[theStar]Debunking ‘truths’ about the Drag …
http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/9/7/features/6194301
Debunking ‘truths’ about the Dragon Lady
BY MENG YEW CHOONG
POWERFUL. Self-indulgent. Domineering. Cruel. These adjectives are
commonly used to describe China’s last female monarch, the Empress
Dowager Tzu Hsi (1835-1908), who had unchallenged control of the
kingdom for nearly five decades. (She ascended to the throne at the
age of 26.)
Much has been written about her, and most of the accounts are
generally unflattering. However, in the past decade, authors and
historians have begun to ask whether what has been documented about
this woman is indeed true. General opinion has it that Tzu Hsi was a
cunning woman who was not averse to taking drastic measures to cling
on to power, to the extent of “poisoning her own son”, as well as
“forcing her pregnant daughter-in-law to commit suicide”.
(For a comprehensive list of publications on Tzu Hsi,
go to http://www.royalty.nu/Asia/China/TzuHsi.html.)
In the September 1998 edition of History Today, Richard Cavendish
noted that most of the books on Tzu Hsi focused only on her “negative,
court politic playing behaviour”. Others are mere fictionalised
accounts of how she might have behaved. For example, Imperial Woman (1956)
by Pearl S. Buck (Pulitzer prize-winning writer of The Good Earth), is
actually a fictional biography of the empress.
More recent authors have sifted though the records again and come away
with a somewhat more sympathetic picture of Tzu Hsi, who was nicknamed
Dragon Lady. Keith Laidler’s The Last Empress: The She-Dragon of China,
published last April, contends that she was somewhat a “victim of the
corrupt system that taught her the savage ways she practised”.
Sterling and Peggy Seagrave’s Dragon Lady: Life and Legend of the Last
Empress of China (Vintage Books, 1993) is credited for “dispelling the
exaggerated falsehoods that hover around her”. One of which is the claim
that she helped to kill the Emperor Tungchih, her own son, through a slow
poisoning process after he fell out of favour with her.
Well, whatever is bandied as truth will have its believers, and the
Seagraves’ effort did influence Singaporean singer-composer Dick Lee
to re-examine the controversial ruler’s life. And that pretty much sums
up the birth of what could be Singapore’s most elaborate (and some say,
the best) musical to date – Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress.
Conceived three years ago by Lee, Stephen Clark
(http://www.zorro.com/bio_stephen_clark.htm) and London-based director
Steven Dexter (of Honk! and Sing to the Dawn fame), Forbidden City was
first staged at the Esplanade Theatre last October to mark the opening
of the performing arts landmark in South-East Asia.
Brought back by popular demand to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the
Singapore Repertory Theatre, this multi-million-dollar production is “a
musical retelling of history in an entertaining manner”, said SRT managing
director and artistic director, Gaurav Kripalani.
As such, do not expect it to be a historical documentary per se. Rather,
look forward to a compelling story that few have heard about.
George Morrison (Hal Fowler) as the manipulative journalist who tries to
glean information on life within the Forbidden City from artist Katherine
Carl (Leigh McDonald).
When it comes to telling stories, few are in a better position than Clark,
who has written plays for theatres in Britain and the United States. His
lyrics for the relaunched version of Martin Guerre (West End, 1998) for
Cameron Mackintosh won him an Olivier Award.
“Forbidden City is a sympathetic rendition of the Empress Dowager. It
was Dick Lee who approached us after reading Seagrave, and we decided
to portray her as a woman, not just a monster,” Dexter said in a recent
interview with StarMag.
“The musical presents the story with a surprising twist, but its whole
essence is true,” he added. Besides perusing the Seagraves’ account,
the creative team sifted through volumes of material on Tzu Hsi at the
British Library, among other sources.
“A lot of the storyline is based on Dragon Lady, which contends that
Tzu Hsi couldn’t have done some of the terrible things ascribed to her
as she was not in the Forbidden City at the time of the alleged incidents. .
We base (the musical) mainly on the Seagraves’ account,” Dexter said.
“According to them, a lot of the ‘history’ we know today is based on
news reports written by the British (who definitely had an agenda against
China at that time). We know from many private papers and diaries that
the events (which took place) were not as published by the newspapers.”
Another document that the writers of Forbidden City relied upon is the
personal account by the only Western female (or any Westerner, for the
matter) to have gotten “up close and personal” with the empress. In
1903, Tzu Hsi had asked American painter Katherine Carl to do a portrait
of her. In the process, Carl got an exclusive and intimate glimpse of
the dowager.
Carl, who spent 10 months in the Forbidden City (which was off limits
even to the ordinary Chinese), wrote down some of her impressions.
In the course of research, the team found that history had been twisted
to suit certain interests, and such accounts had been passed on.
“We are not suggesting that Tzu Hsi was a cute little sit-at-home
tea-making lady. She must have been a special lady if she ruled China
for five decades. She must have been powerful,” Dexter explained.
“But it is sad to see that what two or three (Western) journalists
wrote 100 years ago is still believed to be the official version of
events by some. But what they wrote in their personal diaries was
very different.”
Despite the research, SRT is wary about claiming that theirs is the
final version of the truth.
