There was no waiting on this one! part 2

November 13, 2008

If you have not read part one, part two will make no sense. But do what you want, I merely suggest starting with part 1.

Act-II begins with an empty stage. The emperor and his fair lady stroll across the stage professing their love for each other. We can see in the empress’ eyes that she thirsts for more, she seeks the unknown, she seeks excitement and she seeks adventure. Her eyes drift from the emperor and land upon a handsome man walking among the water’s edge. “Who is this man?” she asks. Is he a scholar, a philosopher, a traveler, or a poet? He is an intellectual. He is an Artist. He is Zhan Zeduan! Oh! If only they could someday cross paths. Surely this man could show her the world!
Act-well this is interesting. The scene begins in the desert. Fifty or so dancers take the stage. They are dancers from all over the world. Russians, Palestinians, Arabians bring brilliants to the stage in their flashy traditional garb. Assyrians, Egyptians, and Zulu leap and twirl threw the air. The drums beat and the orchestra rages. Each group begins their solo and ethnically unique dance number and the finale is a group number. It is at this moment my suspicions arise. Where did these groups come from? Is this the empress’ dream? Did Zhan Zeduan travel the world? Are all these cultural groups visiting Bianjing? Lets wait for the next act. Maybe I’ll put it together.
Act-I’m not exactly sure what is going on. We are back in town! There is a lively market and street performers! The drum beats are heavy and the orchestra is vibrant. Oh Yeah! There isn’t any orchestra, it is all prerecorded. I thought a live orchestra would help give the experience a little extra zing! Sorry. Two children take the stage. A bullwhip snaps! And its time for an incredible traditional street performance! The boy is doing somersaults and the girl is folding her body into unacceptably contorted ways. A group of women twirly wheel string fling-a-ma-bobbers hit the stage in their brightly colored gowns. How exciting. WAIT JUST ONE MOMENT!!! What happened to the story about the scroll and the artist and the empress?
Act-Oh, here we are. The scroll, the artist, the emperor, and the empress are center stage. Zhan Zeduan hand the scroll over to the emperor. The emperor’s servants arrive stage right and inspect the scroll. They are five inseparable beings. Each wears a color representing one of the elements or the Olympic rings. It is hard to tell these days. The Olympics have penetrated every facet of Chinese culture and entertainment. They inspect and inspect and inspect. They role up the scroll and unroll it again and inspect, inspect, inspect. “Ah, what a wonderful piece,” they exclaim. The emperor agrees and belts out a verse describing the beauty of the scroll. The empress agrees and exclaims her love for the scroll. Ah, ha! I see what is happening here. The empress and the artist are going to hook up at any moment!
Act-I’m lost again. The lights are dim. The music is low. The curtains shimmer. I can see an enormous object drifting onto the stage. I can’t make it out. Oh… What is it!?! The curtain is transparent but not enough for me to make out the ominous silhouette now at center stage. Oh God! What it is it!?! The music once again rolls into crescendo! The anticipation is killing me! With a cymbal crash and a triumphant beat of the drum; the lights flash and the curtains rise! There! At center stage! Atop a massive Junk! The Great Zhan Zeduan! He is signing! He is signing about… Wait for it… Not his love for the beautiful empress, not his desire for knowledge… He is singing about the scroll. I’m scratching my head right now.
Act-I give up. We are back at the town square. Our triumphant Zhan Zeduan has returned from his boat trip. Not sure where the boat took him; maybe around the world, maybe to the south of China to avoid the invading Jurchans, or perhaps to the other side of the yellow river. Who knows? I'm currently researching this point. For now, all I know is that kids are doing somersaults and everyone in the cast is on stage dancing. The older woman from Act-I is back on stage and signing again. She tells us that Zhan Zeduan painted a magnificent and now famous scroll and that the emperor likes it, the town loves it, and the world is astonished by it. The End.
Really? That was it? Why all the street performances? Why the boat ride? Why the love affair? Why the elemental/Olympic servants? AAHHHH! What does this all mean!?!

I fear that at this point I will never be able to complete this blog entry. Everything I have discussed thus far is only the tip of the iceberg. I apologize for the lengthiness of this story but it is what it is and I look forward to writing about what happens next...