Based on a tale from 1800 the entire performance is set to music. The story is one about Lady Wenji’s Return to The Han. A famous literary allusion from China. How Should a Home Be is a blend of history, music, and emotion that aims to transport audiences back to the ancient East through the hauntingly beautiful interplay of Han and Xiongnu music.

How Should a Home Be is performed solely through Eighteen Songs predominantly using A Nomad Flute which is a Chinese traditional musical instrument called the Guqin. I was in awe at the precision and ease with that the musician played it as it looked complex to a novice such as myself.

The tale focuses on Lady Wenji who has been displaced by war and feels lonely and lost. She is forced to decide between staying where she is desperately unhappy or leaving to go home which would mean leaving her baby behind with its father Xiongnu’s King.

How should a lady deal with these decisions? In 1800 China the options and hierarchy regardless of social status would have been limited for all ladies and her decision would have been heartbreaking and dangerous. However, does she find courage and hope to find her way back home?

The creative team, hailing from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and China’s Central Conservatory of Music, employs innovative storytelling techniques that challenge conventional theatre. How Should a Home Be is not just a retelling of history but also an exploration of how we navigate the ever-changing tides of time and environment. An excellent and moving storytelling production.

For more information about the production and the story of Lady Wenji in How Should a Home Be please use the links below.

Five Stars.

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/how-should-a-home-be

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/39569

https://asiasociety.org/arts/interview-creating-wenji-eighteen-songs-nomad-flute