INTERVIEW: ‘Emperor’s Nightingale’ celebrates authentic Chinese culture
Photo: The Emperor’s Nightingale stars Xiaoqing Zhang and Jonathan Frye. Photo courtesy of Russ Rowland / Provided by Richard Hillman PR with permission.
To celebrate the Lunar New Year, the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre has brought back one of its critical and audience favorites from last year. The Emperor’s Nightingale, an adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Nightingale, finishes up its return engagement Sunday, Jan. 26 at Theatre 5 at Theatre Row in Midtown Manhattan. More performances are promised.
The Emperor’s Nightingale is the brainchild of writer Damon Chua and director Chongren Fan, who set this classic tale in 18th-century China. The story, according to press notes, brings to life the exploits of the future emperor, Qianlong.
The show has been something of an off-Broadway sensation, not only because of its weekend public performances, but also because of its highly successful student matinees. The success of this little show with a big heart actually began with the Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo, Maryland.
“This was a commission by Adventure Theatre,” Chua said in a recent phone interview. “It came with a brief that they wanted me to adapt Hans Christian Anderson’s The Nightingale and set it in China at some point in time. I think this was a reaction to various adaptations of the same story by different theater companies that haven’t really been socially or politically astute, in the sense that there have been adaptations set in China, but they’re not written by Asians. Or they have all white characters or whatever, so Adventure Theatre came to me and commissioned me to write this piece using an Asian playwright and set it in China.”
Fan became attached to the project because of his previous work with the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, a company that was founded in 1977 by visionary theater-maker Tisa Chang. The institution provides professional theater opportunities for Asian-American artists to work under the highest standards of excellence and create pieces that dispel stereotypes, according to the company’s mission statement. They have a commitment to social justice and dignifying Asian-American experiences.
“I’ve been working for Pan Asian on a variety of different shows, and I directed Damon’s reading before,” Fan said. “And Damon and I are very good friends. Originally I’m from China, so when Tisa Chang, the artistic director of Pan Asian, scheduled us into the season, I feel like for all of us it was a natural fit for me to come on board. I wasn’t actually sure that I could do this because it’s a kid’s show, and I had never worked on children’s theater before. But to know what’s comforting is both Damon and Tisa, they said this is not just a simple children’s theater for the kids, but it’s actually for everybody who has a young heart.”
Fan, who was born and raised in Shanghai, has directed Romulus the Great for Yangtze Rep, Stones in his Pockets for Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre and Lost in Shanghai for Pan Asian, among other productions. He has been impressed by The Emperor’s Nightingale and its ability to break down theatrical barriers and engage with younger audiences.
“The response was magnificent, and everybody liked it,” the director said about the early performances. “I was at a lot of the school matinee talkbacks. The material was very well received by the kids, and the teachers were very glad to have Nightingale. It was something completely different from whatever they were offering in New York City at that time. … One thing that was very touching for me is I wasn’t born in this country. It took me a while to understand being a minority in the United States. I remember during one talkback, there was a school from the Bronx, and the majority of the kids were African-American. But there were two young Asian girls. They raised their hands. I thought they were going to ask a question, but they literally just made a comment. And they said, ‘We are Asian, too. Asians can act as well,’ so that was very sweet. … Growing up nobody really wanted us to go into the arts because it’s very tough. There aren’t that many opportunities offered, so this year we are very happy in terms of we’re really promoting this show and getting more public schools coming.”
Chua, whose Film Chinois was produced by Pan Asian in 2015, said he didn’t quite understand the historic nature of what he and Fan were doing with The Emperor’s Nightingale, and in many ways, he believes not knowing how landmark this production would be helped him focus on the art.
“I didn’t know this, and I’m glad that the artistic director didn’t tell me, but it was the first Asian play [Adventure Theatre] produced in their 60-year history,” the playwright said. “So I’m glad that burden wasn’t on me, and I was blissfully unaware of that. But I realize that there is a responsibility for more Asian artists to make sure that we’re represented. I’ve seen the audiences here in New York and elsewhere really seeing these Asian characters, and they have for the first time experienced theater that is set in ancient China. I’m just glad that people like it.”
When Chua wrote the piece, he tried to stay true to the original story, but he also needed to weave in authentic Chinese history. He decided to find a good balance of historical representation and creative liberties.
“I mean, it’s not historical, but I did land upon the 18th century and the reign of Emperor Qianlong as a prince,” Chua said. “I think ultimately this story is about leadership, and I was writing this play in a lead-up to the 2016 elections. There was a lot of talk about leadership, and we’re in the same cycle again. This play is all about two princes trying to compete for the thrown and show themselves as the better leader.”
Fan said the future looks bright for The Emperor’s Nightingale. Although it’s wrapping up its return engagement Jan. 26, there have been discussions about bringing the show back for the holiday season and turning the production into a mainstay.
“At Pan Asian, Tisa has been half-joking, talking about this to everybody,” Fan said with a laugh. “She calls it the Pan Asian Nutcracker for the holiday season and particularly during Chinese New Year. There has been a lot of interest in this country and globally about the role China plays these days and knowing more about the Chinese culture, and I would say in the American canon, whenever there’s a show about China, there are only a couple of the themes the writers talk about: Tiananmen Square or the Cultural Revolution, those themes. But it’s really rare to see a production just about the culture specifically and talking from that point of view and using the ancient Chinese proverbs to tell people a Chinese story in the English language.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Emperor’s Nightingale, written by Damon Chua and directed by Chongren Fan, ends its return engagement Sunday, Jan. 26. The show, which began at the Adventure Theatre, is produced off-Broadway by the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre. Click here for more information and tickets.
