Eighteen Lives

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https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/eighteen-lives/

Date Reviewed: 28/03/2026

Eighteen Lives: A Wild, Poetic Ride Through Time

Fini Liu is the mastermind behind comedy theatre production Eighteen Lives. With a Master of Theatre Directing at the Victorian College of the Arts, Fini's signature work focuses on cross-cultural theatre and the exploration of body energy expression in performance. This year's production does not disappoint, as the three cast members Fin, Tony, and Yuan bring to life six eras of Chinese history, from ancient dynasties to modern-day Melbourne, cycling you through every emotion: from joy to sadness, love and grief, calm to shock, then stillness to laughter.

The show begins disarmingly. The three cast members speak directly to the audience from a script book, explaining how the night will run. But soon, a disagreement erupts and the stage cracks open. Suddenly, we're hurtling backwards in time, watching these three souls meet again and again — across strife, across centuries, across lives. You are held at the edge of your seat, whether by a song, a sword, or a kiss. And no prior knowledge of Chinese history is necessary. This is theatre that trusts your imagination.

What makes Eighteen Lives so thrilling is its theatrical purity. It is an 80-minute shapeshifting marvel, as Fin, Tony, and Yuan achieve scene and identity changes without elaborate sets or costume changes. Using only voice and gesture, we are transported into another era of Chinese history. One moment they're bickering; the next they're lovers, warriors, or brothers bound by fate across eighteen lifetimes. And they do so with extraordinary control.  

The performance is predominantly in Mandarin, with English open captions. Don't let that stop you from attending. Comedy, as Liu notes, transcends language. The laughter in the room was genuine and spontaneous, rising from the physical humour, sharp timing and the universal absurdity of human connection unfolding before us. More importantly, the emotional arcs land with clarity. You don't need to understand every word to feel a century-long character tension, a forbidden glance, or the ache of a promise made in one life and broken in another.our

A true highlight of this piece is the performance's deeply profound structure.  Our literal reality of time moving forward as we sit in our chairs watching the show is juxtaposed with the stage time travelling backwards, backtracking, peeling back layers to uncover why these three are fated to be together. To move forwards, we move backwards. Nothing here is without cause. Every action leaves a trace. A consultation with a fortune teller triggers yet another time loop, another life revisited. The cycle of death, intimacy and reincarnation repeats, and with it, the show's central questions: What do we carry from one life to the next? What binds us beyond reason?

Eighteen Lives is not a show that hands you everything. It asks you to lean in, to fill the backdrop with your imagination and to follow the breadcrumbs it leaves across centuries. This is not your standard up-front comedy show. It is a funny, tender and an emotional rollercoaster of déjà vu. Come with an open heart and you'll leave feeling that life is a little sweeter, a little dearer and that the choices you make can ripple far beyond what we immediately see. In a festival overflowing with shows that compete for your attention and laughter, this is the rare production that earns both, then rewards you with something deeper still. It is a masterclass in what theatre can achieve when it strips everything back and dares, completely, to trust its audience. Do not miss it.

Reviewed by Sandra Lee