Performing Shakespeare in Contemporary Taiwan
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Performing Shakespeare in Contemporary Taiwan by Ya-hui Huang A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment for the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Central Lancashire Jan 2012 Abstract Since the 1980s, Taiwan has been subjected to heavy foreign and global influences, leading to a marked erosion of its traditional cultural forms. Indigenous traditions have had to struggle to hold their own and to strike out into new territory, adopt or adapt to Western models. For most theatres in Taiwan, Shakespeare has inevitably served as a model to be imitated and a touchstone of quality. Such Taiwanese Shakespeare performances prove to be much more than merely a combination of Shakespeare and Taiwan, constituting a new fusion which shows Taiwan as hospitable to foreign influences and unafraid to modify them for its own purposes. Nonetheless, Shakespeare performances in contemporary Taiwan are not only a demonstration of hybridity of Westernisation but also Sinification influences. Since the 1945 Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party, or KMT) takeover of Taiwan, the KMT’s one-party state has established Chinese identity over a Taiwan identity by imposing cultural assimilation through such practices as the Mandarin-only policy during the Chinese Cultural Renaissance in Taiwan. Both Taiwan and Mainland China are on the margin of a “metropolitan bank of Shakespeare knowledge” (Orkin, 2005, p. 1), but it is this negotiation of identity that makes the Taiwanese interpretation of Shakespeare much different from that of a Mainlanders’ approach, while they share certain commonalities that inextricably link them. This study thus examines the interrelation between Taiwan and Mainland China operatic cultural forms and how negotiation of their different identities constitutes a singular different Taiwanese Shakespeare from Chinese Shakespeare. In recognising this, the core of this thesis rests on how Shakespeare plays speak insightfully to Taiwan society across historical, geographical, and cultural boundaries. Many Shakespeare plays powerfully echo the political turmoil of contemporary Taiwan society, but it is the negotiation of the political and cultural dependency that constitutes a distinct Taiwanese Shakespeare identity that is different from Chinese Shakespeare. This study therefore focuses on Shakespeare performances in contemporary Taiwan between 1986 and 2003, emphasising political context as key factor in adaptation, as Taiwan society transited from a military age to post- millennium democracy after martial law was lifted in 1987. Chapter One, Wu Hsing-kuo’s Kingdom of Desire (1986), a Peking Opera production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, features a hybridised culture of Western text and Eastern theatre which situates Taiwanese Shakespeare in the context of the political upheaval of the 1980s. Chapter Two covers Huang Wushan’s Henry IV (2001), a local Puppet-play theatre production in which Shakespeare was adapted to address KMT political suppression of local Taiwanese cultures. In Chapter Three, Lee Kuo-hsiu’s Shamlet (1992) makes a parody of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, challenging playwright authority through subversion of Shakespeare’s text, and taking on the role of authority in Shakespearean production. In Chapter Four, Liang Chi-min’s musical production Kiss Me Nana (1998), proved a major encounter with Western influence, and I explore the Taiwanese adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew and its effects on Taiwanese audiences particularly with regard to Shakespeare’s controversial representation of gender roles. In Chapter Five, the example of Wang Jiaming’s Titus Andronicus (2003) – a clash of mixed Shakespeare, Taiwanese Little Theatre, and Brechtian theatre – is used to examine political and social contexts and impacts in post-millennial Taiwan. Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Stuart Hampton- Reeves, who read every version of this thesis thoroughly, commenting with critical insight, and giving great support and encouragement. I would also like to thank Professor John Joughin, Professor Robert Shaughnessy and Dr Janice Wardle for their valuable comments, provided at different stages of my PhD. I am grateful for the help I received in locating archives for this research, particularly to Alexander C. Y. Huang, Wang Jiaming and Huang Wushan. I would like to acknowledge the support of the ORSAS that provided funding for my research between 2006 and 2008, and also the great help I received from staffs at the UCLan Graduate Office. Finally, I would not have been able either to start or to complete my PhD without the devoted support of my family and friends, to whom I owe my dearest thanks. Table of Contents Abstract Acknowledgements Table of Contents Introduction The