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| The Future is Almost Here |
| 04.28.04 (10:12 pm) [edit] |
Rumour has it that Wong Kar-wai's maddeningly belated 2046 (four years in production so far) doesn't even have a script. In a 2001 interview, Wong revealed, "It's a futuristic film, but not a science fiction film. There are three stories in the film, and each one is adapted from a Western opera - Madame Butterfly, Carmen and Tannhauser." We know little more.
Wong began filming 2046 while still working on his last feature, In the Mood For Love, and considers it a continuation of that film - though knowing Wong, probably not a straightforward sequel. Tony Leung, the depressed protagonist, plays essentially the same character in 2046, though this time he is a novelist rather than a newspaper editor.
The one thing that seems clear about 2046 is that Shanghai will be the focus. Wong was born here and his family later lived in the Shanghainese community in Hong Kong, from which he drew inspiration for In the Mood For Love. The new film will feature both 1960s Shanghai and a Blade Runner-esque Shanghai of the future.
In a November press conference in Shanghai, Wong revealed that the title refers to the end of the 50 years of autonomy the Chinese government has promised to Hong Kong, as well as to a sci-fi novel that Leung's character writes based on a one-night tryst with a prostitute in room 2046 of a hotel. It apparently does not refer to the release date. He also helpfully pointed out that, like the last film, 2046 will be about changing emotions set against an unchanging background.
Wong's usual crew is on board: Maggie Cheung, Faye Wong (as a robot loved by two men), Chang Chen - and Zhang Ziyi will play a robot too. Word on the street is that Gong Li is now being worked in as well. Wong has promised a lot of digital effects, which he blames for the delay (the hoped-for Lantern Festival release fell through; a Cannes premiere is the latest release floated). Fans are certainly expecting a super-slick hipster masterpiece. After all, they haven't waited this long for any old movie.
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| Worth the Wait - Waiting For Godot! |
| 04.25.04 (8:30 pm) [edit] |
The Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre has two hot propositions for theatregoers this coming summer. The first is a production of Waiting For Godot that has been feted across the board as a near-definitive version of Samuel Beckett's most famous work. The Gate Theatre, the prestigious Dublin-based company, first staged this production last year to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the play's original Paris debut, and it has earned nothing but acclaim since.
For a play in which, famously, nothing really happens, Waiting For Godot continues to captivate and confound audiences. The plot, such as it is, centres on the down-at-heel Vladimir and Estragon and their futile wait for Mr Godot, a figure so obscure that they can't even remember why they started waiting for him in the first place. As they observe though, at least waiting for Godot passes the time - passing time, as Beckett may be telling us, being all that life really amounts to.
Nonetheless, you could do far worse than spend an hour or two of your pointless existence watching this one - although you should expect to leave the theatre with more questions than answers.
Then in July comes Shakespeare's Othello, brought to Shanghai by English theatre company Cheek By Jowl. Another highly respected outfit, Cheek By Jowl has a reputation for staging no-frills productions packed with the very brightest talent.
And brighter than most is Nonso Anozie, a rising star of the British stage, cast here as Othello. Anozie first attracted attention two years ago in an RSC Academy production of King Lear, when his portrayal of Lear met with rave reviews. Anozie's interpretation of the Moorish general and his tragic surrender to the "green-eyed monster" is therefore eagerly anticipated.
Watch out too for the well-respected Jonny Phillips as the villainous Iago, the scheming counterpoint to Othello's guileless action man. Iago is the play's truly enthralling character, driven to engineer Othello's demise by what Coleridge famously called "motiveless malignancy". In other words, Iago has no particular reason to be so nasty. He just quite likes it.
Waiting for Godot will be performed from May 20-22 and Othello from July 13-18, both at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre. For more info and tickets, please call 6473 0123.
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