In a review for The Guardian, critic Sanjoy Roy describes Prayers for a Hungry Ghost as a visually ambitious and emotionally charged performance that draws on Chinese and Buddhist mythology to explore family trauma and the immigrant experience.

Centred on the figure of the “hungry ghost”—a being driven by insatiable desire—the work uses this symbolic framework to examine the psychological and social pressures within a migrant family navigating life between Hong Kong and the United States. At the core of the narrative are two sisters whose lives diverge in response to expectation and displacement: one achieves success as a classical pianist, while the other struggles under pressure and transforms into a ghostly figure of unresolved desire.

The production combines theatre, dance, puppetry and video to create a layered stage environment. Mirrors, projections and doubling of voices blur the boundaries between reality and the supernatural, drawing the audience into its shifting perspectives. While noting moments of uneven pacing and structural looseness, the review acknowledges the work’s ambition and imaginative scope.

Link to the review