An Irish Catholic reflects on lost love, her Chinese fiance repatriated by force, 1940s Liverpool, racism and betrayal in The Curious Disappearance of Mr Foo at Liverpool’s Unity Theatre on June 21.
The play focuses on the effect a forced repatriation of Chinese seamen from Liverpool in 1946 had on families and friends, who were rounded up by the UK government over a two-day period.
Details only came to light when an official report was released 50 years later. Featuring verbatim dialogue and characters based on real people, Tina Malone, best known for her role as Mimi in Shameless, plays the lead part, with actor Simon Wan playing Mr Foo, the Chinese man she falls in love with who then disappears.