Venue: Huang Hua Gang Theater
Time: 2008-12-13,14
Tickets: ￥100, 200, 300, 380, 580
Tel: 8386 5690, 8384 6330
The iconic play Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land by the influential Taiwan director and playwright Stan Lai has returned to Guangzhou's Stage. The play, featuring two different troupes, mistakenly booked into the same theatre for a rehearsal recently moved the audience to laughter as well as tears. In this, the play seems to have come true. Performers from different troupes in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the mainland have performed a joint version of the play in both mandarin and Cantonese.
Interweaving tragedy and comedy on one stage is the leading feature of the play. Actually it's a play about two plays. Two theatre groups are mistakenly booked into the same theatre for rehearsal.
One is performing a modern tragedy called Secret Love, telling of a dying old man in Taipei searching for his first love from Shanghai, lost half a century ago.
The other is performing the farce In Peach Blossom Land, lampooning the fabled utopia of classic Chinese literature.
Forced to share the same stage, the two troupes fight for the stage, and resign themselves to sharing it.
The two productions merge in a comic clash of contrasting dialogue and styles. Beneath the tears and laughter throbs a bittersweet yearning.
Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land is a classic drama by Taiwan playwright and director Stan Lai. Since its Taipei debut in 1986, staged by Stan Lai's Taiwan-based Performance Workshop, the play has been among the cherished classics of modern Chinese theater in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Last year, to celebrate the play's 20th birthday, Stan Lai directed the mainland version, which was first staged at the National Theater in Beijing. To date, there have been four drama versions of "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land" including Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Mainland, as well as an English version.
Now the iconic drama has been returned to the capital stage again, this time with three versions featuring performers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and the mainland. In addition to their own versions, the National Theater Company of China, Hong Kong Repertory Theater and Taiwan Performance Workshop will perform together in a combined version. All performances are in Chinese mandarin with English subtitles, with the Hong Kong troupe speaking in Cantonese.
After the joint version, audiences can also watch the Hong Kong version and the mainland version. This is a rare chance to watch three versions of the classic play within 10 days.
"Oh, I like it very much. Well, actually I don't speak Chinese but I understood how to do with different Chinese regions. I did like very much to see somehow encounter of two different Chinese cultures."
"I think the joint version has presented more contrasts than other versions. The performers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Mainland have different performing styles. The conflict of the play itself and the contrast of the two languages have brought a wonderful effect. "
Fredric Mao, artistic director of the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, is the initiator of this joint version.
"I appreciate Stan Lai's works very much. And we have worked together for a play before. I was seeking the opportunity for our second cooperation. So when he told me he wanted to bring his mainland version of Secret Love in the Peach Blossom Land, I suggested making a combined version by the three performing groups."
This year marks the 30th birthday of Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China and the centennial of Chinese drama.
Zhao Youliang, president of National Theatre of China, says the joint version is a gift for the special year, and also spoke highly of such an attempt.
"One stage, two troupes, Secret Love and In Peach Blossom Land meet by chance. It's not only Stan Lai and his companies' artistic pursuit, but also a highlight in the history of Chinese drama."
The joint version has premiered in Hong Kong and been shown four times. Stan Lai says its premiere has won acclaims from audience and critics.
"Some critics say this version should be the best one compared with other versions. The original play is about two troupes competing on one stage, and now the joint version, performed by different groups, makes the play come true. I think it's very interesting. So we bring the special version to Beijing."
He Jiong, a well-known variety show host, who plays a role in the mainland version of In Peach Blossom Land, says it's a good opportunity for performers to learn from each other.
"I have already watched the joint version in Hong Kong. I feel excited when watching this play as an audience member. The In Peach Blossom Land part is played in Cantonese. It's very special for me. The Hong Kong actors and actresses have rich experience in performance, and they are really skillful in stage plays. These things are what I lack."
As the hero in the Secret Love part, Huang Lei, a top actor from the mainland, says he has a special feeling while playing in the joint version.
"For one thing, it's a new experience for me. Though sometimes I don't understand the lines said in Cantonese, I think the contrast between two different languages is the appeal of this version. For the other, it is a stage for performers to learn from each other. Hong Kong performers are very professional in stage a play - which is something worth learning."
As a drama created 20 years ago, Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land has been staged thousands of times so far, and has won popularity from home and abroad.
When the performers tour different cities with Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land, they change some lines according to local situations, which could draw the audience closer to the play. This time, for example, there is a reference to Beijing's countdown to the 2008 Olympic Games.
Fredric Mao says it's the charm of theater itself.
"Though this play has a history of 20 years, you will have different feelings when it is played by different performers, in different places and times. That's the feature of theater."
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