Reviews

Play

A Midsummer Night's Dream

The temperature is dropping in Beijing, but in Poly Theater it is hot with amorous games and hilarious laughter. The Bard's romantic comedy is given a new, and very accessible, rendition.

Directed by Liang Bolong, a veteran teacher at the Central Drama Academy, the play starts on a wrong foot, with somewhat pompously translated dialogue and stilted delivery. But once the two pairs of lovers chase each other, the ingenious use of physical comedy kicks the whole show into high gear and never lets off. The pacing is very well managed, and the necessary trimming is tasteful, as is the ad-libbing and the updating of the players' occupation.

Of all the female roles, Jiang Xiaohan gives the most impressive performance as Helena, the love-sick woman who acts somewhat like today's fans. She infuses the character with both hilarity and humanity. Liu Hua's Bottom unsurprisingly fares the best among the male roles, until Su Xing, as Flute, appears in drag in the play within the play and totally steals the show. For a finalist of television singing contest (China's equivalent of American Idol), Su turns more than a few heads with his comedic chops.

The play runs till November 11 at Beijing's Poly Theater.

Raymond Zhou

Book

Passage Through China

Written by Lee Khoon Choy, published by China Knowledge Press PTE Ltd, Singapore, 565 pages

This thick book is a heavyweight read, but a quick skim persuades speed-readers to stick to it. Lee Khoon Choy, a former Minister of State who belongs to Singapore's first generation of leaders, shares the experiences, and a few old photos, of his journeys seeking China's hidden treasures as an ambassador, journalist, painter, businessman and martial arts practitioner.

Lee's innate curiosity about, and enthusiasm to understand, the diverse cultures and the traditional roots of China have taken him on more than 70 trips among the country's 22 provinces since 1975. The book is arranged by order of the provinces he visited, but each location described offers readers insight into the dramatic changes he witnessed over the years.

Lee made good use of privileged access to restricted areas, such as the Silk Road, and fully utilized his position as an official with well-honed journalistic instincts in recording and collecting his experiences in this remarkably exhaustive yet easy to read compendium.

From taking his first sip of gongfu cha in Guangdong Province to climbing the highest point of Gulangyu, Lee witnessed almost every stage of China's development from its highly conservative origins to the economic powerhouse it has become.

China Knowledge is Singapore's premier provider of news and financial information on the region and has operations in New York City, London, Hong Kong and major cities on the Chinesemainland.

Liu Jun

Film

Death At a Funeral

Directed Frank Oz, with Matthew McFadyen, Rupert Graves, Daisy Donovan

Scientists believe that black holes can slow down the progress of time. A similar effect can be felt by viewers of this damp squib of a farce as it grinds on from one lame set-up to the next. This sort of sub-Alan Ayckbourn trawl might work on stage but never on the big screen, where all the deficiencies of the form are thrown into sharp relief. From Oz downwards, the credits are full of familiar names foolishly squandering the goodwill their past works have generated.

The Guardian

(China Daily 11/07/2007 page20)