Prof Yao Yi-wei: "The presentation of this play is a good effort, a breakthrough .... The audience has been brought to a new horizon. Its penetration into a man's psychology has enabled us to appreciate such presentation methods in local theater."
At the end of June, I made an appointment to interview Lisa Lu at her residence in Hollywood. The normally composed actress could not help showing excitement at the challenge presented by her new role in the play Wandering in the Garden, Waking from a Dream.
No wonder. "Madame Chien" is her most important role since she played "Empress Hsi" (of the Ching Dynasty). When Lisa - a general's wife - paid a visit to prosperous Taipei, she suddenly discovered that her sister primadonnas from the Chin Huai riverbank on the mainland have been riding the crest of success. She, in contrast, has led a secluded life since her husband died.
Via Madame Chien's observations and appreciation, her age's vicissitudes and personal feelings rise on stage in surging dramatic tides. At the center of this storm, Lisa was asked to employ more delicate ways to show bone-deep feeling. Through her eyes, we seem to witness the passing of an age and birth of another. Lisa saw it this way:
"Feelings of ecstasy and fear are mixed in my attempt to portray Madame Chien. Although I am proud to be a leading character in novelist Pai Hsien-yung's work, I am afraid of submerging the glory of the novel in my presentation. Furthermore, unlike cinema, theatrical performances do not allow for mistakes - which is certainly a challenging and fresh experience."
An interesting point is that even before she flew to Taipei from L.A., Lisa had no opportunity to see the final manuscript of the play. However, her close ties with Pai enabled her to discuss its details with him a dozen times. Lisa noted that she sometimes, unconsciously, made herself into Madame Chien, even in real life. She was looking forward to the six-week rehearsal.
In the play, Lisa must stage an episode from kun opera. Though she has never received any formal academic training, her mother's teaching helped her to perfect proper pronunciation and showmanship. Lisa's mother, Li Tung-chen, was once a popular primadonna in the Yangtze River basin. But, it was only after she went to the States that she began to recruit disciples. Among them, her daughter is the most outstanding. Over the past two decades, Lisa has gone on from larynx training and showmanship cultivation to become a creditable Peking opera primadonna in California.
"I tried to study Peking opera by prying into its structure and theory on the basis of Western drama," Lisa commented. "Recently, I was invited to deliver lectures at several colleges in the States on the relevance of Peking opera to Western opera. When I am too old to play, I plan to do some translation work to serve as a bridge between Oriental and Occidental drama."
After engaging in the cinematic arts - both American and Chinese - over the past three decades, Lisa looks forward to making her own films someday. "By capitalizing on my film experiences in the two countries, I believe I can produce some worthwhile movies."
Lisa is active in Hollywood. She is a member of the Screening Committee for Documentary and Foreign Films for the awards program of the Academy of Cinematic Arts. Not infrequently, she sees five hours of films a day in the late winter early spring judging period. As the only Chinese member of the academy, Lisa naturally pays close attention to foreign films edging for Oscars. Her impression is that Chinese films that adhere to the principles of loyalty to national heritage, and mastery of the cinematic technology from highly development countries, will emerge on top.
Lisa recalled that when she first went to the U.S. with her husband some 30 years ago, she expected to return soon. Unexpectedly, she stayed on, built up her own family, and pursued a successful career as an actress.
Right – Preparation for the stage. Left – Transformation (File photo)
Her cinematic experiences triggered her creative powers in other fields - script writing, film production, translation and publishing. But, like many others in Hollywood, Lisa felt that she had a lot she wanted to do, but didn't know where to start. Sometimes she felt she had a lot of time, sometimes she felt it was passing rapidly. During the interview, she unconsciously underlined the impact of age on a woman-especially an ac tress- both psychologically and physically.
I decided to tell her of a small incident in hopes of relieving her groundless fear. "Do you remember when we attended the Golden Globe Ceremony, a gentleman sitting next to me asked, 'How long has the lady with you been living in the United States?' I replied: 'Thirty years or so.' He asked: 'You mean she came to the States at five of six?' I should say your life is in front of you, not to the rear."
Lisa, seemingly, couldn't buy the story. She rested her back against the chair. The halo of lam plight hovered over her face. Her profile, the gleam of her eyes - these have not changed since I saw her in the film Lady Tung.
I believe she has another 30 years ahead of her.