Every Rose has its thorn

In Tian Qinxin's blog, she quotes Ang Lee discussing his award-winning film Lust, Caution. "It's a thankless job to adapt Eileen Chang's novel," the Oscar-winning director says.

Evidently, Tian agrees with Lee and knows how difficult it is to bring Chang's work to life. The theater director is set to stage a play based on Chang's novel Red Rose White Rose (1944) at the National Center for Performing Arts, running from today to Sunday.

The story of Red Rose White Rose follows Tong Zhenbao, who has a steamy fling with the wife of a friend, the saucy Red Rose. To maintain his reputation, he marries White Rose, a cold woman of impeccable pedigree.

"It is this sophisticated relationship between man and woman which drove me to do the play," Tian says.

"To be honest, I am not experienced in love but I'm really curious about it. And this is such an ideal play to explore the subject."

The humble director, known for her delicacy and ability, interprets the story in a bold and modern way.

The opening scene features a glass tunnel, which divides the stage into two spaces. On the left, two women in white cheongsams flirt with a tailor; on the right, two women in red dresses talk with their husbands.

Two men dressed in the same style, suit, cap and shoes, walk through the glass tunnel. One of them opens the left door to see a flirting scene, which reminds him of his lover from years ago. The other man opens the right door and remembers a woman in a red dress.

"In Chang's writing, Red Rose is passionate and free-spirited, while White Rose is abstemious and from an untainted background," Tian says.

"Red Rose satisfies a man's desires, and White Rose satisfies a man's spiritual needs, family and social requirements. Do men have a split body and soul?"

Inspired by this question, Tian cast two actors for each of the three leading roles.

The director has also drawn humor from Chang's sad and gloomy story. By skillfully combining Chang's powerful words with contemporary slang, Tian has transformed the story into a black comedy that focuses on the cruelties of life.

Tian says she watched Stanley Kwan's 1994 film adaptation of Red Rose White Rose but thought it was too obscure and sad.

"Chang once said that she wished those who adapted her novels would blow on her characters so as to make them come alive. I think I have blown on them," she says.

Performing these lively characters is a cast carefully selected by Tian.

In Chang's words, Red Rose is a "seductive woman who has a kid's naive mind and a sophisticated woman's body". Tian says that Qin Hailu fits that description.

The 29-year-old, who won Best Actress at Taiwan's Golden Horse Film Festival in 2001 for her performance in Durian Durian, initially wanted to play White Rose but Tian convinced her otherwise.

"After Durian Durian, many people thought Qin was a cold actress. But in my mind, she is hot and full of vigor. She makes a healthy, sexy and charming Red Rose, like a ripe red apple," Tian says.

Before the play, Qin had not acted in a full-length stage drama since graduating from the Central Academy of Drama in 2000.

"I have been away from theater for seven years. What's more, this is such a challenging work because Chang's fans will compare me with Joan Chen from Stanley Kwan's movie," Qin says.

"I was uncomfortable before we performed in Shanghai last month. But when I stepped on the stage I knew I belonged there. I felt at home and at ease throughout the performance. I look forward to acting at the National Center for the Performing Arts."

As White Rose, Hu Jingfan's lively performance is perhaps the most accurate encapsulation of the character yet seen.

"Even though Chang wrote a little about this role in her novel, Tian has opened it up to give me so many more possibilities," Hu says.

As the other Red Rose and White Rose, Zhao Junyan and Wang Shimeng provide impressive support.

Splitting the duties of playing Tong, Gao Hu and Xin Baiqing both perform with exaggerated poses and movements, adding extra intensity to the production.

And it is perhaps a monologue delivered by the two Tongs that best sums up the play: "In every man's heart, there are two women: One is the red rose; one is the white rose. If a man marries the red rose, the red rose will turn into mosquito blood on the canopy, but the white rose will become pure moonlight. If a man marries the white rose, the white rose will turn into rice sticking on a shirt, but the red rose will become an indelible scarlet stamp on his heart."

(China Daily 01/08/2008 page19)