LEGENDS (of the Golden Arches) bursts with wit, fire, and fierce originality in this Melbourne Theatre Company presentation. Co-created and co-starring Joe Paradise Lui and Merlynn Tong and produced by Performing Lines, this sharp and playful production crackles with energy and invention from start to finish. Lui and Tong juggle writing, directing, producing, and performing duties (with Lui also composing), and together they deliver a show that is as smart and subversive as it is entertaining.
After a premiere at this year’s Perth Festival, LEGENDS is now lighting up Melbourne as part of RISING: a festival of new art, music and performance. On a chilly June evening, the warmth and brilliance of this dynamic duo filled The Lawler space at Southbank Theatre with laughter, provocation, and punchy theatrical joy.
Set right here, right now, with Uber Eats just a phone call away, Joe and Merlynn discuss their beliefs in life. Their focus is on friendship, values, the past and the present, all-encompassing the Chinese afterlife. The pair face an evening of traditions held after a funeral, but all Joe wants is to go home to bed. He’s left many of his cultural ideas and identity behind him for an artistic life in Australia.
Merlynn, though, wants to do all the right things by her ancestors. She is folding paper money to burn so that it passes through to them in the underworld. She’s also prepared a paper house and paper kitty cat to put into the fire, but Joe is in disbelief. He questions the stories of the deities, their tales of teaching and the offers humans are supposed to give. He challenges Merlynn in her understanding, and the friends take turns to offer their knowledge on various gods.
These soliloquies are entertaining and enlighten the audience with great engagement. But the best friends become more frustrated as their arguments continue. This further escalates when Joe’s order of a Big Mac and Fillet of Fish arrives from the Golden Arches, sparking questions about whether you can pass over real food and real objects.
In an imaginative on stage dimensional shift, the audience is then transported into a world where Joe and Merlynn must navigate through the mystical Chinese afterlife. It’s a place where legendary figures live and questions must be confronted.
There’s so much fun here. A karaoke bar. Clever use of inflatable tube men. Multiple things that fall from the roof. And many, many arms. But beneath the chaos is a sharp lens examining life’s deeper values: understanding identity, confronting the past, and finding the strength to move forward.
LEGENDS (of the Golden Arches) is a clever production that opens a door to much learning and thinking whilst being thoroughly entertaining. Offering an intriguing glimpse of Asian beliefs and values, it mixes modern-day Australian social norms and references that are sure to resonate with each and every one of us. It’s flashy and modern, relatable and fun.
Joe Paradise Lui possesses a charming comedic presence. His character is naturally relaxed but full of depth and thought. By contrast, Merlynn Tong is confident and strong in her dramatic stance. She is a gifted storyteller. Both actors draw the audience in with their unique presence, taking turns to share different stories in a way that’s both compelling and dynamic.
Clever use of projector lighting enhances the visual world. Video artist and AV designer Wendy Yu, along with lighting designers Kate Baldwin and Matthew Erren, create shifting faces onto the gods and striking effects across the performers. Cherish Marrington’s set design is sharp and purposeful, enhancing the unfolding story at every turn. Vibrant costumes by Nicole Marrington add an extra pop of energy, helping transport the audience to the imagined worlds on stage.
LEGENDS (of the Golden Arches) is a powerful and deeply personal celebration of the Asian cultural experience. A passionate team of creatives have conjured a world rooted in the lived experience of the Singaporean-Chinese diaspora. With heart, humour, and unflinching honesty, LEGENDS not only showcases the talent of its cast and crew. It also encourages all artists to share their own stories, reminding us of the enduring strength of friendship along the way.
LEGENDS (of the Golden Arches) runs to 28 June at The Lawler, Southbank Theatre, 140 Southbank Boulevard Southbank Vic 3006.
Tickets: https://www.mtc.com.au/plays-and-tickets/whats-on/season-2025/legends-of-the-golden-arches/
Website: https://www.mtc.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/melbtheatreco/
Photo credits: Jessica Wyld
