Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue opera troupe
One of these productions is running at the Peacock Theatre before moving to Paris and Vienna: Coriolanus and Duliniang, a revisiting of Shakespeare’s play and Tang Xianzu’s classic The Peony Pavilion.
This is presented by Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue opera from Hangzhou, a famous all-female Yue opera troupe in China. I met with the leading female actress, the famous Mao Weitao—who plays both Coriolanus and Liu Mengmei, Du Liniang’s lover—and artistic director Guo Xiaonan.
Asking the director about the connection between the two playwright, Guo spoke about shared values, a renaissance in theatre in both countries and about their differences:
Kunqu Opera in Yuan Dynasty era has begun, and Tang Xianzu developed mature, works. Both Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare’s work led to a peak in dramatic writing. However, there are differences.
Shakespeare explores the social and historical and Tang is more focused on individual desires, individual life, through the dream motif. Du Liniang dreams of her lover and dies for love but also comes back to life because of love.
Discussing the reasons and process of combining the two different scripts, Guo admitted that this was not without its challenges:
From idea to the production it took about two years. For ages I wanted to find modernity in this old Kunqu drama and the opportunity came with the quatercentenary of their deaths. There has been a long rehearsal process to find the fusion point between the two plays.
Throughout the rehearsal process, after several revisions, we came to the final version where there is constant switching between extracts from the two plays so that the audience can feel the strong contrast. There are also moments in which Coriolanus and Duliniang meet and ask each other questions, confronting their situations and motivations, one character led by hate (Coriolanus) and one led by Love (Du lingniang).
Playing two different roles and within two dramatic worlds, the physical Coriolanus a gentle and the young scholar Liu Mengmei, was a challenge for talented Mao Weitao, who replied empathically about her approach to acting:
Buddhist practice has several phases. In the first phase, you see that mountains are mountains; in the second, you see that mountains are not mountains. In the third, you wonder whether you can see the same mountains. I hope I can finish the third stage. I hope I can be part of a new dramatic form, not just a new opera form.
When I was preparing for Coriolanus, I joked I felt my biceps were swelling up. Jokes aside, I really played with the tone of my voice and the musical element to differentiate between the two characters. I really enjoyed in the rehearsal process switching between characters.
She also commented on the challenges of playing Coriolanus, such a tough male figure from a feminine perspective:
This for me it was a challenge, because in the interpretation of Shakespeare’s story, I cannot use sleeves, fans, these tools that normally would assist me to shape the image in order to reflect masculinity.
In the past, I played mostly scholar figures with a feminine temperament, and Coriolanus is very masculine. So for me this was really challenging. However, for me it was important to find a feminine side to Coriolanus.
Ending my conversation with the director Guo and Mao, both expressed much expectation for the British and western audiences to consider shared values between the West and China.
Guo:
With our production, we to want to appeal today's human feelings, to tell the story of the two traditions but how these are associated with today. We want to interpret the history of modern works.
Mao:
Both are plays about two people: Du was born again for love; Coriolanus died of hate. There is a great contrast that will enable the audience to engage with the novelty of this new production. Here, in the West, we hope the audience can accept, love.
And with this message of love and acceptance we hope that more productions can come to the UK from this fascinating country that is China.