Acclaimed actor Michelle Lim Davidson is stepping behind the scenes as a playwright with KOREABOO, a funny and heartfelt new work about family, identity and the complicated reality of finding where you belong.
Making its Victorian premiere at Malthouse Theatre’s Beckett Theatre from 24 September to 10 October, KOREABOO stars Davidson alongside Heather Jeong and is directed by Jessica Arthur.
Best known for her screen roles including Noelene Kim in ABC’s The Newsreader, Davidson draws on her own experiences for the new play, which follows an adopted Australian woman travelling to South Korea to reunite with her birth mother.
Hannah arrives in Seoul expecting a golden summer with Umma, hoping to make up for the years they have spent apart. Instead, she finds her birth mother working around the clock in a convenience store and seemingly more concerned with keeping the shelves stocked than getting to know her daughter.
Raised in Australia, Hannah attempts to find her place in her mother’s world despite language and cultural barriers. Her love of K-Pop earns her the nickname “Koreaboo”, while Google Translate and relentless optimism become her unlikely tools for building a relationship.
“KOREABOO began with my own experience of returning to South Korea and trying to build a relationship with my birth family after reuniting with them. I was interested in what comes after reunion, and how you begin to build a relationship across language, culture and years apart,” Lim Davidson shared.
“It feels incredibly special to bring KOREABOO to Malthouse for its Victorian premiere. At its heart, it’s about belonging and trying to love someone as they are, rather than as you imagined they might be,” she said.
“I hope Naarm/Melbourne audiences laugh, are surprised by where the play takes them, and perhaps recognise something of their own relationships in Hannah and Umma.”
KOREABOO premiered through Griffin Theatre Company’s 2025 season before heading to La Boite as part of Brisbane Festival. The production received critical acclaim, with Time Out Sydney calling Davidson “watchable, funny and relatable” and Stage Whispers praising its “truth, emotion and gentle humour”.
Tickets are on sale now at malthousetheatre.com.au.
