Chronology Entry
Year
1983
Text
Aufführung von The Cuchulain cycle by W.B. Yeats. [At the hawk's well, On Baile's strand, The only jealousy of Emer, The death of Cuchulain]. May 28-29, 1983, under the auspices of the National Science Council of the Republic of China at National Taiwan Normal University. Regie : Richard Londraville. Mitarbeiterin : Professor Chi-hsia Tai, National Fu-Hsing Dramatic Arts Academy, Taipei. Assistant : Fang Po.
Londraville, Richard. Staging of the Cuchulain cycle by W.B. Yeats. Yeats never seemed satisfied with the music commissioned for his plays. The dance which he wanted was much closer to Oriental than to Western form.
I chose to produce Yeasts in the style of the Chinese opera, but to take advantage of a tradition which is very close to Yeats's own dramatic criteria. The dance is stately and dignified, yet remarkably evocative, suggesting emotions ranging from the heat of battle to the sorrow of a grieving widow. The costumes are so stylized as to be recognized by the audience immediately, and in spite of the beautiful silks and embroidery there is no problem in distinguishing between a faithful wife and a harlot, a general and a scholar. Music presents a problem in that the gongs and drums of the Wu-chang section of the orchestra are usually too loud to be used when the actors are speaking. For the more delicate dances I have chosen Chinese filk melodies. In an attempt to make use of the kind of instruments favored by Yeats, I have included the bambook flute, the Pi-pah and the Chêng.
One of the traditions of the Chinese theater which I shall use virtually without alteration is masking. Both the painted faces and the masks of the characters in Chinese drama correspond almost exactly with the types of characters in Yeats's plays. Thus my Chinese audience will be able to recognize heroes, villains, and clowns before they utter a line of dialogue.
A felt that my choice of Yeats's four plays should be among those which were closest to the spirit of the Chinese drama.
Reviews
David Wei-yang Dai, China times ; May 19, 1983.
It seems that Yeats took an imaginary trip to China. If he were still alive and saw this production, he would be glad that his ideals of the theater have been realized through an old stag convention.
Tzhy-lai Huang, Ming-sheng daily news ; May 29, 1983.
This is the first time that an English play is staged in the style of Chinese drama. It is an attempt to present a form of art enriched by the connection, with a cross-cultural consciousness, of Eastern and Western ideas.
Chun-ming Ying, Ming-sheng daily news ; May 29, 1983.
This innovative attempt will arouse refreshed interest in and better esteem of Chinese drama, especiall in the young generations.
Central daily news ; May 31, 1983.
What a marvelous play ! Foreign audiences were greatly amused, and Chinese audiences were enthralled. The script itself has been the weakest point of Chinese drama. The form of representation has been perfectly refined after a long history of development. Yet the scenario itself is lagging behind. If this innovative experiment is well accepted, we may also try to stage other world plays in the style of Chinese drama.
Letter from Richard Brzustowicz ; June 6, 1983.
I feel that Yeats's work has very immediate cultural relevance to the current state of Chinese culture…
Londraville, Richard. Staging of the Cuchulain cycle by W.B. Yeats. Yeats never seemed satisfied with the music commissioned for his plays. The dance which he wanted was much closer to Oriental than to Western form.
I chose to produce Yeasts in the style of the Chinese opera, but to take advantage of a tradition which is very close to Yeats's own dramatic criteria. The dance is stately and dignified, yet remarkably evocative, suggesting emotions ranging from the heat of battle to the sorrow of a grieving widow. The costumes are so stylized as to be recognized by the audience immediately, and in spite of the beautiful silks and embroidery there is no problem in distinguishing between a faithful wife and a harlot, a general and a scholar. Music presents a problem in that the gongs and drums of the Wu-chang section of the orchestra are usually too loud to be used when the actors are speaking. For the more delicate dances I have chosen Chinese filk melodies. In an attempt to make use of the kind of instruments favored by Yeats, I have included the bambook flute, the Pi-pah and the Chêng.
One of the traditions of the Chinese theater which I shall use virtually without alteration is masking. Both the painted faces and the masks of the characters in Chinese drama correspond almost exactly with the types of characters in Yeats's plays. Thus my Chinese audience will be able to recognize heroes, villains, and clowns before they utter a line of dialogue.
A felt that my choice of Yeats's four plays should be among those which were closest to the spirit of the Chinese drama.
Reviews
David Wei-yang Dai, China times ; May 19, 1983.
It seems that Yeats took an imaginary trip to China. If he were still alive and saw this production, he would be glad that his ideals of the theater have been realized through an old stag convention.
Tzhy-lai Huang, Ming-sheng daily news ; May 29, 1983.
This is the first time that an English play is staged in the style of Chinese drama. It is an attempt to present a form of art enriched by the connection, with a cross-cultural consciousness, of Eastern and Western ideas.
Chun-ming Ying, Ming-sheng daily news ; May 29, 1983.
This innovative attempt will arouse refreshed interest in and better esteem of Chinese drama, especiall in the young generations.
Central daily news ; May 31, 1983.
What a marvelous play ! Foreign audiences were greatly amused, and Chinese audiences were enthralled. The script itself has been the weakest point of Chinese drama. The form of representation has been perfectly refined after a long history of development. Yet the scenario itself is lagging behind. If this innovative experiment is well accepted, we may also try to stage other world plays in the style of Chinese drama.
Letter from Richard Brzustowicz ; June 6, 1983.
I feel that Yeats's work has very immediate cultural relevance to the current state of Chinese culture…
Mentioned People (2)
Londraville, Richard
(New York, N.Y. 1933-) : Professor of English, State University of New York at Potsdam, N.Y.
Yeats, William Butler
(Dublin 1865-1939 Hotel Ideal Séjour, Menton) : Dichter, Dramatiker, Schriftsteller, Nobelpreisträger
Subjects
Literature : Occident : Ireland
/
Literature : Occident : Ireland : Theatre
Documents (1)
| # | Year | Bibliographical Data | Type / Abbreviation | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1981 | Londraville, Richard. W.B. Yeats's anti-theatre and its analogs in Chinese drama : the staging of the Cuchulain cycle. In : Asian culture quarterly, vol. 11, no 3 (1981). | Publication / Yea2 |