REVIEW: Bound by the Wind - A Bold Feminist Reimagining of Mulan

©️ Kexin Song, Shiwei Chen and KC Chan, photograph by Sammi Xing

Blending mythology, gaming, and feminist ideas, Bound by the Wind reimagines the legend of Mulan in a smart and unexpected way. Instead of the familiar national heroine returning home in triumph, this Mulan lives inside a fragmented simulation, part myth, part video game, where her story keeps being written, revised, and reloaded.

The play opens with a striking image: Mulan, a battle-worn general, holding her sword to the neck of a captured Rouran girl. As their uneasy connection deepens, it becomes clear that both are stuck in a loop they didn’t choose. Watching over them is the Mulan Deity, a creator figure, or maybe the ghost of every version of Mulan that’s ever been told, constantly editing and reshaping what they can be.

Director and writer Xinyue (Sammi) Xing, working with dramaturg Xingmo Ren, builds a world that doesn’t just talk about gender or war, but digs into who gets to write a story, and who gets trapped inside it. Most Mulan retellings focus on how she breaks free from family duty or patriarchal expectations. Here, the play takes it further; it asks if the whole “heroic” narrative itself might be another kind of cage. This Mulan isn’t a symbol of national pride; she’s a person trying to figure out who she is when even her legend keeps defining her.

KC Chan plays Mulan with quiet power and focus, commanding, but never cold. Her delivery feels measured and strong, showing both authority and fatigue. Kexin Song brings warmth and curiosity to Enkhtuyaa, and Shiwei Chen, as the Mulan Deity, links the real and the unreal with a presence that’s both serene and a little eerie. Together, the movement and fight choreography is also a highlight, the trio have real chemistry, and you can feel it most during their fight sequences.

Since its early life at Camden Fringe, the show has grown into a more confident, cohesive piece. This latest staging and the choice of venue feel thoughtful and well-judged, the mark of a team led by Sammi and producers Cheng Qian, who know how to make their ideas land.

If there’s one thing I’d like to see further explored, it’s the ending. The resolution leans a bit too neatly into reconciliation for a play that’s so interested in questioning structure and control. Mulan’s story, as Bound by the Wind suggests, is strongest when she refuses to be neatly defined, even by the poem that made her immortal.

★★★1/2

For more information, please visit: https://lambethfringe.com/events/bound-by-the-wind

Credits

Cast
Mulan: KC Chan
Enkhtuyaa: Kexin Song
Mulan Deity: Shiwei Chen

Director & Script Writer: Xinyue (Sammi) Xing
Dramaturg: Xingmo Ren
Stage Manager: Tingyu (TY) Wen & Wangjiayu Chu (Stephanie)
Combat Director & Choreographer: Xinyue (Sammi) Xing
Fight Captain: KC Chan
Lighting Designer: Con Divers
Associate Lighting Designer & LX Technician: Anya Vetlugina
Sound Designer: Jiaye Wang
Music Composer: Yutong (Jocelyn) Jia
Associate Composer & Music Director: Xinyue (Sammi) Xing
Sound Operator: Jiaye Wang
Set Designer: Ruolin Lei
Costume Designer: Jieming (Benben) Lan
Hair & Make-Up: Xinyi Huang
Producer: Cheng Qian
Social Media Managers: Ong Jin Yi & Qiuyue Zhong
Logo Graphic Designer: Marlon Clark

COMPANY INSTAGRAM: @bound_by_the_wind_theatre