“We don’t claim we have (the full) truth about Tzu Hsi, but we hope
that this musical can perhaps open up discussion on how history was
made. We are trying to see it from her own eyes,” remarked Charlotte
Nors, the company’s venue and marketing manager.
Lead singer and actress Kit Chan concurred. “We never claimed that
ours is the ‘correct’ version. It is sort of like a more human way
of looking at things. It is, after all, a story, so I think we have
the artistic licence to do things.” (For example, the love affair
between British journalist George Morrison and the painter Carl is
fictional.)
For Chan, playing Tzu Hsi means having to shed some of her old notions
about the monarch.
“I had certain images of her, like most Chinese do: cruel, powerful,
and so on. It was a bit strange at first. However, having read Seagrave,
I had to change my mindset. I understood her vulnerability. I think,
for a woman, it must have been difficult, but she had no choice.
“I am not even going to say which version of the truth I believe in,
but you have to believe the character you are playing. So, when I play
Yehenara (Tzu Hsi’s maiden name), I believe her joy when she was
chosen by the emperor (to be one of his concubines) and I believe her
pain when her son was taken away from her (to be trained and educated
by palace administrators, following royal custom).
“That’s what you have to do when you are on stage. That, combined
with what you know about a character, help give her different colours.
“From my point of view, I play her as a woman, just like any woman.
In fact, that is how I relate to her, because obviously I can’t as
an empress. But (I can relate to her) as a woman who fell in love then
was abandoned, and as a mother separated from her son. And in the midst
of the power struggles at the court, she had to do what was right, and
struggle. These are all very real emotions,” said Chan, who reprises
the lead role again.
If all the above sounds like rather heavy stuff for a musical, she and
Dexter assure viewers that “Forbidden City is essentially a creative
retelling of the story of a Chinese icon using the tradition of Western
musical theatre. It is very much about a young girl who grew older and
wiser along the way. In a way, it is like Cinderella.
“There have been some improvements and changes since the last time it
was shown. We had wonderful feedback from people after the premiere
and we know what works, and what doesn’t. We’ve replaced some songs,
rearranged the choreography and improvised costumes (designed by
Paris-based Singaporean designer Yang Derong). The show itself will be
a lot tighter.
“It is very fast moving, almost cinematic in its pace: the longest
scene in the whole show is probably five minutes. It is very visual; we
use screens and modern lights.”
Dexter added that Forbidden City operates on many different levels, and
one can enjoy it for its feel, theatricality, music, depth and so on.
“As a director, I always make sure that I don’t aim for the lowest
common denominator. I make sure that anybody who comes in to see the
play – a six-year-old child or an adult – will be able to follow and
understand the story.”
He was not making an empty boast. Forbidden City’s broad appeal was
evident from the broad demographic makeup of those who caught its premiere.
“We had never intended to write a family-oriented show like Miss Saigon
or Les Miserables or The Sound of Music. But I think this (broad appeal)
is one of the show’s strengths. It’s like getting a history lesson
without realising that you’ve gotten one at all.”
And best of all, you don’t even need to have a good command of English
to appreciate it. There are Chinese subtitles for those who are more
literate in that language.
Where the music is concerned, expect nothing but the best from Lee, who
will surprise many with his avant garde composition that is devoid of
the “ching-ching, clang-clang and tong tong” stuff normally associated
with Chinese music. Or, as a Singapore reviewer put it last year:
“Those who came nervous about overblown orientalism on stage needn’t
have worried – the piece was defined by clean lines, sharp lighting
and careful accents of lantern or gilded throne - not a fan or lion
dance in sight.”
“The music will be an elegant blend of East and West,” said Dexter.
No doubt, there will be the er hu and other familiar Chinese instruments,
but Lee does not veer too far from the musical theatre genre.
“It has to be familiar in that aspect. There are big songs, big moments,
and lyrical moments. I would say this is my most lyrical musical by far,
” said Lee, famed for his score for the Hong Kong pop musical Snow.Wolf.
Lake, which showcased Jacky Cheung and Kit Chan. Like Evita, the dialogue
of Forbidden City will be sung rather than spoken. Proudly touted as a
made-in-Singapore product, the mainly local cast (which includes Hossan
Leong, Sebastian Tan, Amy Cheng, Cynthia Lee and Oliver Pang) is augmented
by Leigh McDonald, who plays Carl, and Hal Fowler, as the conniving Morrison.
Forbidden City will run at 8 nightly at Esplanade Theatre (1, Esplanade
Drive), till Sept 21. Matinee performances (weekends only) are at 2.30pm.
Tickets start from S$11 upwards. For enquiries, log on to www.sistic.com.sg
or call 02-63485555. There is also a special travel package tailored for
Malaysians by Quantum Travel (02-62205005).
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下仍舊在辨認漸漸淡的氣味 記起當天的鮮花會飛 黃
世遊玩在大地 漸漸再不顧忌 那曉得剎那轉了天氣
紀我記起跟你一起花裡遊戲 那笑聲多愉快多美 耀
再我記起跟你爭先吸一口氣 走過多芳香的奇妙世紀
嬉到這天恐怕一切將要忘記 那記憶荒謬更淒美 明
戲到這天跟你一起不再頑皮 約定下世紀再嬉戲
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