REVIEW: Congratulations, Get Rich! - La Boite Theatre, Brisbane Festival

Presented by La Boite Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company and Singapore Repertory Theatre in association with Brisbane Festival

Directed by Courtney Stewart

Written by Merlynn Tong

Forget quiet pre-show chit-chat in the foyer. Congratulations, Get Rich! didn’t ease us in, it hurled us headfirst into the night. Classic karaoke tunes pulsed through the courtyard of La Boite Theatre as a lion dance exploded across the space; a joyful nod to Singaporean culture that primed us for the chaos, comedy, and catharsis to come. On Riverfire night no less, Brisbane was already buzzing, but inside La Boite the energy was about to burn brighter, louder, and a whole lot weirder.

We arrive at Money Money Karaoke, Mandy’s beloved business, where golden trimmings, a giant karaoke screen, and an army of lucky cats (maneki-neko) promise that prosperity is only a song away. This grand opening extravaganza also happens to coincide with People’s Day, the seventh day of Chinese New Year, when it is everyone’s birthday! It’s also Mandy’s 38th, which should be a reason to celebrate… except her soul and her business are both on shaky ground.

Playwright Merlynn Tong grew up in her parents’ lush and decadent karaoke bars of Singapore. When she was six, her father passed from cancer; when she was fourteen, her mother took her own life. It is this lived history she pours into Mandy. You can feel the love, grief, and nostalgia in every word, every face-pull, every manic outburst. At times she’s a crazy-intense businesswoman barking rules, and at others, a terrified daughter pleading: “Tell me my strengths, Mummy!” Tong is a magnetic presence that is equal parts hilarious, heartbreaking, and utterly unfiltered.

Enter two unexpected guests: Mandy’s mother (Seong Hui Xuan) and her sassy grandmother (Kimie Tsukakoshi), both long dead. These ghosts burst into Mandy’s world and, after a fair bit of valid panic, her grandmother vows to help Mandy get rich. “Of course I want to be rich, I’m Chinese!” quips Mandy. The rules of the night are quickly upended: sing in this room, and you’ll be sucked into the TV, suddenly performing a full-blown number (complete with unintentional choreography). These Singaporean ladies are extra in the best way, spilling over with sharp banter, outrageous ballads, and a fair dose of intergenerational tension.

Their comedic trip to the past is illustrated through inventive song numbers as we learn what happened to Mum and Grandma and why they both died at age 38. Performed live against recorded backing vocals, Guy Webster’s original compositions are catchy, emotive, and full of surprises. Tsukakoshi’s voice cuts like crystal, while Seong delivers vocals that send shivers down the spine.

Xavier, Mandy’s goofy Australian partner (Zac Boulton), brings plenty of comic relief with his daggy dad jokes and awkward attempts to help. The humour can be absurd (think hungry-ghost exorcist vibes), but the heart beneath it is undeniable. Beneath the karaoke glitz and humour lies some darkness. Themes of suicide and the weight of parental blame are never far away. The question “Why did you leave this world at 38?” echoes like a refrain, haunting mother, grandmother, and daughter alike. The lighting (Gabriel Chan) and sound (Webster again) use violent bursts, strobes, and noise to fracture scenes, pulling us deeper into Mandy’s disoriented world.

Courtney Stewart’s direction keeps all of this chaos finely tuned. The tonal shifts between hilarity and gut-punch grief feel precise, never jarring. She lets the absurdity run wild, but always anchors it in truth, ensuring that the humour doesn’t undercut the heaviness, it balances it. One minute you’re laughing at Grandma’s sass (“Is it time for a song? Or food?”), the next you’re gut-punched by her monologue about trying to control an uncontrollable world: “That’s what grandmothers are for, dropping truth bombs.” The magic of this production is its refusal to stay in one genre. It’s sci-fi meets musical meets madcap comedy. There’s even a cheeky fourth-wall moment I won’t spoil… but trust me, it lands.

Congratulations, Get Rich! is a 90-minute whirlwind of transformation. Through outrageous comedy and supernatural song, Mandy reckons with her past and claws towards hope. “I live on in you” caught me off guard, offering unexpected comfort for my own current grief.

My advice? Lean into the chaos. This show is a portal, and once you step through that string-curtain doorway, you won’t want to leave.

Trigger warnings: This production contains coarse language, strobe lighting, loud noises, and themes of suicide, intergenerational trauma, death.