Confessions of a Boba Liberalist

Review by Ethan Gallagher

Audiences that attend Juanita Navas-Nguyen’s ‘Confessions of a Boba Liberalist’ walk away with a smile on their face, a deeper understanding of the biracial experience, and a belly full of treats and nibbles that tie in nicely with the themes of the show.

Juanita has a bright, infectious energy that permeates every second of her performance, bringing levity to heavier subjects like struggles with her identity and role in society. Food and cooking are used as a framework to explore these themes, weighing her love of boba against the societal expectations that are placed on Asian and biracial people. While I have seen other shows exploring these expectations, Juanita kept me captivated with this beautiful framing, skilful writing and flawless execution that really allowed the audience to feel the full impact of her experiences.

The addition of the small servings of food really made the performance stand out, and completely immerse the audience in Juanita’s world. I particularly enjoyed hearing about her unique outlook on having two parents of colour, and our culture’s inability to imagine a biracial person as not being half-white, served alongside a delicious guacamole.

Throughout the show Juanita clearly demonstrates her ability for storytelling and theatre through her lamentations on race, food and culture, as well as her exceptional cooking abilities. I hope to see her bring new personal or societal explorations to the stage, and continue to add her unique voice to the Australian theatre scene.