS BY SAMANTHA RYU

A sigh of nostalgia reverberated through the crowd as PoC Revue opened the show to Pokémon’s catchy and uplifting theme song in head-to-toe Zeldaesque gear. It was evident right from the outset that Producer Zaina Ahmed and her executive team worked tirelessly to stage the first revue of the 2018 Usyd revue season.
 
The dynamic duo, directors Mandy Chen and Sophia Chung took us for a short and sweet trip down memory lane, reminding us of our not so innocent Yu-Gi-Oh days and our first childhood crush, Sailor Moon (or in this case, Simone Zhao’s Sailor Goon). What the show lacked in intellectual complexity was compensated by its successful execution of physical comedy. It was impossible not to roar with laughter when Ping-hui Ho and Tazrian Khan wailed and flailed in anguish at their newly blonde child or at the sight of Tazrian Khan playing a gluttonous priest with a mouthful of fortune cookies. Another highlight of the night was a scene featuring a snarky exchange between two archetypal Indian mothers, authentically portrayed by Tazrian Khan and Deepa Al. 
 
A special mention must be made to the show’s Animation and AV Directors Sophia Manahan, Percival Jr Relucio and Angela Mao for their meticulously crafted series of video game imagery flickering on the screen throughout the night. Their skilful contribution gave the show a more polished feel.
 
But alas, every rose has its thorns and a few skits fell undoubtedly flat. An excruciatingly long time was spent watching a snail drag itself across the stage, designed to clean up the mess left by a previous skit whilst the serenade, ‘Hey There Priyanka’ to the well-known Plain White T’s tune sat awkwardly with the audience.
 
On the whole, PoC Revue should be commended for its continuous efforts to confront racial stereotypes. Whether your skin tone is “Dainty Discharge” or “Call ASIO,” the PoC Revue’s message as articulated by Shani Patel’s angelic singing voice is loud and clear: in this game of life, we are all a part of one human race on a mission to defeat the ultimate boss, “Systemic Racism”.