Chinese tales reimagined
Don’t Let Writer Know is a production of classic Chinese tales, given whimsical twists.
Do you like traditional Chinese classics such as Mulan, Romance Of The Three Kingdoms and The Peach Blossom Spring? Are you familiar with all their plots and their characters?
If you are, well, you’ll probably have a lot of fun with Don’t Let Writer Know, an anthology of short plays which offers a fresh, unique take on famous works of Chinese literature. Imagine the tale of infamous Empress Wu, first woman ruler of China, set in modern times. or Romance of the Three Kingdoms now set in a shopping mall toilet.
Don’t Let Writer Know plays at Pentas 2, KLPac, starting tomorrow.
“It’s like a rollercoaster. It’s fun, you won’t guess what’s happening! We’re trying to make theatre accessible. Each play is about 10 minutes and no matter what, there’s definitely something you will like. And if you enjoyed one of the stories, you can go look up the original text after the show,” says Easee Gan, one of the show’s directors.
Don’t Let Writer Know features seven short plays by seven directors: Vincent Hau, Amelia Tan, Marina Tan, Giant Liang, Mon Lim, William Yap, and Gan. It is a collaboration between The Actors Studio Seni Teater Rakyat and Muka Space Productions.
The production, adapting a number of famous Chinese literature texts, commemorates the history of 100 years of Chinese theatre in Malaysia. The show is mostly in Mandarin, with some plays in Cantonese and Hokkien (English subtitles will be available).
It is the third instalment in KLPac’s popular “Don’t Let ...” series, which began with 2016’s Don’t Let Shakespeare Know, and was followed the next year by Don’t Let Children Know.
Gan is directing two pieces in the show, both of which feature actors MayJune Tan and Tan Li Yang.
The first is Da Ji, based on the character of Da Ji, a concubine from the classic mythological work The Creation Of The Gods. While Da Ji is mostly remembered as an evil character, Gan says his work offers another perspective on her.
The other piece Grandpa’s Papaya Tree is based on the novel of the same name from Malaysian novelist Li Zi Shu. In 1995, the novel won the Best Novel award at the 1995 Malaysia National Flash Fiction Writing Contest. It is about a grandfather and his relationship with his family.
Gan was attracted to the book’s rich familial memories. He decided to adapt the story as it had a lot of personal meaning to him.
“My mother was from a poor family. So she had go to night school to learn Chinese, and I used to accompany her. At night, we would sleep in the living room and learn Chinese. It’s very much like this play, where the grandfather will teach his grandchildren Mandarin,” recalls Gan.
In Super Wu Man, the story zaps the tale of Empress Wu Zetian into the modern day. It features actresses Amelia Tan, Boh Kuan and Kimmy Kiew.
Marina Tan, who directs the play with Amelia Tan, felt the need to discuss and dissect the role of a “superwoman”.
Empress Wu is just the sort of woman. The weight of expectations on her is daunting enough.
“In the English-speaking world, the phrase ‘superwoman’ has cultural connotations of a woman who can do it all. She can do a lot of things, but then comes this expectation that she has to do it all, at the same time. It’s partly society’s expectations and partly her own conditioning. In more enlightened times, we accept that this is not sustainable,” says Marina.
The other plays in this series are Pity (directed by Yap, based on the novel Wu Qiu by Malaysian author Chuah Huan Bee), Mulan Mulan (directed by Liang), Till We Meet Again (directed by Lim, based on Tao Yuan Ming’s The Peach Blossom Spring )and Ladies Lavatory – The Three Visits (directed by Hau, based on Romance Of The Three Kingdoms).
“Even if you don’t speak Chinese, it’s good to see what else is out there. I think there are a lot of good original Chinese works out there, all devised, that are not published in a script,” says Marina.
Gan says theatre is how we see things in life happening, and to keep dialects in the spotlight.
“And if we don’t keep performing, in these variety of languages, we lose something. We lose our identity,” says Gan.
Don’t Let Writer Know is on at Pentas 2, KLPac, Sentul Park, Jalan Strachan, off Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah in Kuala Lumpur from April 5-8. Showtimes are 8.30pm (April 5-7) and 3pm (April 7-8). Tickets are RM55 and RM45 (concession), with an RM45 flat rate for the 8.30pm show on April 5 and 3pm show on April 7. For more info, call 03-4047 9000 (KLPac). Browse www.klpac.org and www.ticketpro.com. my.