PRODUCTION The Tempest [Baofengyu]
Data Type：production background
Author：Tsui, Hark
Title：Director's Notes: My Creative Journey through The Tempest
Source：The Tempest 2008 Performance Program at the New Vision Arts Festival of Hong Kong
Publisher：Contemporary Legend Theatre [Dangdai chuanqi juchang]
Date：2008/10
Pages：5-6
Language：English
Abstract：Film director Tsui Hark talks about the creative journey in adapting The Tempest, with stage drama, jingju, and Shakespeare each being a challenge.
Directing The Tempest has certainly been a challenge. Although I was no total stranger to the theatre, I must admit that compared to filmmaking, a play had only meant something I watched down there, among the audience. My Knowledge of the theatre is far less than that of filmmaking. As for Peking opera, I would say, yes, I am very much interested in this genre of traditional musical art, and have been to many of Wu Hsing-kuo’s Peking operas. But if someone were to ask me to speak more about it, I could not but embarrassingly admit that I knew next to nothing. The theatre coupled with Peking opera was hard enough. But what happens when you top it up with Shakespeare? In the creative process of this production, I have read the original play by Shakespeare and discussed with many scholars who are experts in that area. From day one, I was already fully aware that there were bound to be losses in the translation process. Another point is we cannot brush aside the link between Shakespeare and his historical context: when Shakespeare was writing The Tempest, maritime navigation was just taking off and soon to become a boom. That makes one ask: what has our staging of The Tempest got to do with our society today? These were the points we pondered about a great deal. Theatre, Peking opera and Shakespeare are all challenges to me, while Wu Hsing-kuo is well versed in all three. The collaboration of the two of us would certainly be something to watch out for.
The Tempest , this final masterpiece of Shakespeare, is regarded as an epitome of all his strengths and is the best and most mature work. Wu Hsing-kuo has had quite remarkable experience for making audaciously innovative adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays. In his King Lear, he played multiple roles and even added his alter ego, also known as Wu Hsing-kuo, on the dramatis personae. As for me, with my track record in film adaptations, I believe the audience would be equally interested in watching how I would turn out a new version of The Tempest.
In terms of stage effect, it is certainly a brain-racking thing to unveil the magical world of The Tempest on stage. How does Prospero use his book of magic? What does his magic mantle look like? The tempest, the banquet and the wedding, the dream of Caliban – all of these were waiting to be designed. Stage effects can be designed, yet the quintessence of Shakespeare is in his language, like Prospero’s soliloquy at the end, or the swearing of Caliban. To this end, we have left the master’s text intact, with may be some minor adjustment in the shifting of the verse passages.
The Tempest , this final masterpiece of Shakespeare, is regarded as an epitome of all his strengths and is the best and most mature work. Wu Hsing-kuo has had quite remarkable experience for making audaciously innovative adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays. In his King Lear, he played multiple roles and even added his alter ego, also known as Wu Hsing-kuo, on the dramatis personae. As for me, with my track record in film adaptations, I believe the audience would be equally interested in watching how I would turn out a new version of The Tempest.
In terms of stage effect, it is certainly a brain-racking thing to unveil the magical world of The Tempest on stage. How does Prospero use his book of magic? What does his magic mantle look like? The tempest, the banquet and the wedding, the dream of Caliban – all of these were waiting to be designed. Stage effects can be designed, yet the quintessence of Shakespeare is in his language, like Prospero’s soliloquy at the end, or the swearing of Caliban. To this end, we have left the master’s text intact, with may be some minor adjustment in the shifting of the verse passages.
