Prose play is a literary genre that can be traced back to ancient Greek theater. Its emphasis on melodious chorus instead of dance and music is rare in modern theater performances, which depend heavily on multimedia and technology to provide stunning visual effects.
Writer and director Chung Te-fan's (鐘得凡) new work Touching in the Rain, subtitled 'minimalist gay prose play" is one such play that places vocal presentation before all else.
The five episodes in this play all deal with flowers. They are the flowers that have significant roles in gay literary classics - narcissi in Greek mythology and lotuses in Pai Hsien-yung's (白先勇) Crystal Boys (孽子) - each of which represents an aspect of gay relationship.
The spectrum of gay relationships in the acts seems to lead the audience on a walk through the gay world without an obvious climax. However, Chung adds spice to this potentially monotonous structure by letting chorus members sign Chinese pop songs solo. So it is that Na Ying' (那英) Daylight Never Understands the Dark of the Night (白天不懂夜的黑) Accompanies Zephyr' unrequited love for Hyancinth while Coco Lee' (李玟) Love in the Past (往日情) becomes the soundtrack for ill-fated lovers in the section called Crystal Boys.
As much as the songs fit the plot, they aroused controversy with their combination of mass culture and refined art during the play' previous performances in southern Taiwan.
Faced with dissent, Chung said "everyone is familiar with those pop songs. Hearing them presented seriously in the context of experimental theater must give them a good shock".
Throughout the play, actors and actresses have umbrellas open as if they are performing in invisible rain. "This is the rain of prejudice against homosexuals, which forms the backdrop of the play's stories. Retelling the stories is my way of fighting back," Chung said.
Touching in the Rain will be performed at 8pm tonight, tomorrow and Sunday at Cafe Tutto located at 9, Ln. 101, Roosevelt Rd., Sec. 2, Taipei (臺北市羅斯福路二段101巷9號). Forum discussions will be held after tomorrow's and Sunday's shows. For tickets, call Cafe Tutto at 8369-1271.
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