Novel show that's nearly pitch perfect
Although The King Mourns is a fresh and complicated presentation, the entire production seems somehow strange, artificial and even laughable in some scenes.
Yu Ji is performed by Peking Opera actress Liu Lu. She does a perfect job singing and performing the Peking Opera tune of Farewell My Concubine in one scene but sounds weak when delivering dialogue in the following scene.
Often, she shifts from Peking Opera to normal lines, an action which, in itself, sounds very unnatural. What sounds even stranger is when she speaks in the Peking Opera language style while Xiang Yu answers in plain speech.
Fang Zibing showcases his energy and passion in his portrayal of Xiang Yu. It's a challenging role. In addition to not leaving the stage for even one minute throughout the two-hour show, he often has to shift from Peking-Opera-styled performance to pure drama.
Like Liu Lu, at times his character is also too artificial and in some scenes he overacts, which in some scenes makes the tragic role ridiculous and laughable.
The most applause goes to Zhang Hao who acts 13 roles all by himself. Without changing costumes, he differentiates these roles from each other by giving each part a unique stage personality. He even portrays Liu Bang's father and wife in the same scene: One second he's an angry old man and the next he's a weeping woman.
The set and music add flair to the show. Designed by Liu Kedong, the set features simple but sharp colors of red, white and black. The two side curtains are made of hundreds of thin red lines. Nine pieces of broad white Xuan paper hang from the ceiling to the floor forming the back curtain.
Whenever a character dies, a stream of blood falls down on a piece of paper. At the end of the show, this back curtain depicts a Chinese ink-and-wash painting.
Zhang Guangtian's original score, combining the ancient melodies and the throbbing drumbeats, enhances the power and the tragic atmosphere of the show.
Although both the playwright and director have emphasized that it is not a historical play, it does include dozens of famous anecdotes of that time, even including the legend that Yu Ji's bloodstained the flower of corn poppy, which now bears the name "Beauty Yu" in Chinese.
(China Daily 03/18/2008 page19)
