Fringe 2023 A Migrant's Son Michaela Burger House of Oz August 8th Review
A Migrant’s Son performed by award-winning cabaret star Michaela Burger is at House of Oz (King’s Hall) (4 to 26 August) and it is one of the all too easily overlooked gems of this year’s Fringe.
This story is actually many stories wrapped into one performance package that Michaela skilfully unwraps with a combination of songs, theatrical performance and an awful lot of love and devotion to this work and the people whose story is told in this already multi-award winning show.
At its widest scope, A Migrant’s Son is the story of the arrival of Greek immigrants to Australia in the early decades of the 20th century and the many struggles that they faced in trying to preserve their own culture but also adapt to a completely new and often strange one. This for many was fraught with many difficulties that not only included the obvious like finding employment and somewhere to live, but also often outright hostility to their new presence; even speaking their native Greek language was not allowed in a public street.
This story of people leaving their homelands, their families, friends and everything that they know is of course an old story and a new story, but the reasons for leaving are so often the same ones. For anyone taking this huge step in their life, there so often has to be some sort of larger plan and this is often the hope of finding a better life and better opportunities not only for their own selves but for their children and the generations of their family to come in the years ahead. For anyone taking this huge step in their life, there so often has to be a dream that spans a lifetime and beyond.
What gives this story its power, its emotion and so often its humour is that this is not a generic story of any migrant’s son, but the true story of Michaela Burger’s own family arriving in Australia and the at times often Greek tragedy that unfolded in this multi-generational family saga. Through songs like “Falling”, “Zeitgeist”, “Phoenix Rising” and others, Michaela not only spellbinds her audience with her vocals, but also her theatrical abilities as she brings to life members of her family throughout the years.
Throughout “A Migrant’s Son” there are many very special moments that Michaela shares with her audience, moments of joy, of sadness, triumph and unexpected tragedy. Throughout it all though there is that never-ending love within the family where their motto is “Family is everything” and that with hard work and a will never to give in no matter what the set-backs, those dreams of a better life in a new land really can come true.
Michaela Burger, who wrote this script and all of the songs, shares in this production her gratitude that some 100 years ago now, one person (her great-grandfather) gave not only his family the chance of opportunities that they might never have had if they had stayed in Greece, but ultimately gave her the chance to pursue her own artistic dreams and share them with audiences across the world.
Review by Tom King © 2023
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
This story is actually many stories wrapped into one performance package that Michaela skilfully unwraps with a combination of songs, theatrical performance and an awful lot of love and devotion to this work and the people whose story is told in this already multi-award winning show.
At its widest scope, A Migrant’s Son is the story of the arrival of Greek immigrants to Australia in the early decades of the 20th century and the many struggles that they faced in trying to preserve their own culture but also adapt to a completely new and often strange one. This for many was fraught with many difficulties that not only included the obvious like finding employment and somewhere to live, but also often outright hostility to their new presence; even speaking their native Greek language was not allowed in a public street.
This story of people leaving their homelands, their families, friends and everything that they know is of course an old story and a new story, but the reasons for leaving are so often the same ones. For anyone taking this huge step in their life, there so often has to be some sort of larger plan and this is often the hope of finding a better life and better opportunities not only for their own selves but for their children and the generations of their family to come in the years ahead. For anyone taking this huge step in their life, there so often has to be a dream that spans a lifetime and beyond.
What gives this story its power, its emotion and so often its humour is that this is not a generic story of any migrant’s son, but the true story of Michaela Burger’s own family arriving in Australia and the at times often Greek tragedy that unfolded in this multi-generational family saga. Through songs like “Falling”, “Zeitgeist”, “Phoenix Rising” and others, Michaela not only spellbinds her audience with her vocals, but also her theatrical abilities as she brings to life members of her family throughout the years.
Throughout “A Migrant’s Son” there are many very special moments that Michaela shares with her audience, moments of joy, of sadness, triumph and unexpected tragedy. Throughout it all though there is that never-ending love within the family where their motto is “Family is everything” and that with hard work and a will never to give in no matter what the set-backs, those dreams of a better life in a new land really can come true.
Michaela Burger, who wrote this script and all of the songs, shares in this production her gratitude that some 100 years ago now, one person (her great-grandfather) gave not only his family the chance of opportunities that they might never have had if they had stayed in Greece, but ultimately gave her the chance to pursue her own artistic dreams and share them with audiences across the world.
Review by Tom King © 2023
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com