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| The Orphan of Zhao promotional artwork (Source: Royal Shakespeare Company). |
About three years ago I read Arthur
Murphy’s The Orphan of China, and
since being taken by the story I’d dreamt of seeing it on stage. My dream came
true this week when my Dad and I took a roadtrip to Stratford-upon-Avon to see
James Fenton’s new adaptation The Orphan
of Zhao. Presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company under the direction of
Gregory Doran, the new production is a sumptuous and vibrant staging of an
extremely compelling, epic story, performed by an exquisite ensemble of actors.
The play is often compared to Hamlet due to its epic narrative – the
real parallel can be found in the theme of revenge. Following an elaborately
staged shaming by The Emperor’s usurping minister Tu’an Gu, the disgraced
Minister Zhao’s entire clan is annihilated from history with the exception of
his wife, the daughter of The Emperor. Matter are complicated further since the princess is pregnant, and when she gives birth Cheng Ying, a doctor, rescues Zhao’s son
by sacrificing his own child to ensure the Zhao line can live on, and so that
the Zhao clan one day can seek out their revenge. Although it loses a bit of
momentum in the second act, the piece is extremely compelling work. There has
been a lot of churlish bitching about this behind this production before it
even began, which has viciously attacked RSC for only casting three Asian
actors in this production. It’s very clear that rather than adhere to a
gimmick, attempting to present an austere and gruelingly traditional staging of
the text, race has been cast aside as a casting criteria and only the best,
most talented actors into their respective roles.
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| Joe Dixon as Tu'an Gu (Source: Royal Shakespeare Company) |
On that note, the ensemble cast are easily
the strongest I’ve ever seen on stage, with multi-talented seventeen
performers handling puppetry, voice acting, and movement all while managing
to navigate around the theatre and entirely engross the audience. The
ensemble are well used and all have a moment which shows exceptional talent,
including mimicking the cries of a baby, bringing a ferocious dog to life, and
executing precise choreography and stagecraft to evoke assassinations and duels.
There are a few stand-outs due to their significant roles, where Jake
Fairbrother’s pure and serene Cheng Bo is slightly effeminate but somehow
beautifully other-worldy, and Graham Turner’s unwavering sense of duty as Cheng
Ying also communicates his suffering in every line he speaks. Joe Dixon steals
the stage and is a phenomenal highlight as antagonist Tu’an Gu – his portrayal
of the character is unlike anything I expected from the role, while being
calculated and virile, but also managing to be wickedly comical where
appropriate.
Paul Englishby’s score is beautifully
appropriate, with many soft passages presented with subtle Chinese rifts and
flavors with the live orchestra mixed with some authentic instrumentation. This
adaptation also included translations of the original songs, which I had not
heard before and was very surprised (and glad) to hear. Niki Turner’s design is
gorgeous, including a simplistic but striking architecture based set which allow
actors to travel into and through the audience to fill out the entire theatre,
and beautiful and authentic period costume designs.
The piece is everything I hoped it would be
and more. Fenton’s new adaptation and Doran’s vision to the piece is an utter
revelation to the original English translation. This epic is brought to life
through an incredible cast, surrounded in a beautiful design with wonderful
live music. It’s regrettable that the production has been attacked for a
trivial matter of casting, since this production is oozing with talent and is
easily one of the most gripping pieces I’ve seen perhaps not just this year,
but in my life. I feel so lucky to have seen this piece, and wish I could see
it again.
Tickets for Royal Shakespeare Company's The Orphan of Zhao are £16 - £38, and is showing at Swan Theatre until March 28th. Duration of approximately 110 minutes. Book by visiting Royal Shakespeare Company's website.
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