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Jessica Huynh

Review - Ein Heldenleben: Cai Lun

LSO St Luke’s

One night only on 17th October 2024

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Review {AD-PR Gifted}

Symphony. Poetry. Drama. Cai Lun is a western and Asian fusion of cross-cultural theatre. Following the historical story of Cai Lun, the inventor of paper, whose triumphs and tragedy throughout his life created a hero. Unlike most stories made into theatre, Cai Lun was written and adapted to suit the music of Richard Strauss in an attempt to demonstrate that both European symphonies and the Beijing Opera can meet on the same stage.

 

Following the structure of Ein Heldenleben (‘A Hero’s Life’), the story is divided into 6 movements, beginning with an introduction to our hero’s life. We learn of Cai Lun’s story through the memories depicted on a screen, and conversations shared between him and his father.  This may have been a 2 man play, but the supporting cast was depicted in the live music performed by the Fidelio Orchestra. As the performance began, the live music and writing on the screen was reminiscent of the opening credits of a 1950’s movie; the build up and anticipation replicating the emotions felt at a reunion of a father and son.

 

The music was played without fault, the actors performed as directed but sadly the moments of unification between the two were few and far between. The few moments where east meets west in harmony, left us spellbound, but we were quickly brought back to the jarring disjointed reality, as if you are watching one play while listening to another. There may have been moments where they fit together, but I would question whether these were intentional or coincidental.

 

Despite this, there was a lot packed in to such a short production. Cai Lun conveys a brief insight to the rich history of imperial China, of eunuchs, life inside the palace and oppression of the people, and of course, the invention of paper. It showed how the relationship between father and son changes as you grow and reflect on life together. Written in poetry,  the writing was filled with figurative language, imagery and open to interpretation. Before the play began, writer and director Chen Xin Yi provided a detailed explanation of her work, the meanings and lessons to be taken from it, such as what makes a hero, the importance of self-reflection, and that success is born from suffering. Although thought provoking, I wonder if these messages would have come through without the pre-show discussion, and maybe allowing the audience to interpret the works by themselves would have added to the experience or appreciation of the performance.

 

Aside from the make-up and the (albeit simplified) costumes, the other features of the Beijing Opera left much to be desired. The characteristics of Beijing opera are the use of dialogue, singing, pantomime, dancing, and martial arts during performances. Although the dialogue was there, it felt like an opportunity missed, a concept that could have been better executed. Perhaps incorporating of martial arts with the movements of the symphonies, or blending in the iconic operatic singing could have helped to merge the two genres as seemingly intended.

 

There were details within the production that I just want to take a moment to appreciate. Firstly, the set design both shown on the screen and in reality, was a tribute to paper. The use of origami demonstrating the constellations on the screen was a nice touch, but I wish they had also brought these props into to the live performance. Finally, the programme being made of the Caihou paper, still made in the traditional methods, was a nice touch, allowing the audience to fully appreciate the value of Cai Lun’s contribution today.

 

Chen Xin Yi described this piece as symphony, poetry, drama and by all accounts the individual components ticked the boxes, but the blending of Eastern and Western art, which had potential, sadly fell somewhat short.

 

Creatives

Creator/writer/director: Chen Xinyi

Conductor: Raffaello Morales

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