White Pearl

From the brilliant mind of Anchuli Felicia King, White Pearl was a runaway smash on its 2019 Sydney premiere with co-producer Riverside’s National Theatre of Parramatta. After a hit season at Queensland Theatre in 2021, this knockout production will return in 2022, this time at The Wharf.

Behind the sleek and unblemished facade of CleardayTM cosmetics — a market leader in Asia’s booming beauty industry — the scars of deep-seated prejudice are waiting to re-emerge. A team of young and ambitious women from across Asia is working to generate buzz for their new skin-whitening cream ‘White Pearl’. The problem? An ad in development has leaked early and it’s making headlines for all the wrong reasons. As views skyrocket and the ad is shared around the world, the team races against the clock to get the situation under control, to save their jobs and to lay the blame squarely elsewhere.

With razor-sharp dialogue, nail-biting tension, and caustic wit, this rollercoaster of a production takes a nuanced swipe at cancel culture and toxic corporations, exploring intra-Asian politics, 21st century racism and the dark side of going viral.