Hong Kong actress Liu Sue-Hua on stage as writer Eileen Chang
Veteran Hong Kong actress Liu Sue-Hua will portray Shanghai-born writer Eileen Chang's last days in a new play "Eileen Chang's Last Evening," which is premiering at Theater Above next week.
Presented by Theater Above's performance workshop, the play features seven actors from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Shanghai, including 64-year-old Liu, who is particularly famous for appearing in television adaptations of Taiwanese writer Chiung Yao's romance-themed novels.
Director Daniel Yang (left) and actress Liu Sue-Hua.
"I have always been acting in front of TV camera rather than on a stage, so I was under great pressure in rehearsals," Liu said about the preparation for her maiden stage play experience.
"Thankfully everybody has been helpful. I consider it as a challenge, as I always admire the stage actors who face the audiences directly to experience live theater atmosphere."
As the name suggests, "Eileen Chang's Last Evening" sets its time in the last moments of the legendary writer's life.
"Chang's death remains a mystery in the literary circle," said playwright and director Daniel Yang. "I have my imagination of her death too… why she wears a qipao, and what was she thinking in the last moments? And I put them into the play."
A poster for the new play.
Yang said he imagined Chang's concerns and life regrets, and made the characters from Chang's novels bid farewell to the writer on her deathbed.
Seven actors play a total of 24 roles on stage, including some major characters from Chang's three signature novels "Red Rose, White Rose," "The Golden Cangue," and "Love in a Fallen City."
"One of the most important roles on stage is a narrator, who is also Chang's imaginary close friend and spiritual counselor," said director Yang.
"He is the listener of Chang's soliloquy, and their dialogue reveals the secrets in the elderly writer's heart."
Director and actors share their thoughts on the play with Shanghai media.
Yang said he introduced the concept of "readers theater" in the new work, which features three plays within a play. Lighting and projection will subtly divide the stage to achieve scenery switch and the transformation of time and space.
"When I first read the script, I lamented how this character feels so close to me," Liu recalled about her decision to accept director Yang's invitation and take part in the play."
"Her views on love, her illness and loneliness in her later years all fit in well with parts of my life," she said. "Chang seems to be straightforward and bold, but there must be a lot of suppressed pain in her heart. She doesn't like socializing or talking about personal troubles, and I am also this kind of person."
Performance info
Date: May 17-19, 23-26, 2:30pm/7:30pm
Tickets: 280-1280 yuan
Venue: Theater Above 上剧场
Address: 5/F, 1111 Zhaojiabang Road 肇嘉浜路1111号5楼
