Scarlet Chen is Chinese-Canadian, although she initially feels caught between the two countries even after a six year residence on a visa. She describes dealing with Canadian immigration as like being with an obsessive boyfriend – always asking her about her commitment to Canada.

Chen frequently jokes about her national identity and the clash between Chinese and Canadian cultures throughout her show. The highlights include her childhood reminisces about the ‘sex education’ she received in China, the similarities between immigration officials and her mother towards her screenwriting career, and her first experience on a nudist beach.

This last anecdote enables Chen to act out this moment in graphic detail, bringing the experience to life for the audience. Chen’s command of the stage works in her favour to animate her gentle humour and anecdotes about life in China and Canada. This allows her to make moments such as describing differences in ordinary experiences such as shopping seem more vivid than they would appear to be.

Chen’s storytelling approach also leads to interesting insights into experiencing the Canadian democratic process and the process of obtaining Canadian citizenship. The latter point also allows Chen to skilfully skewer colonialism through an exploration of the etymology of Canada. Issues of Chen’s identity are also effectively addressed, from the more serious point that her immigration status leads to her feeling stuck in limbo, to a more humorous commentary on racial terms, using boba tea of all things as a metaphor.

The only issue with the show is that the comedic and more serious aspects of Chen’s narrative don’t always gel together, leading to slightly awkward transitions between the two tones. However, Chen has enough charisma to keep the audience engaged with her journey. In particular, her audience participation resulting sometimes in shared experiences of immigration and citizenship that are interesting to hear.

Citizen Chen is a warmly funny and insightful show about immigration and identity that overcomes its occasional tonal clashes to engage the audience. It helps that Chen herself is a lively and engaging performer who has the audience invested in her journey from beginning to end.

Citizen Chen is at Just The Snifter Room at Just The Tonic at The Mash House until Sun 30 Aug 2026