media vita.

i preface everything by saying that I went into watching this production with minimal knowledge of both the subject matter and the production itself. i scrambled to get tickets and made a special detour to another city on my vacation (Shaoxing) just for the very specific purpose of seeing the woman, the myth, the absolutely titanic legend (in my eyes) that is Mao Weitao. i had long ago given up hope of ever seeing her play a role onstage, because the woman is after all in her early to mid 60s now.

but then this. Su Tungpo – poet, official, lover, dreamer. in an entirely new production, a new opera written almost specifically for her. she has spoken over the years about her admiration for him as a subject matter, and i am glad that I have had the privilege of seeing this dream come true for her.

as a preface, for those unfamiliar with who Su Tungpo is, he is in Chinese culture a towering literary and artistic figure. a man so significant he is still being celebrated almost a thousand years from his birth. his poetry has that particular bittersweetness in observing and connecting the fleetingness of human life with the vastness and poignancy of nature – i would highly recommend reading some of it, if you are so inclined.

with that backdrop – more about the production.

this was my 2nd time seeing it, and I was able to observe more by watching the show through my trusty, beloved folding opera glasses (best 5 pounds spent, over a decade ago in London). Mao Weitao is lauded for her acting skill; i already knew going in that she is / was past her vocal prime. she was also never blessed with a naturally beautiful or striking instrument the way that her peer Wang Jun An 王君安 or even her student Chen Lijun 陈丽君 are. but she more than makes up for it with her acting ability, in how she is able to translate deep thought and mediation into her performance of the character she is playing onstage. i was not disappointed. watching her live, seeing her move onstage, you understand all at once how and why her intensity has left many a stage partner unable to meet her gaze. the intensity is there, tempered this time I feel only by the nature of the character. there is a wry detachment to her now, the same way Su Tungpo has – and it feels fitting for both of them, functions of what they have endured, survived and triumphed over in their lives.

the opera is a dreamscaped imagining of Su Tungpo’s life, and the relationships he has throughout. through these prisms we see Su Tungpo’s life philosophy, and how it evolves throughout the years. from the carefree poet (who still is dutiful to the office he is appointed to) to the exiled official (who embraces his impending (failed) assassination, who remarks that life is but a journey anyway), and eventually to the older statesman recalled to the imperial court by the Empress Dowager (and who refuses high office in favour of simply being the new boy-emperor’s grand tutor – because he knows the perils of a title, and all he wishes to truly do is serve, where he can help the most), we see the evolution of a great man. we see the losses he endures – of his dignity, of his power, his agency, of his three great loves. the opera is a biopic of a full life painted in so many broad brushstrokes – and yet, we the audience feel through the magnetism, the strength of Mao Weitao’s performance precisely every specific nuance we are meant to feel. the audience sits in empathy and in awe of this great man’s life for three hours, and there is never a single moment through the entire evening that feels extraneous. It is a tight production, paced well and from what i can see – is constantly improving, performance on performance.

critics have argued that what Mao Weitao is doing / does in pushing the boundaries of what may be considered Yue Opera. it has resulted in the productions that come out of her troupe / company, the Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Company, (“Xiaobaihua”) being labelled frequently as “Musical theatre sung in the Yue dialect”, and accused of not upholding tradition. whilst I can understand where the critics are coming from with the musical theatre allegations, I would also argue that Yue Opera, of all the traditional Chinese opera types (and there are hundreds of them) is in actuality one of the youngest – 120 years young this year – and most able and in fact suitable to take in fresh approaches and innovative stagings and stories. Yue Opera itself had its beginnings in pushing against social and cultural expectations, and its origins have a large part to play in why there are so many all-female Yue Opera troupes – Xiaobaihua being the most famous, of course. there are those in the Yue Opera profession that are focused on upholding tradition, and they are doing a great job of it; a rising tide raises all boats, and the fact remains that many of these stalwarts (who are Mao Weitao’s peers) have gained so much visibility in the zeitgeist precisely as a result of the virality of the productions staged by Xiaobaihua (see: New Dragon Gate Inn, which launched Chen Lijun and Li Yunxiao into the Chinese nation’s consciousness). reflected glory and interest is a thing, and the mission of propagating their beloved art form is something everyone in the Yue Opera profession can agree on.

every aspect of this production has been clearly thought through, and it is what I would call a “maximalist minimalist” production. the sets and props are brief, broad brushstrokes that contain modern materials (especially in the costuming) but where they need to be true to tradition, they are. for example, the cuts of all the costumes worn by the characters are for the most part true to historical records (and I can vouch for this, having conveniently toured the museums in the region the opera is set in over the past 2 weeks or so), but clearly made with modern materials like organza. it is a good looking production that will stand the test of time, i feel. vocally, everyone in the cast is on point (apart from Mao Weitao herself, but we forgive that for the depth of her performance), and it there is truth in how every gesture, every movement onstage in traditional Chinese opera is meant to be very beautiful to look at. there is purpose to everything done onstage, and the deliberateness of everything reflects the professionalism and the degree of thought that has gone into every single detail in this show. there is also a particular aesthetic, delicacy and beauty of the Jiangnan / Jiangsu region that also comes through in this production - it is particularly atmospheric despite the stage being relatively bare. it has been a long time since I have been this excited and engaged by a production, and I am glad that my virgin Yue Opera experience in China was given to this production, to Mao Weitao, the biggest baddie (imho) of them all.

at the end of the Shanghai performance, Mao Weitao gave an impromptu speech and mentioned that the there would be international arts festival representatives in the audience the next evening. i can only hope that this translates to this production being toured internationally (and selfishly, for it to come to Singapore). i also hope that at some point, the entire production is professionally filmed. in so many ways, this opera, this character, feels a little like Mao Weitao’s farewell to stage roles (not that she has announced it thus) but it would be such a fitting one for her. the bold, stubborn spirit of Su Tungpo in his youth, his mellowing across the years – my mind and heart both feel the resonance in Mao Weitao’s life, and i can only imagine how much she identifies with him. Mao Weitao is this year the same age as Su Tungpo when he died (64). how fitting, that a trailblazer of our current age is flying the flag of another, from almost a thousand years ago.