Famous karaoke bar China Inn inspires Palmerston North stage play

Journalist·Manawatu Guardian·

11 Nov, 2024 03:07 AM5 mins to read

The iconic China Inn restaurant and bar in Palmerston North.

The story of Palmerston North’s first and longest-running karaoke bar, China Inn, has inspired a new play called The Last Song, which makes its stage debut this weekend.

Generations of locals frequented China Inn and sang songs, so it was big news at the time when owner Danny Yeung announced he was selling up.

The former Hong Kong banker opened China Inn on the corner of Broadway and Princess St in the early 1980s and set up what is believed to be the city’s first karaoke machine – a master stroke giving the establishment a point of difference.

While the restaurant served delicious Chinese meals, it was Yeung’s personality and the karaoke that made it an iconic haunt for locals. He was always front-of-house – even in the early hours of the morning – and his friendly approach to customers twice earned him the Manawatū Hospitality Personality of the Year Award.

There was a huge public reaction when Yeung announced he was selling up and retiring. The doors officially closed on January 1, 2021.

Danny Yeung's friendly approach to customers won him hospitality awards.

Actress Kate Louise Elliott was one of thousands of locals to have put their name on the board at China Inn and belt out a number. She admitted it was fond memories that inspired her to write The Last Song.

“I’d been tossing around the idea for a while,” she said.

“I remember when it was selling there was a social media post and people were suggesting the whole town should buy it so it could continue. I thought that was brilliant.”

She contacted Yeung, now 78, with the idea for a script out of courtesy.

“He was a local celebrity ... the nicest man ... super genuine. He was always open late, but he actually cared about people,” she said.

“I went to him a year ago before I even got going. They were generous, although keen to see it first to ensure it was seen in the right light, because it is an ode to The China Inn ... a celebration of community.”

“It was great to have his blessing.” Leung even offered recognisable memorabilia from the original restaurant to see if would have value as part of the set design.

Elliott joined Centrepoint Theatre 26 years ago as a young actress fresh from drama school and now holds dual roles of general manager and artistic director. But in all that time she’d never written a play.

She’d seen plenty of scripts, influenced by the likes of Roger Hall, and locals Alison Quigan and Ross Gumbley, who showed it was possible to write successful “Palmy-centric” scripts.

The Last Song director Carrie Green and Danny Yeong, the founder of The China Inn.

She kept writing bits and pieces, weaving together a storyline that was more than six months in the making, and presented it to the theatre board for approval.

It helped that the story idea ticked so many boxes. While the plot of The Last Song is not an exact historical account of China Inn, the inspiration for characters did come from real people associated with it.

“Karaoke builds community. Over time the same people start to gather in the same place and let their hair down and feel safe and it creates a sense of community,” Elliott said.

“There’s a China Inn in every town in New Zealand, if you’re lucky.”

Tickets were selling fast although a long season was planned, Elliott said, with shows five nights a week for four weeks. It might sound a stretch for the cast, but aside from three core actors – Mark Wright, Greg Johnson and Elliott – there were two revolving casts, affectionately dubbed The Pina Coladas and The Mojitos, to share the load.

Each cast rehearsed every second night, Elliott said. “The whole community cast thing might sound a bit naff but there is incredible talent here and it really does take a village.”

Director Carrie Green had to make adjustments during rehearsals to the original script, which Elliott welcomed. Of course there is singing involved, as you would expect. But is the singing authentic karaoke singing?

“Is it good? Sometimes. It’s karaoke,” she said.

“It’s not a musical. It’s a play with song.

“You know what it’s like. Sometimes you go, ‘Oh, that was phenomenal,’ and other times it’s like, ‘Oh, good on them. At least they gave it a go, ha ha’.”

“For some people, karaoke – and theatre for that matter – is an emotional release. If you’re not into yoga or sport, what do you do? It’s sport without the ball.”

So, what songs from the karaoke universe made it into the script? That would be telling, but we do know that in real life the final song ever sung at the real China Inn’s closing was Wagon Wheel.