The White Snake - a drama play based on a Chinese fable

“The White Snake”

記「白蛇傳」觀後

    9/4/2019

In a quiet corner nestled in tall redwood trees an open air stage set up for theatre lovers in the Sanborn Park of Saratoga, an unusual show was being played out in front of a full capacity crowd.  The name of the theater is Silicon Valley Shakespeare Theater.  Being a Shakespearean Theater, it’s quite refreshing to see something different on stage this time, the Play is based on a fable from China more than a thousand years ago.  “The White Snake”  belongs to an oral storytelling tradition and in essence a love story comparable to “ Cinderella “ which was enjoyed in many parts of the world for the longest time ever.

Unlike “MacBeth or “Hamlet”,  “The White Snake”「白蛇傳」 is not well known outside Chinese or some other East Asian populations such as Japanese.  It is harder to relate concepts of various elements in Chinese fable convention and to explain away certain routines of a traditional Chinese opera on a stage set.  For example, one actor serving as narrator, from time to time, came out on stage with a book which he read from: “according to the secret book of Chinese drama (of course there’s no such book in existence)” and recited how guest and host should interact in terms of common decorum of when to greet and when and where to sit respectively.  It was close to nonsensical yet all for a laugh!  

For those who came in with knowledge of the legend and Chinese culture these may not go down easily. However, you will enjoy many comedic surprises and theatrical innovations by keeping an open mind.  

The narrative style is interesting by making the ensemble cast take turn to become narrators.  The play opens by a narrator saying: there are several versions of plots in the story, while the statement is true, the version we would witness might not belong to any of them.  It is quite another animal indeed!  

I thought it a smart idea to make a comedy out of it with a bit distortion in deeds and facts with abundant deviation from the original version.  The whole production was rendered more like a slapstick *, invariably exaggerated facial expression and gestures, entertaining enough and definitely more accessible to the western audiences.  BTW, the crowd we were with is predominately white likely due to the location of the theater. The cast is however a mixture of races more in line with the current demographic constituency of California. 

Overall I think it a job well done.  I sat in the first row so no problem hearing what the actors were saying or singing.  Although some audience in the back complained about the audio level not reaching far enough in the compound.

As a matter of fact I thought the stage props and costumes are very nicely done, thanks to the behind the scene crew which equals the numbers if not more than those appearing on stage.

What a treat in a mid-summer evening!

Grace