A theater adaptation of the Chinese classic, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, will make its way to the Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre this March. Named Taming the Dragon, the bilingual adaptation will be performed in English and accompanied by surtitles. Vicki Ooi, the artistic director of the show and of Absolutely Fabulous Theatre Connection, shared her experience of drafting the adapted tale and the importance of literature on stage.
From dramatic fight scenes to ancient weaponry in action, Taming the Dragon is specifically tailored for secondary students in Hong Kong, but open for everyone to enjoy. Ooi hopes the show will inspire more students to read literature.
"The first thing I want them to take away is enjoyment," Ooi said. "I hope that from this [adaptation], they can go to read other literature, whether it's in Chinese or any language."
"This is why I like drama. You learn through fun and excitement," she added.
Ooi also believes it is important for students to learn from the tale and hold onto certain beliefs in this ever-changing world. Calling herself a "great admirer of penguins," she realized literary characters, in one way or another, experience values such as friendship, commitment, and even a sense of purpose. "If they fail, like good penguins, they pick themselves up, and they go again," she said.
To Ooi, it was not difficult to translate Chinese ideals for an English adaptation. She rather found these ideals "universal" and that they often transgressed language. From her 30 years of teaching literature and drama at the University of Hong Kong, she has found similarities in literary works from different cultures.
"I don't think there are any such things as Chinese ideals or Western ideals," she said.
For the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Ooi adored the friendship among the three brothers who are committed towards the Han Dynasty. In fact, she was influenced by this plot when she first read the story at age 10 in Penang, Malaysia.
"We didn't have much entertainment after the war [WWII], but a man used to come around with a big case, and he had these little cartoon booklets of the [Romance of the] Three Kingdoms," she explained. "I was positively fascinated."
Since then, she has indulged herself in the world of literature, bringing it across classrooms and now onto the stage, scriptwriting works for secondary students during her retirement.
When asked about challenges in adapting for Taming the Dragon, Ooi had to take notice of the linguistic limit of the students, the range of their English and how much they could understand. She also had to take note of the time constraints of the play without sacrificing the essence of the original novel, stressing the play still needs to "retain some of the flavor."
To Ooi, cost is another issue when it comes to casting and producing drama, noting that a more digitalized landscape poses a challenge to theater, where everything can be seen online. She highlights that a draw of a stage production is that it will always be a more authentic experience. “There is only one go, and you've got to get it right [on stage]," she said.
Those challenges, however, did not stop her from scriptwriting. She is now onto a more fantastical and mythological Chinese legend – Journey to the West. She is eager to explore the playfulness and seriousness of the characters.
Taming the Dragon is an AFTEC production due to perform for the public on March 7 and 14. Tickets are priced at HK$240, HK$210, and HK$160. There is also a family package discount of HK$50 off for each purchase of one standard and one student ticket.
