2005 Dream of the West Chamber

(Pinyin: xi lou cuo meng)
西樓錯夢
Sai Lau Chor Mung

Script by Tong Tik Sang Artistic Director: Pak Suet Sin

Starring:
LUNG KIM SANG 龍劍笙 as . . . . . . . .
Young scholar Jyu Suk Je 于叔夜
MUI SUET SEE 梅雪詩 as . . . . . . . .
Courtesan Muk Sou Fai 穆素徽
YIU SING PO 尤聲普 as . . . . . . . .
The Imperial Court Knight 胥長公 seoi coeng gung
YAM BING YI 任冰兒 as . . . . . . . .
The Imperial Court Knight's wife, Heng Hung 輕鴻
YUEN SIU FAI 阮兆輝 as . . . . . . . .
Suk Je’s father (于父 jyu fu), Jyu Syut Ban 于雪賓
LIU KWOK SUM 廖國森 as . . . . . . . .
The Head of State 池相國 ci soeng gwok
PANG CHI KEUN 彭熾權 as . . . . . . . .
The Head of State’s son Ci Tung 池同 (三公子 saam gung zi)

With supporting performance from the ensemble of Chor Fung Ming Opera Troupe
雛鳳鳴劇團
* Performed in Cantonese

After being well received with the set pieces of Cantonese opera excerpts performed in a commemoration cum charity program called Zhong Pi Ni Chang Ge Bian Che [重披霓裳歌遍徹] Cung Pei Ngai Soeng Go Bin Cit, Lung Kim Sang and Mui Suet See went on to perform a series of full-length Cantonese opera “Dream of the West Chamber” staged under the artistic direction of their mentor, master Cantonese operatic performer Pak Suet Sin.

The new arrangement based on the original opera scripted by Tong Tik Sang tells a story of a young scholar who fell in love with a brothel’s courtesan. They made vow of promising marriage to each other just as the scholar’s father found out and confined the young scholar home in opposition to his son having loved a courtesan.

The couple get separated due to the scholar’s love sick misunderstanding of a dream and later reunited after much events have had happening, proving that their love was true to one another as they receive the blessing from the young scholar’s father for the couple’s hands in marriage.

Though the plot line is predictable and well-known to those who are familiar with Cantonese opera, it is up to the performers to bring those characters into life and to captivate the audience with the storytelling. And this ensemble cast of “Dream of the West Chamber” did just that.

Cantonese opera is presented at its best for its colorful and splendid costumes, unique melodic tunes and percussive music along with exquisite and aesthetic performance.

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DISCLAIMER: Below scenes recap was written to the best of my Cantonese Chinese comprehension ability based on the live recording performance that I have seen on DVDs and the accompanied script book that I have read. The poor translation/description is mostly due to my Cantonese listening skill, which is a bit choppy at time and that my Chinese reading proficiency is not even worth mentioning (70% loss, 30% gain). Thus, feel free to comment on any corrections and/or provide with suggestions for improvement to stay close to Mr. Tong Tik Sang’s original work of "Dream of the West Chamber".

Prologue

Scene 1. 第一場 Visitation Meeting [西樓錯夢之病晤] beng ng
Young scholar Jyu Suk Je and famous courtesan Muk Sou Fai admired each other talents through songs and poems. They finally get to meet each other face to face as Suk Je paid her a visit at the West Wing.

Although Sou Fai had fallen ill and was resting at the time, she blissfully came out of bed to welcome Suk Je. And it was love at first sight. He is nineteen and she is sixteen. They made vow of promising marriage to each other.

Sou Fai then sang for Suk Je the [楚江情] Co Gong Cing song to convey their love to one another.

She also gave Suk Je her hairpin as an "engagement" souvenir. While the hairpin was being handed over, Suk Je didn’t get a hold of it in time; the hairpin gets dropped and broken in two - an omen for the two to be soon parted.

Soon thereafter, Suk Je’s father found out that his son had fallen in love with a courtesan. He opposed it and thus confined Suk Je home. Moreover, the brothel, where Sou Fai is, was forced to close down. The brothel’s madam is in a bind.

Learning of the situation, Sou Fai wrote a letter to be sent along with her lock of hair to Suk Je. In a hurry, Sou Fai accidentally folded up a blank piece of paper and mistakenly took it for the written one as she put it in the envelope for her maidservant to hand delivery to Suk Je at his residence.

In the mean time, the Head of State’s third son, Ci Tung, (三公子 saam gung zi) is in love with Muk Sou Fai’s beauty and wants to take her in as one of his concubines. Taking up at the opportunity, he deals with the brothel’s madam for 500 gold dollars in tricking Sou Fai into marriage.

