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Introduction
Mr. Shi and His Lover is inspired by the real-life story of Shi Pei Pu, a Chinese opera singer, and Bernard Boursicott, a French Diplomat. The two established romantic relations while Boursicott held a diplomatic post in China and, early on in their relationship, Shi announced she was pregnant and that Bouriscott had fathered the child. In 1983, Boursicott was accused of passing classified information to the Chinese through Shi, and they were arrested by the French government on charges of espionage. The trial that followed produced international headlines for this singular twist: during the proceedings, it was revealed that Shi was a man and Boursicott believed Shi was a woman throughout their twenty year relationship. Through seven non-linear scenes and monologues, Mr. Shi and His Lover focuses on imagining the lives and thoughts of its protagonists, rather than creating a literal narrative of their affair. The work questions how the characters’ relationship flourished, floundered, and ultimately fell apart. To reflect the lives and times of Shi and Boursicott, the work references a variety of musical styles from East and West. Audience members may find it amusing to discover direct quotes and allusions to other works and influences from the past, whether overt or subtle. The Beijing Opera, also known as Peking Opera, originated in the late 18th century. Moments of Mr. Shi and His Lover reference Beijing Opera’s musicality and performance style. There is a tradition of male performers performing female roles in the Beijing opera. The character Mr. Shi specializes in this art form. The dance from Scene 5 of our production, although performed out of context and in a contemporary setting, references the choreography of the classical Beijing opera The Drunken Concubine. The idea of disguising one’s gender permeates Chinese cultural myths and stories. The popular tale of Hua Mulan, a woman who disguises her gender in order to fight for her country, has been widely adapted into films, plays, and novels. The Butterfly Lovers – referenced in Mr. Shi and His Lover – is a romantic tragedy and one of China’s Four Great Folktales. It in turn has also been adapted into plays, films, TV series, concert music, operas and musicals. It tells the story of Zhu Ying Tai and Liang Shan Bo. Zhu Ying Tai, born a woman, disguises herself as a man to pursue her education. While at school she falls in love with the scholar Liang Shan Bo, who believes she is a man. Liang later discovers that Zhu is a woman and realizes his romantic feelings toward her. When Ying Tai’s father arranges for her to marry another man, Shan Bo falls ill and dies. In order to be together for eternity, the pair transform into butterflies. |
簡介
本劇靈感源出真人真事。布林西科在北京法國大使館工作期間，遇上了時佩璞，墮入愛河，展開了一段延續二十年，跨越中法兩國的關係。期間，時更宣稱自己懷了孕，並說布是父親。1983年，兩人被法國政府拘捕。 布被指控透過時把機密文件提供予中國政府。審訊期間，時被發現是個男人。但布堅稱二十年來，他一直相信時是個女人。 本劇創作的焦點投放在假想兩人的生命和思想，摒棄了一般劇種敘事性的風格，透過七場場景與獨白，探討兩人關係的起伏。音樂創作上，為了反映兩人的時代背景，採用了東西兩方多元化的曲風和引用了一些典故。觀眾們不妨聽聽源出何處。 |
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Scenes
Scene 1 – The Butterfly effect Set in an imagined space, Shi and Boursicott accuse, ridicule and comfort each other. Are they at all in love, or are they simply using one another? Are their actions an act of selfishness or self sacrifice? Scene 2 – Becoming someone else Filled with ennui, Shi contemplates the meaning of life. He decides that through performance he can escape the boredom of life and give meaning to his otherwise unbearable existence. Scene 3 - The way we were Boursicott reminisces about his first encounter with Shi. When recounting the Chinese folklore story, The Butterfly Lovers, Shi compares his own circumstance to that of the heroine. To Boursicott, Shi’s beauty is one of a kind. He compares his object of desire to the architectural wonder, the Old Summer Palace of Yuan Ming Yuan. Scene 4 – Free Will and the king’s sceptre The pair analyzes the reasons they’ve fallen in love with each other. Their relationship is neither “love at first sight” nor “death do us part”. They exert power over one another through performance and fantasy. This power is symbolized through the imagery of a king’s sceptre. Scene 5 – Performance and existence Shi contemplates the art of performance and how it relates to his own existence. Demonstrating his obsession towards art, Shi interprets love through the only way he knows how: by performing, without reservation, for the audience. Scene 6 – Change and permanency Speaking as a diplomat, Boursicott critiques and analyzes his efforts to balance his interests. He knows he is destined for failure. Scene 7 – Destined for disappointment After all is said and done, their countries and the stage still remain. Shi and Boursicott cannot abandon the parts of themselves that fell in love with the other. They are incomplete without that part of their being. This encounter is an appropriate and opportune instance: a moment of appositeness. |
分場
第⼀場 蝴蝶效應 故事由兩⼈關係的結束開始，時先⽣及布林西科就二人的關係互相指責、嘲諷與安慰。在外⼈看似完美的謊言背後，兩⼈到底是相愛、利用、自私，還是成全？ 第⼆場 成為另一個⼈ 漫⾧的夜晚，時先生獨⾃思考生活的目的。他決定要通過表演，悄悄逃離漫⾧的生活，讓不值得過的苦悶成為過去。 第三場 撫今追昔 布林西科回憶與時先生初相識的情境。當時兩人正談論中國民間故事《梁祝》，時先⽣以故事裡的⼈物暗喻⾃⼰的處境。就布林西科而言，時先生的美是如此的獨一無⼆，如圓明園一樣乃舉世無雙的曠世奇跡。 第四場 ⾃由意志與國王權杖 綿長的獨⽩穿插著緊湊對話，二人解析互相愛上對方的原因。沒有一⾒鍾情和天長地久，一切都是通過表演與幻想，實現加諸在對方身上的權力：國王權杖。 第五場 表演與存在 時先生獨自思考表演與存在之間的關聯。最後，他決意把⾃己⼀生對表演藝術的痴迷，毫無保留地呈現在觀眾⾯前：以表演去演釋愛。 第六場 變動與永恆 布林西科從外交官的⾓度，評論及剖析⾃己極⼒平衡⼀切的利益，卻註定失敗的永恒徒勞。 第七場 約定好的失望 在所有辯證及交談過後，國家與舞台依然存在；他們仍難以捨棄深愛著對⽅的⾃己，但那正是缺失的證明，⼀切的相遇只是隨機分配：適切性。 |