Review: Confessions of a Boba Liberalist
A woman jitters in the second row of Confessions of a Boba Liberalist, asking the play-goers next to her for the time; a look of realisation covers her face as she dashes on stage.
Uncomfortably, she shares her name and school grade with the class, as per her teacher’s request.
Her name is Juanita (Nita) Navas-Nguyen, she is in her third year, and the fun fact is her sister called her “the wrong type of Asian”.
Confessions of a Boba Liberalist is a one-woman performance about Navas-Nguyen’s identity as a Vietnamese-Colombian-Australian (in no particular order) and questionable experiences such as living through Harmony Day in the early noughties.
The show is biographical, with the performer pondering the time spent in a year 10 drama class, reflecting on the acting roles she was given compared to her predominately white Australian classmates.
Through sharing her experiences, the show makes for a thought-provoking discussion on how unconscious bias and prejudice can influence how society perceives culture.
Navas-Nguyen confessed that for many years she tried to sell a simple and consumable version of herself and her ethnicity.
Consumable, in the literal sense – Juanita bonds with her interactive audience by offering tasty snacks from Colombia and Vietnam.
Sharing food helps the performer feel validated in her culture, despite not knowing how to speak her parent’s languages.
Navas-Nguyen calls on the crowd to share their own fond memories spent eating or cooking traditional, or non-traditional meals.
Considered Australian in Vietnam and Vietnamese in Australia, Navas-Nguyen’s show provides a heartfelt perspective on feelings of alienation from multiple parties.
“I didn’t have the things I wanted, but I didn’t want to give up what I had to get what I want,” Navas-Nguyen explains.
Her writing provides a thoughtful take on the impact of racial stereotypes, and the invisible box she felt around her individuality.
The performer’s comedic timing and pop-culture references are exemplary, earning laughter and gasps from an engaged crowd.
A witty and touching way to spend an evening, Confessions of a Boba Liberalist is a charming performance about self-acceptance and cultural connection.