Scene 2. 第二場 Wrong Dream [西樓錯夢之錯夢] chor mung
Being confined at home by his father, Suk Je becomes love sick due to his longing to see Sou Fai.

At the news of Sou Fai’s letter being delivered by her maidservant, he was ecstatic and overjoyed. But, then, his father’s coming presence had interrupted Suk Je before he has a chance to read the letter and/or reply to Sou Fai. Suk Je only had just enough time to gift his personal identification piece of jade with the maidservant to give to Sou Fai in return.

That night, Suk Je’s father was there to teach Suk Je eight Chinese maxims on not to believe in a love of a courtesan in his effort of trying to make Suk Je giving up on loving Sou Fai and focusing back on studying for the imperial examination.

By the time Suk Je gets around to open the letter, he doesn’t know what Sou Fai was trying to tell him because there is not a single word written.

Tired from self-questioning and thinking over the blank letter, he fell into a deep sleep. In a dream, Suk Je confronted Sou Fai as she denied their vow.

Mistakenly taken that Suk Je had fallen ill and that he is dying of love sick. The news of his death is “sort of coming out” and it was overheard by a friend of Sou Fai who stopped by Suk Je’s residence. Upon hearing the news, the friend immediately went to look for Sou Fai to let Sou Fai know of Suk Je’s death.

When Suk Je finally recovered, he believes in his dream and took that Sou Fai had sent him the blank letter to tell him just that.

Scene 3. 第三場 Empty Vessel [西樓錯夢之空泊] hung bok
While waiting to take a boat to travel to Sou Fai’s aunty house, Sou Fai encountered a good-natured Imperial Court Knight who happens to be a close family friend of Suk Je’s father.

At the time, the elder Imperial Court Knight doesn’t know it was Suk Je that Sou Fai had made the vow of promising marriage with. Though, he learned of Sou Fai’s personal story and sympathized with her situation.

Coincidentally, Suk Je and his father were also there to take a boat to the capital where Suk Je will take on the imperial examination. However, Suk Je and Sou Fai didn’t get a chance to meet at the harbor that day.

Scene 4. 第四場 Unexpected News [西樓錯夢之驚訊] geng seon
Arrived in front of Sou Fai’s "supposedly" ailing aunty house (or that was what the brothel’s madam had to say), Sou Fai says her goodbye and thanks to the Imperial Court Knight and his wife, Heng Hung, for escorting her.

Waiting inside the house is Ci Tung, dressing in his full groom dress. He was there waiting for Sou Fai to arrive in order to commence the marriage ceremony at once.

Upon entering the house, it is when Sou Fai learned that the brothel’s madam had sold her for 500 gold dollars into marrying Ci Tung.

She then threatened killing herself to be faithful with Suk Je rather than marrying Ci Tung since Sou Fai had already considered Suk Je as her husband. Feeling pressured, Ci Tung agreed to not rush Sou Fai into marriage. Yet, he kept her captive and under watch.

Sou Fai’s friend came to see Sou Fai with the news of Suk Je’s death. Devastated, Sou Fai asked Ci Tung allowing her to leave the house for the temple in order to pray for Suk Je’s spirit.

Scene 5. 第五場 Temple Rescue [西樓錯夢之壇劫] taan kip
Dressed in funeral gown, Sou Fai mourned Suk Je’s death not knowing that Suk Je is still alive and that he was on the temple ground that very day. Once again, they missed the opportunity to see each other.

It also happens that the Imperial Court Knight and his wife were also there. By chance of reading Sou Fai’s written prayer placed on the altar, the Imperial Court Knight gets to know that it was Suk Je with whom Sou Fai had made the vow of promising marriage. And that the elder Imperial Court Knight is fully aware that Suk Je has not died.

Quick to learn Sou Fai is being held captive by Ci Tung and she is kept under watch by his guards, the Imperial Court Knight husband and wife came up with a plan to rescue Sou Fai first, then to reunite her with Suk Je.

By having Heng Hung dressed in funeral attire, the same to that of Sou Fai, the Imperial Court Knight took Sou Fai away at the temple lighted out, leaving Ci Tung feeling perplexed upon seeing Heng Hung who is definitely not Sou Fai.

Scene 6. 第六場 Jade Meeting [西樓錯夢之會玉] kui yuk
After being rescued from Ci Tung and his cohort, Sou Fai is now staying at the Imperial Court Knight’s residence.

From the residence’s balcony, Sou Fai saw the procession of new scholars who passed the imperial examination came marching by and among them was the leading scholar Jyu Suk Je. Joyful, she sent the two maidservants to call for him.

They met.

