Madame Chiang Kai-shek rules! At the box office

Huang Shi-wei, left, as Chiang Kai-shek and Hung Ruei-hsiang, right, as Soong Meiling, against a backdrop of archive photos. PHOTO: JULES QUARTLY, TAIPEI TIMES

If China's history over the past 100 years was a play then Soong Meiling (宋美齡) would be its leading lady, according to the writer and producer of a musical about the wife of Taiwan's former ruler Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石).

Song of Love (世紀回眸) is not a direct translation of the Chinese title, but refers to an old expression (回眸一笑百媚生) that describes the action of a charming woman turning round with a smile and lighting up one's life.

As might be expected, therefore, the first dramatic rendition of Soong's life is a rose-tinted look at the woman who was a beauty, political heavyweight and the public face of China for many foreigners as the country came to prominence after World War II. Soong died peacefully in New York three years ago, aged 106.

Melancholy Yang (楊忠衡) said he was inspired to pen a script about the former first lady's life story after visiting Shanghai, where she was born.

"It was three years ago and I found a store in the subway where there was a book about Soong with a lot of photos and articles I had never seen before. I was shaken and for some reason I thought this was the time to write about her. It was just before she died," Yang said, calling her, "China's prima donna."

Performance Notes: What: Song of Love by the Dafeng Theatre Company (大風劇團) Where: Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (台北國父記念館) at 505 Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市仁愛路4段505號) When: Tonight at 7:30pm; tomorrow at 2:30m and 7:30pm; Sunday at 2:30pm and 7:30pm Tickets: Priced cost from NT$300 to NT$1,800, and can be purchased at www.ticket.com.tw or by calling (02) 2700-8300 On the Net: meiling.allmusic-mag.net

"I would like to think this is an objective look at her life. It's not all good or bad, right or wrong, it's more a story, like Les Miserables. The politics is not so important as what happens and the feelings it creates."

At a dress rehearsal earlier this week Song of Love appeared to be an almost cinematic fast-forward through modern Chinese history. It skipped through Soong's childhood during the end of the Qing Dynasty, witnessed her wedding in 1927 and acknowledged her decisive role in the Xian Incident, when Chiang agreed to form an alliance with the Communists and fight Japan.

In the second act Soong represents China in the US, where she makes speeches in praise of democracy; accompanies Chiang in his flight to Taiwan after losing the civil war; and eventually leaves the political stage.

The musical ends on the theme of "I will rise again," which has multiple meanings, according to director Wang Yo-hui (王友輝). It could refer to Taiwan's progress, China's awakening from centuries of isolation and humiliation, even Soong's ascent to heaven or reincarnation.

At one point members of the cast dress up as Red Guards and sing the unofficial Chinese anthem The East Is Red (東方紅). This is a banned song in Taiwan and this will be the first time that it has been performed here, said Ran Tian-hao (冉天豪), who has written or arranged 30 songs for the production.

He said his influences were Giuseppi Verdi and Giacomo Puccini but he had researched music from Shanghai in the 1920s for Song of Love because it melded foreign and Chinese influences in a novel and effective manner.

"The Shanghai style was very poetic and in this case it was simple for the melodies to flow from the words," Ran said.

As for the acting, Hung Ruei-hsiang (洪瑞襄) was moved to tears at rehearsal on Monday night and this bodes well as she plays the main character from her teens up to her death as a centenarian. If she pulls it off on the night it will be an epic performance.