The Lonesome Death of Eng Bunker

On January 17th 1874, Eng Bunker woke to discover his conjoined twin brother Chang was dead. Using puppetry, music and striptease, this is the story of Eng’s final hours; alone for the first time in his life.

This is an interdisciplinary theatre work originally commissioned by Kakilang and further developed and devised by writer and performer Tobi Poster-Su and award-winning director-dramaturg Iskandar إسكندر R. Sharazuddin.

Eng Bunker woke to discover his brother Chang was dead. The twin brothers, Siamese immigrants and entertainers who had carved out an uneasy space in the rotten heart of the American Dream, were conjoined by a band of cartilage and shared a liver. This is the story of Eng’s final hours; alone for the first time in his life. Using puppetry, music and striptease, this is a gothic horror about the brutal cost of assimilation, being entirely alone in the universe, and about waking up tethered to a dead body.

The Lonesome Death of Eng Bunker was originally commissioned by Kakilang and supported by Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants. It was initially presented at Omnibus Theatre produced by Natalie Chan for Wattle and Daub.

Trailer

Partners and Support

17th – 21st September 2024: Omnibus Theatre

Creative team

Originally produced by Natalie Chan for Wattle and Daub in a co-production with Kakilang

Conceived & Written by:		Howl Yuan 原承伯
Director & Puppetry Director:		Iskandar إسكندر R. Sharazuddin
Associate Director:		Rebecca Goh
Set & Costume Designer:		Erin Guan 关绰莹
Lighting Designer:		Cheng Keng 耿正
Original Songs by:		Tom Poster
		Tobi Poster-Su
Composer & Sound Designer:		AJ Turner
Movement Director:		Jasmine Chiu 趙明
Puppet Designer & Maker:		Aya Nakamura
Puppet Maker:		Mikayla Teodoro
Voice Coach:		Aundrea Fudge
Costume Assistant:		Jane Legaspi
Assistant Puppetry Makers:		Bok Li
		Katya Markson-Matthews
Production Manager:		Brent Tan
Stage Manager:		Vivi Wei 韦微微
Key Art:		Jeffrey Phillips
Images:		Ikin Yum
Videography:		Si Rawlinson 楊世朗
		Alexander Shafiq Stagg

Cast

Tobi Poster-Su

Reviews

★★★★★
A Younger Theatre / Sad Garage

★★★★
London Pub Theatres

★★★★
Everything Theatre

★★★★
North West End UK

“…the commitment is palpable and the whole thing is a triumph.” – A Younger Theatre / Sad Garage

“Ghoulishly grotesque, cheekily funny and exquisitely designed, this story of sibling loss is also a visceral, deeply investigative contemplation of identity, colonialisation and the horrific cost of assimilation.” – Everything Theatre

“Gory, morbidly witty, and hauntingly compelling, The Lonesome Death of Eng Bunker is a captivating confrontation of identity, the immigrant experience, and loss, steered by a remarkably skilled puppeteer.” – North West End UK