Review: The Ballad of Mulan

There was nothing ‘Disneyfied’ about Friday night’s performance of The Ballad of Mulan at the Edge Arts Centre in Much Wenlock. Presented by Red Dragonfly Productions and Grist to the Mill Productions, this gripping retelling strips away the gloss of familiar screen versions to reveal a far more complex and visceral heroine. Michelle Yim commands the stage as Mulan – woman, warrior, legend – tracing the emotional cost of ten years spent disguised as a man in the Emperor’s army. With the war drawing to a close, the real battle becomes internal: can she return home and reclaim the identity she set aside?

Commissioned and performed by British East Asian actor Michelle Yim and written by Ross Ericson, the production draws on an ancient Chinese poem believed to date back some fifteen centuries. Developed with support from Arts Council England, this staging leans into the grit of military life and the psychological strain of concealment. Yim’s brilliant performance is magnetic, balancing steely resolve with flashes of vulnerability and touches of humour. Under Ericson’s taut direction, the storytelling is immediate and unadorned, allowing the darker aspects of the legend to resonate powerfully with a modern audience.

This evening in Much Wenlock was supported by Arts Alive, the charitable organisation whose vision is to make Shropshire and Herefordshire the most culturally vibrant counties in England – a mission well served by bringing work of this calibre to local audiences. For those whose knowledge of Mulan stems from the animated and live-action Walt Disney adaptations, this production offers a bracing corrective. There are no wisecracking dragons here, only the stark realities of war and the quiet courage of a woman navigating a rigidly male world. As relevant today as ever in its exploration of gender and identity, The Ballad of Mulan proved a stirring and thought-provoking evening for the appreciative Shropshire theatregoers.

Powerful photo by Andy Brooks