From The King and I to Miss Saigon, Australia’s new generation of stage makers are de-orientalising the canon

In its simplest definition, orientalism refers to the patronising depictions of the 'Eastern world' — a term that encompasses North Africa, the Middle East and Asia — by writers and artists from the West. And it's no stranger to the Australian stage.

Major commercial musicals with orientalist underpinnings such as The King and I, Madame Butterfly, or Miss Saigon regularly grace Australian stages, which give a vital leg-up to emerging stage workers. But as more of these workers reflect the multiculturalism of modern Australia, it's prompting a revision of the orientalism embedded in the canon.