
The Bridal Lament
A sumptuous audio-visual experience and song cycle by award-winning vocalist, producer and multi-disciplinary artist Rainbow Chan 陳雋然.
Drawing on her Weitou ancestry (first settlers of Hong Kong), Chan reimagines a Weitou ritual known as the bridal lament, a public performance of grief in which a bride wept and sang in front of family and friends. In this liminal space, brides expressed bitterness towards their arranged marriages and the prevailing patriarchal rule.
Conceived and structured as a song cycle, The Bridal Lament brings to life intergenerational and cross-cultural perspectives on diasporic experiences and the complex history of Hong Kong. With a new suite of songs by Chan and direction from Contemporary Asian Australian Performance’s Artistic Director Tessa Leong, this lush and lavish work pays homage to ritual in a vibrant and dynamic world of projection, movement and colour.
Rainbow Chan’s music and shows have been hailed as ‘genre-bending art pop’ (NME) and ‘bewitchingly elfin in the exactly the same way that those words have been used to describe Bjork.’ (The Music). The Bridal Lament, her debut solo theatre work, shares its name with her forthcoming album.
Credits
Lead Artist and Performer Rainbow Chan 陳雋然
Director Tessa Leong
Choreographic Consultants Amrita Hepi & Victoria Hunt
Video Design Rel Pham
Set Design Al Joel & Emily Borghi
Costume Design Al Joel
Lighting Concept Govin Ruben
Lighting Realisers Susie Henderson and Sam Read
Cultural Consultant and Narrator Irene Cheung 張翠屏
Video Programmer Daniel Herten
Produced by Contemporary Asian Australian Performance.
Acknowledgments
Co-commissioned by Performance Space as part of Liveworks Festival 2023 and OzAsia Festival 2023, with commissioning support from Carriageworks and the City of Melbourne through Arts House. Supported by George Paramananthan and ParamCo.
Upcoming Performances
No public performances currently scheduled Check back soon!
“The Bridal Lament is a rich and layered third-culture meditation on ritual, heritage and loss.”
The Age
”An ambitious work infused with vulnerability, grief and empowerment.”
Arts Hub
Trailer
Previous Seasons
2025
Sydney Festival
Lennox Theatre, Riverside Theatres
Parramatta NSW
2024
Arts House
North Melbourne Town Hall
Melbourne VIC
2023
World Premiere
Liveworks Festival
Carriageworks, Bay 20
Redfern NSW
OzAsia Festival
Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre
Adelaide SA





