You don’t often enter a comedy show and leave sobbing, but that’s what Charlene Kaye’s show – ‘Tiger Daughter, Or: How I Brought My Immigrant Mother Ultimate Shame’, did to me.
Entering the ACMI Gandel Lab room, I happily sat in the front row not knowing what to expect. I admittedly hadn’t heard of Charlene Kaye before and purely chose to attend based on the show having music elements, and the synopsis sounding like a relatable tale of woe between Charlene and her Asian Tiger mother, Lily.
It turns out, I had heard of Charlene Kaye before… or at least her work. Her link to StarKid Productions’ ‘A Very Potter Musical’ (of Darren Criss fame) brought back flashbacks from the moment Charlene sang the chorus of ‘Goin’ Back to Hogwarts’, while strumming on her deep green electric guitar.
Throughout the intimate hour that we share, Charlene Kaye openly unravels a raw, enthralling and unapologetic tale through music and multimedia of her turbulent relationship with her mum. It’s hard not to feel akin to Charlene’s story which takes you on a rollercoaster ride through humour, tension, frustration, anger and sorrow. We’ve all had a tough parent that doesn’t necessarily understand who we are. For many of us, we aren’t the favourite child either (nor is our birthday our mother’s password on her phone or tablet). And let’s be honest, it hurts. We question if we’ve done something wrong, we wonder if it’s us that needs to change to please others, and overall, being plagued by these negative thoughts doesn’t help anyone.
Yet somehow, via Charlene’s hilarious, uncanny and thoroughly entertaining journey, we feel connected to her fight, to her deep unyielding desire to remain resilient, and understand wanting to maintain a career within the arts industry. We also want to cheer Charlene on for sticking with her guns (minus that one time she buckled for a haircut in exchange for money), and for staying her authentic, unfiltered self. It’s through Charlene’s heartfelt sincerity and masterful storytelling (with the occasional nude painting), alongside her Photoshop smarts, strong vocals, epic guitar skills, and phenomenally appropriate recorder flair, that this personal and mighty show soars.
This show will leave you pondering on whether we must understand and align with our parents’ views in order to love them. ‘Tiger Daughter, Or: How I Brought My Immigrant Mother Ultimate Shame’ is both a roasting and an open love letter to Charlene Kaye’s difficult mum Lily, and it’s as funny as it is moving. I confess, I cried! Although, I wasn’t alone, and that itself felt very comforting.
A story about a tough mother-daughter relationship isn’t exactly something I haven’t heard of before, but Charlene Kaye makes hers feel unique, surprisingly life-affirming, chaotic, wholesome and refreshing – all at the same time. Kaye did admit that she felt a bit tired during my session, but it didn’t matter because everything was understood and flowed so beautifully. It was like a friend visiting from overseas and finally venting in detail (without having the need to type for ages) on how unhinged their mother is. Not once did I feel uncomfortable in what was being shared. Instead, it felt therapeutic, and I’m certain it feels that way for Charlene too, every night.
The amount of thought, time, care and heart put into Charlene Kaye’s ‘Tiger Daughter, Or: How I Brought My Immigrant Mother Ultimate Shame’ is evident in how perfect it is, making both the show and its storyteller, nothing short of extraordinary.
Charlene Kaye’s ‘Tiger Daughter, Or: How I Brought My Immigrant Mother Ultimate Shame’ is currently playing at ACMI‘s Gandel Lab as part of the 2025 Melbourne International Comedy Festival until April 20th.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/charlene-kaye
https://www.instagram.com/charlenekaye
https://kayeofficial.com
Photography supplied.