Although Suk Je loves Sou Fai very much, he is petty as he is still holding on to the misunderstanding. He first returned her engagement gift to him, the hairpin, and told Sou Fai that he was going to get married per his father’s wish. Hurtful, Sou Fai returned him the jade object that he had gifted to her back then in exchanged so that Suk Je can begin anew with his new love.

Taking aback as Sou Fai leaving in tears, Suk Je called out to Sou Fai. He asked her about the blank letter she sent. Thus, he found out the truth and cleared up on the misunderstanding.

Suk Je was then being ordered back home to get marry.

Refused to return home for the arranged marriage by his father, Suk Je determined to stay by Sou Fai in life and death. However, the elder Imperial Court Knight had advised Suk Je otherwise as he who had thought of a witty ploy to convince Suk Je’s father for Suk Je and Sou Fai’s hands in marriage without Suk Je knows.

Scene 7. 第七場 Questioning Hall [西樓錯夢之堂訊] tong seon
Suk Je’s father ordered Suk Je to get marry to a girl who he had chosen for Suk Je.

Suk Je only came to agreement when his close servant let him in the know of the elder Imperial Court Knight’s plan in switching the bride to Sou Fai.

Suk Je’s father found about Sou Fai, the bride, just after the marriage ceremony, which he cannot go back on.

Thinking of courtesan as low-born and uneducated, Suk Je’s father questioned Sou Fai on the "Three Submissions and Four Virtues" (三从四德 saam cung sei dak), the dutiful criteria of a wife and a daughter-in-law, before he can give the couple his blessing. Although being a courtesan, Sou Fai is intelligently well versed in those teachings. Her answers are to the satisfactory of Suk Je’s father and he had to give in in giving Suk Je and Sou Fai the marriage blessing.

Ci Tung did not accept the fact that he had lost Sou Fai to Suk Je. He took advantage of his father being the Head of State to frame Suk Je for taking his “wife” for whom he had paid 500 gold dollars.

Once again, the Imperial Court Knight husband and wife couple came to the rescue, wittingly playing the same catch backed fire it on Ci Tung since it was Ci Tung who took away Heng Hung at the temple and that Heng Hung is the Imperial Court Knight’s wife. So, if the Head of State is to judge Suk Je, he must judge his own son, Ci Tung, on the same manner.

In the end, all parties involved made peace to one another. Ci Tung returned back to Suk Je Sou Fai’s written letter which he happened to pick up at the West Wing.

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Performance Impression
There is a little bit of everything in this happy ending, love defying social class story such as romantic encounter, hero and heroine, witty dialogue and many comedic moments.

As always, the chemistry between the two leads of Lung Kim Sang and Mui Suet See is mesmerizing and captivating. It is not to mention the well-rounded performance from the rest of the supporting cast, making the viewing of the show enjoyable.

Having seen the 2006 production of "Princess Changping" prior to this, it’s great to see the same cast in less serious and more fun roles.

Mei’s Picks

• Visitation Meeting 西樓錯夢之病晤 as the most romantic and cutest scene.
• Jade Meeting 西樓錯夢之會玉 as the emotional and heart-tugging scene.
• Chujiang Love 楚江情 co gong cing is for the best song, arrangement and performance.

It is noteworthy to note that the song Chujiang Love 楚江情 co gong cing had been newly arranged by Mr. Anthony Lun Wing Leung (倫永亮).

And that the music, the sound together with the modern setting and lighting had greatly enhanced the pleasant effect on the performance of the song sung by Mui Suet See with the supporting performance from the Chor Fung Ming chorus/dancing unit whose performers were wonderfully choreographed to realistically portrait instrumental music players.

A note on the media product and/or its technical aspects...
Crown Records did a nice job in packaging the 4-DVD set recording of the live performance together with the inclusion of the accompanying script booklet. The DVDs' picture and sound quality are polished, definitely a step up from the 2004 Zhong Pi Ni Chang Ge Bian Che release.

It would be even nicer to have the set released with English subtitles, a way to introduce English-speaking audience to Cantonese opera performance.

Although the DVD recording itself is worth every penny spent in supporting of the arts, the limited edition packaging priced around $230 US dollars might not be easily affordable and/or accessible to many, Cantonese opera lovers and overseas viewers alike who didn’t have a chance to watch the show live on stage during its special run.

Where to buy
Note: My Abido is not responsible for the content of external websites!

• YESASIA: Dream Of The West Chamber (4DVD Limited Edition) (Hong Kong Version) [DVD Region All] http://www.yesasia.com/us/dream-of-the-west-chamber-4dvd-limited-edition-hong-kong-version/1004569171-0-0-0-en/info.html