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| Monday, September 27, 2004
Theatre > He Shi Bi He Shi Bi was produced and acted by various Chinese Churches in Singapore. It was held at the Victoria Theatre, Singapore, 24th - 26th September 2004.Reviewed by Chris Lee, Seen on the 24th September 2004 (Opening Night) The story finds its origins in 700 B.C. China in a little village called 'Jinshan' in the Kingdom of Chu. It revolves around a jade smith- Bian He, who chanced upon a piece of priceless jade and presented it to Emperor Li of the Kingdom. However, the Emperor did not believe it to be genuine and in his rejection of it, had Bian's left leg amputated. Undaunted, Bian, many years later, brought the same piece of jade to Emperor Li's successor, Emperor Wu. Again, he was rejected and suffered the amputation of his right leg. Bian's determination to accord recognition to the genuine jade persisted until the reign of Emperor Wen. In this tale where the jade symbolizes the ultimate beauty and perfection in life, Bian devoted his entire life to bringing this good to the people. The play pursued a Elizabethan era of Shakespearean mode of staging where the actors are lined up across the stage, with the most important characters at the center of the stage and the least important characters toward the ends.The characters played much of their lines out towards the audience with much gestured hand movements that opens out as if in proclamation which is not unlike the manner where ancient Greeks theatre actors would play to their audience. One intriguing note was that the consistency of the above style of acting was suddenly broken by one later scene that stood out jarringly. The scene where the aged villagers were spaced apart on stage, taking turns to talk while a single, tight, white, profile spotlights take turns to light up each character as he talks and blacks out when the character finishes speaking. This carried on for quite some time before the stage goes totally black and the actors exited while the audience waited in total darkness for the next scene to begin. It does make one wonder why the choice of a more naturalistic approach to the acting was not taken up for it might help to serve the script better, considering that the script focuses on heart-wrenching, inter-personal relationships. The various Emperors were played by a single actor- Jaime Choo who held fort superbly and possessed such an understated stage presence that he held most of my attention whenever his scenes appear. The rest of the time, I was mostly drawn to the humongous mountain set that dwarfed the cast. The solo dance by Xiao Jing in expressions of Bian He's sorrows was to me the breath-taking highlight of the entire show. For the stark nakedness of a human was laid bare on stage for all to view. For once, Bian He's sadness and tears roll down through the body of this dancer. Suddenly, it felt as if a human's heart was laid bare before the cross again, standing fully naked in front of God, contrite. A production of this scale would not be easy even for a professional company in Singapore to stage by virtue of the length of preparation, investments and huge amount of actor training required to pull through such a performance. He Shi Bi was a very sincere and valiant piece of offering by the combined Chinese Churches in Singapore for the Chinese community. ----- Cast Details : HE SHI BI Presented by the combined Chinese Churches in Singapore: Anglican Diocese of Singapore Lutheran Church of Singapore Methodist Church in Singapore Presbyterian Church of Singapore and Nantah Graduates Christian Fellowship (Formerly Nanyang University) Written by Zhang Xiao Feng (Based on the ancient Chinese Classic by Han Fei Zi) Directed by Li Hsiao Yuan Choreography by Samathe Lee Swee Chin Music by Lighting Design by Tommy Wong Set Design by Lee Zhi Ming Wardrobe Design by Yang Xiao Hua Performed at the Victoria Theatre, Singapore (24th - 26th September 2004)
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