There’s a particular blend of wariness, prickliness and disapproval that is sometimes transmitted from grandmothers to granddaughters and mothers to daughters that, if you experienced it, you know its coldness. Even if you grow up in the same house, generational and cultural divides can make these women feel like strangers – let alone if you meet them for the first time later in life.
This very recognisable, emotionally sticky terrain is mapped in actor Michelle Lim Davidson’s (The Newsreader) debut play, Koreaboo, taking a victory lap of Brisbane and Melbourne this month after a sellout premiere season at Sydney’s Griffin theatre in 2025, directed by Jessica Arthur.