Tempest: The Dilemma of Taiwan’s Identity 1 Methodology 8 Shakespeare in Asia 11 Shakespeare in Taiwan 18 Summary of Each Chapter 23 Textual Notes 25 Chapter One: Kingdom of Desire (dir. Wu Hsing-kuo 1986) 1.1 Introduction 26 1.2 Reception of Kingdom of Desire in Taiwan and London 27 1.3 Kingdom of Desire and Political Relevance 31 1.4 Peking Opera as an Invented Tradition 35 1.5 The Decline of Peking Opera as the National Opera of Taiwan 42 1.6 The Need for Reformation in Peking Opera 45 1.7 Political Concept of Peking Opera in Kingdom of Desire 51 1.8 Modernisation of Peking Opera in Kingdom of Desire 64 1.9 Coda: Personal Engagement of Peking Opera in 78 Wu Hsing-kuo’s Lear is Here (2001) 1.10 Conclusion 86 Chapter Two: Henry IV (dir. Huang Wushan 2002) 2.1 Introduction 87 2.2 The Modern Relevance of Shakespeare’s Henry IV in Taiwan 89 2.3 The Modernisation of Puppet Play in Taiwan 99 2.4 The Relevance of Shakespeare’s Henry IV in Puppet Play Theatre 104 2.4.1 The Notion of Counterfeit in Puppet Plays 104 2.4.2 Generation Alternation in Puppet Play 106 2.5 Huang Wushan’s Henry IV 109 2.6 Conclusion: Comparing Kingdom of Desire and Henry IV 116 Chapter Three: Shamlet (dir. Lee Kuo-hsiu 1992) 3.1 Introduction 131 3.2 Shakespeare and Postmodern Adaptation 133 3.3 Subverting Hamlet 139 3.4 Shamlet and Metatheatrically 144 3.5 Conclusion 154 Chapter Four: Kiss Me Nana (dir. Liang Chi-min 1997) 4.1 Introduction 155 4.2 Gender Politics in the Context of Taiwan 157 4.2.1 Heroines in Chinese Literature 163 4.2.2 Comparing The New Taming of the Shrew and Kiss Me Nana 164 4.2.3 Western Influences in/on Kiss Me Nana 166 4.2.4 The Appropriation of Western Text 168 4.2.5 Audience Appeal 170 4.3 Gender Politics in the Play 173 4.3.1 Gender Power 175 4.3.2 Family/Marriage 182 4.4 Conclusion 190 Chapter Five: Titus Andronicus (dir. Wang Jiaming 2003) 5.1 Introduction 192 5.2 Shakespeare and the Little Theatre Movement in Taiwan 194 5.3 Titus Andronicus in Taiwan 201 5.4 Adapting Titus Andronicus 204 5.5 Brechtian Influences 207 5.6 Masks and Puppets 212 5.7 Titus Andronicus and Violence 216 5.8 Conclusion 219 Conclusion 222 Appendix: List of Shakespeare Performances in Taiwan 229 Bibliography 233 Introduction Ah, the magic wrought by words, dearest Willyum. No matter. Let me not confuse myself with you. Let me confess that we two must be twain, like the East and the West. „Tis better to be vile than vile esteemed. I‟ll tell this story my way. My move. – Kaylan Ray1 The Tempest: The Dilemma of Taiwan’s Identity I celebrated the arrival of the New Year2 in 2004 by watching Contemporary Legend Theatre‟s premiere of Wu Hsing-kuo‟s [吳興國] fourth Shakespeare adaptation, The Tempest, that evening at the National Theatre in Taipei. Like Wu‟s previous productions, Kingdom of Desire (based on Macbeth, 1986), War and Eternity (based on Hamlet, 1990), and King Lear (2000), The Tempest was a fusion of Shakespeare text and Peking Opera theatre. However this time there were more elements influencing this production, including Kunqu Opera [崑 3 曲] , and Taiwanese aboriginal music and dance. Further, Tsui Hark [徐克], a renowned and highly influential film director in Asia, was invited to direct his first-ever stage production, and brought cinematic effects to the production. Earlier in 2004, Tsui Hark had drafted four different interpretations of The Tempest and posted them online for the public to vote their favourite choice. These four versions were 12 Chapters of the Magic Bible, The Isolated Island of Caliban, The Fantastic Voyage, and The Mysterious Magician, with the promise that whichever version received the most votes would be staged in December.4 Each version stresses a different focus on characters through their different approaches. 12 Chapters of the Magic Bible was influenced by Peter Greenaway‟s Prospero’s Books which had divided The Tempest into twelve chapters of a book, with Prospero recounting the plot in the first person. In The Isolated Island of Caliban, Caliban is the protagonist, while Prospero‟s knowledge and Alonso‟s power are merely mirages created by Caliban and Ariel. As for The Mysterious Magician, Prospero is narrator and reflection of the playwright himself, a reminder that all the world is a stage. The Fantastic Voyage, was the most challenging version for the actor, as Wu would perform the 1 Kalyan Ray. Eastwords (India: Penguin Books, 2004), 7. 2 Owing to Western influence, New Year‟s Day (January 1) is celebrated as well as Chinese New Year and has been made a national holiday in Taiwan. 3 A theatrical form that originated in Suzhou, Mainland China. 4 The Tempest, from the Contemporary Legend Theatre programme, Taipei, 2004. The translation of each version‟s name was from the programme, and is the theatre company‟s own translation. 1 three main characters himself (Prospero, Alonso and Caliban) to see how three different forces – knowledge, power and nature – were merged and negotiated in the storm.