http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/9/7/features/6194301 Debunking ‘truths’ about the Dragon Lady BY MENG YEW CHOONG POWERFUL. Self-indulgent. Domineering. Cruel. These adjectives are commonly used to describe China’s last female monarch, the Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi (1835-1908), who had unchallenged control of the kingdom for nearly five decades. (She ascended to the throne at the age of 26.) Much has been written about her, and most of the accounts are generally unflattering. However, in the past decade, authors and historians have begun to ask whether what has been documented about this woman is indeed true. General opinion has it that Tzu Hsi was a cunning woman who was not averse to taking drastic measures to cling on to power, to the extent of “poisoning her own son”, as well as “forcing her pregnant daughter-in-law to commit suicide”. (For a comprehensive list of publications on Tzu Hsi, go to http://www.royalty.nu/Asia/China/TzuHsi.html.) In the September 1998 edition of History Today, Richard Cavendish noted that most of the books on Tzu Hsi focused only on her “negative, court politic playing behaviour”. Others are mere fictionalised accounts of how she might have behaved. For example, Imperial Woman (1956) by Pearl S. Buck (Pulitzer prize-winning writer of The Good Earth), is actually a fictional biography of the empress. More recent authors have sifted though the records again and come away with a somewhat more sympathetic picture of Tzu Hsi, who was nicknamed Dragon Lady. Keith Laidler’s The Last Empress: The She-Dragon of China, published last April, contends that she was somewhat a “victim of the corrupt system that taught her the savage ways she practised”. Sterling and Peggy Seagrave’s Dragon Lady: Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China (Vintage Books, 1993) is credited for “dispelling the exaggerated falsehoods that hover around her”. One of which is the claim that she helped to kill the Emperor Tungchih, her own son, through a slow poisoning process after he fell out of favour with her. Well, whatever is bandied as truth will have its believers, and the Seagraves’ effort did influence Singaporean singer-composer Dick Lee to re-examine the controversial ruler’s life. And that pretty much sums up the birth of what could be Singapore’s most elaborate (and some say, the best) musical to date – Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress. Conceived three years ago by Lee, Stephen Clark (http://www.zorro.com/bio_stephen_clark.htm) and London-based director Steven Dexter (of Honk! and Sing to the Dawn fame), Forbidden City was first staged at the Esplanade Theatre last October to mark the opening of the performing arts landmark in South-East Asia. Brought back by popular demand to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Singapore Repertory Theatre, this multi-million-dollar production is “a musical retelling of history in an entertaining manner”, said SRT managing director and artistic director, Gaurav Kripalani. As such, do not expect it to be a historical documentary per se. Rather, look forward to a compelling story that few have heard about. George Morrison (Hal Fowler) as the manipulative journalist who tries to glean information on life within the Forbidden City from artist Katherine Carl (Leigh McDonald). When it comes to telling stories, few are in a better position than Clark, who has written plays for theatres in Britain and the United States. His lyrics for the relaunched version of Martin Guerre (West End, 1998) for Cameron Mackintosh won him an Olivier Award. “Forbidden City is a sympathetic rendition of the Empress Dowager. It was Dick Lee who approached us after reading Seagrave, and we decided to portray her as a woman, not just a monster,” Dexter said in a recent interview with StarMag. “The musical presents the story with a surprising twist, but its whole essence is true,” he added. Besides perusing the Seagraves’ account, the creative team sifted through volumes of material on Tzu Hsi at the British Library, among other sources. “A lot of the storyline is based on Dragon Lady, which contends that Tzu Hsi couldn’t have done some of the terrible things ascribed to her as she was not in the Forbidden City at the time of the alleged incidents. . We base (the musical) mainly on the Seagraves’ account,” Dexter said. “According to them, a lot of the ‘history’ we know today is based on news reports written by the British (who definitely had an agenda against China at that time). We know from many private papers and diaries that the events (which took place) were not as published by the newspapers.” Another document that the writers of Forbidden City relied upon is the personal account by the only Western female (or any Westerner, for the matter) to have gotten “up close and personal” with the empress. In 1903, Tzu Hsi had asked American painter Katherine Carl to do a portrait of her. In the process, Carl got an exclusive and intimate glimpse of the dowager. Carl, who spent 10 months in the Forbidden City (which was off limits even to the ordinary Chinese), wrote down some of her impressions. In the course of research, the team found that history had been twisted to suit certain interests, and such accounts had been passed on. “We are not suggesting that Tzu Hsi was a cute little sit-at-home tea-making lady. She must have been a special lady if she ruled China for five decades. She must have been powerful,” Dexter explained. “But it is sad to see that what two or three (Western) journalists wrote 100 years ago is still believed to be the official version of events by some. But what they wrote in their personal diaries was very different.” Despite the research, SRT is wary about claiming that theirs is the final version of the truth. “We don’t claim we have (the full) truth about Tzu Hsi, but we hope that this musical can perhaps open up discussion on how history was made. We are trying to see it from her own eyes,” remarked Charlotte Nors, the company’s venue and marketing manager. Lead singer and actress Kit Chan concurred. “We never claimed that ours is the ‘correct’ version. It is sort of like a more human way of looking at things. It is, after all, a story, so I think we have the artistic licence to do things.” (For example, the love affair between British journalist George Morrison and the painter Carl is fictional.) For Chan, playing Tzu Hsi means having to shed some of her old notions about the monarch. “I had certain images of her, like most Chinese do: cruel, powerful, and so on. It was a bit strange at first. However, having read Seagrave, I had to change my mindset. I understood her vulnerability. I think, for a woman, it must have been difficult, but she had no choice. “I am not even going to say which version of the truth I believe in, but you have to believe the character you are playing. So, when I play Yehenara (Tzu Hsi’s maiden name), I believe her joy when she was chosen by the emperor (to be one of his concubines) and I believe her pain when her son was taken away from her (to be trained and educated by palace administrators, following royal custom). “That’s what you have to do when you are on stage. That, combined with what you know about a character, help give her different colours. “From my point of view, I play her as a woman, just like any woman. In fact, that is how I relate to her, because obviously I can’t as an empress. But (I can relate to her) as a woman who fell in love then was abandoned, and as a mother separated from her son. And in the midst of the power struggles at the court, she had to do what was right, and struggle. These are all very real emotions,” said Chan, who reprises the lead role again. If all the above sounds like rather heavy stuff for a musical, she and Dexter assure viewers that “Forbidden City is essentially a creative retelling of the story of a Chinese icon using the tradition of Western musical theatre. It is very much about a young girl who grew older and wiser along the way. In a way, it is like Cinderella. “There have been some improvements and changes since the last time it was shown. We had wonderful feedback from people after the premiere and we know what works, and what doesn’t. We’ve replaced some songs, rearranged the choreography and improvised costumes (designed by Paris-based Singaporean designer Yang Derong). The show itself will be a lot tighter. “It is very fast moving, almost cinematic in its pace: the longest scene in the whole show is probably five minutes. It is very visual; we use screens and modern lights.” Dexter added that Forbidden City operates on many different levels, and one can enjoy it for its feel, theatricality, music, depth and so on. “As a director, I always make sure that I don’t aim for the lowest common denominator. I make sure that anybody who comes in to see the play – a six-year-old child or an adult – will be able to follow and understand the story.” He was not making an empty boast. Forbidden City’s broad appeal was evident from the broad demographic makeup of those who caught its premiere. “We had never intended to write a family-oriented show like Miss Saigon or Les Miserables or The Sound of Music. But I think this (broad appeal) is one of the show’s strengths. It’s like getting a history lesson without realising that you’ve gotten one at all.” And best of all, you don’t even need to have a good command of English to appreciate it. There are Chinese subtitles for those who are more literate in that language. Where the music is concerned, expect nothing but the best from Lee, who will surprise many with his avant garde composition that is devoid of the “ching-ching, clang-clang and tong tong” stuff normally associated with Chinese music. Or, as a Singapore reviewer put it last year: “Those who came nervous about overblown orientalism on stage needn’t have worried – the piece was defined by clean lines, sharp lighting and careful accents of lantern or gilded throne - not a fan or lion dance in sight.” “The music will be an elegant blend of East and West,” said Dexter. No doubt, there will be the er hu and other familiar Chinese instruments, but Lee does not veer too far from the musical theatre genre. “It has to be familiar in that aspect. There are big songs, big moments, and lyrical moments. I would say this is my most lyrical musical by far, ” said Lee, famed for his score for the Hong Kong pop musical Snow.Wolf. Lake, which showcased Jacky Cheung and Kit Chan. Like Evita, the dialogue of Forbidden City will be sung rather than spoken. Proudly touted as a made-in-Singapore product, the mainly local cast (which includes Hossan Leong, Sebastian Tan, Amy Cheng, Cynthia Lee and Oliver Pang) is augmented by Leigh McDonald, who plays Carl, and Hal Fowler, as the conniving Morrison. Forbidden City will run at 8 nightly at Esplanade Theatre (1, Esplanade Drive), till Sept 21. Matinee performances (weekends only) are at 2.30pm. Tickets start from S$11 upwards. For enquiries, log on to www.sistic.com.sg or call 02-63485555. 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