In a fast-changing society, people wonder if true love still
exists: When you can get anything with money, can you also buy
love?
This is debated in the play "13 Million Single Bathtubs"
underway at the Shanghai Drama Arts Theater. It depicts the very
realistic - or rather, materialistic - point of view that China's
young generation takes toward their relationships. The number "13
million" has no special significance but indicates there are many
many singles.
Like many young people in Beijing, Lemon, a 26-year-old
white-collar worker who comes from a small city, works very hard to
survive in the metropolis. She and her poet lover, Strawberry, are
deeply in love but are too poor to get married. When Lemon meets Xu
Baixiao, Strawberry's old friend who heads a business empire, she
doesn't think twice.
Lemon relentlessly pursues him. In the end, she manages to marry
Xu although it's crystal clear to her that he is selfish,
pretentious and unlovable. All she needs are money and a better
life. Love, on the other hand, can be sacrificed.
The play's message: The sad fact of China's young generation is
that all their dreams seemingly can be measured by material things.
On their wish list are nothing but LV bags, the latest gadgets,
designer clothes and newest video games.
It is also very difficult to teach a only child how to love
another person as much as he or she loves himself or herself. At
the end of the day, everyone feels so lonely, just like the three
main characters in the play.
According to director Xu Sixian, people nowadays have less and
less time to face themselves - the bathroom is the last oasis and
refuge where they can relax and think.
"A bathtub is like one's little pool in the desert, namely an
industrial city like Beijing that is filled with dusts," he
says.
To create a desert-like environment, Xu paves the stage with 1.6
tons of grain that looks like sand. In the center lies a plain,
rusty bathtub in which all three characters take a meditative "dip"
from time to time.
The cast features three graduates of Beijing's Central Academy
of Drama: Huan Liwan plays Lemon, Hao Tian is Strawberry and Chen
Xu takes on Xu Baixiao.
Meanwhile, the theater is preparing to stage a new round of
renowned British playwright Patrick Marber's award-winning
production "Closer," about another dark side of our relationships -
betrayal.
The Chinese version of the play was first produced in 2005 and
became a box-office hit. The English-language original has been
performed in more than 100 cities and in more than 30 languages
since its debut in London in 1997.
The play set in 1990s London explores the complicated
relationships between two couples: photographer Anna and her
husband, dermatologist Larry; obituary-writing journalist Dan and
his girlfriend, stripper-dancer Alice.
It was made into a much-acclaimed film directed by Mike Nichols,
starring Julia Roberts as Anna, Jude Law as Dan, Natalie Portman as
Alice and Clive Owen as Larry.
"I have never read a play so many times," says director Lei
Guohua. "It tells a rich, symbolic story that gives me a lot of
room to recreate.
"Nowadays people are becoming more and more protective of
themselves and suspicious of others," she continues. "However, in
the end, they only find themselves much lonelier and easier to be
hurt."
The stage and costumes will feature just two colors, black and
white, to create a feeling of distance. Lei coaches the actors to
perform in a "strong, passionate" way to showcase the dramatic
sides of love.
There are also only four characters in "Closer" but every role
is major. They will be played by four young actors from the
Shanghai Drama Arts Center - Xu Shengnan, Xie Chengying, Wangyang
Meizi and Zhao Haitao.
(Shanghai Daily February 15, 2008)