從經典走進當代《帝女花65》專業版 From the Classic to the Contemporary Floral Princess 65 Professional Edition

專訪桃花源粵劇工作舍營運及創作總監吳國亮及《帝女花65》總監陳善之 A Conversation with Rex Ng, Operations and Creative Director, Utopia Cantonese Opera Workshop, and Joseph Chan, Controller, Floral Princess 65

2022年是粵劇經典《帝女花》65周年，於此時刻重塑一個160分鐘的專業 演出版，邀來7位花旦5位文武生，配對成15個組合演出，可謂是有野心、有信念的大搞作。

演出總監陳善之介紹道，這個濃縮版本， 乃嘗試將電影版與演出版的《帝女花》 相融合，進行改編，再加入劇場的表達方式。「導演的一句話很吸引我，這次是向一個偉大的創作家和偉大的劇本致敬， 因循其精華，也嘗試用自己的思維和思 路，根據我們相處的時代來做某程度適 當的修改。」他說。

導演吳國亮則強調，劇情所有的變奏也 好改編也好，都是從原劇本出發。「從文 本去找可能性，比較能進入文本深層的 意義，這個是我信奉的創作上的方向。」 而從長劇變成短劇，固然有刪減，但竟然還有加戲。加的是什麼?是再探原著 底蘊中，各個人物人性與命運的皺褶。 「就是要令整件事變得更加深層。」

於是乎，自縊於煤山的崇禎面對王朝傾 頹的那一刻；太監王承恩與主同殉的忠義之處；千金小姐瑞蘭旁觀跌宕時局，聽 著父兄對公主的算計...... 這些配角人物的命運瞬間被重新審視與呈現。

2022 will be the 65th anniversary of the Cantonese opera classic Floral Princess. To restage a 160-minute professional performance version, invite 7 actresses and 5 actors, and organize them into 15 combinations for performance, could be called an ambitious endeavour done out of conviction.

Controller Joseph Chan introduced it as follows: this abridged version attempts to bring the film and performance versions of Floral Princess together, adapting it and adding in a theatrical method of presentation. “There was a line by the director that really drew me in: this work pays homage to a great creative and a great script. Keeping in step with its essence, we should also try to make appropriate alterations based on the era we live in, using our own train of thought.” he said.

Director Rex Ng emphasized that, all variations or adaptations of the script, all stem from the original work. “Looking for possibilities in the text allows you to access its deeper meaning; this is the creative direction I put my faith in.” Turning a long piece into a shorter one obviously involves deletions, but surprisingly, there are additions as well. What might they be? A re-inquiry into how each character is enfolded into life and fate, as embedded in the original. “We just want to go a little deeper with the whole thing.”

It was such that the moment where Emperor Chongzhen witnesses the collapse of a dynasty as he hangs on Mei Mountain; the loyalty of the Eunuch Cheng’en as he dies with his lord; the debutante Ruilan, surveying a troubled age from the sidelines, listening to the conniving men plot against the princess...the fates of these supporting characters are re-evaluated and re-presented in an instant.

「唐滌生先生的劇本沒有廢筆。」陳善之說。錯落有致的群像共同構成故事豐富 的景深，他們身上人性的相互映襯，訴 說著大時代下生存的使命。

在音樂上，此次改編保留了原作中的經 典曲目與唱詞外，也請來李哲藝作音樂 設計，以音樂烘托人物與場景，亦令轉 景 更 加 自 如 。「 轉 景 、 音 樂 、 燈 光 和 整 個 戲的感情節奏很有關係。」吳國亮說，很 多場景的轉變雖然可以馬上切換，但如 加上適當的音樂，會營造出不同的微妙 感覺。例如<香劫>之後，視角從淪陷的 紫禁城轉到尋常百姓家，這段音樂被吳 國亮稱為《火海紫禁城》，映襯著美好 國度的陷落，也訴說世事無常才是常 情。又例如<樹盟>吟詩的一段，平常用 上響亮的鑼鼓，這次則配上優美旋律， 更用比平時慢一倍的節奏去詮釋場景的 情狀。音樂的使用亦會時而凸顯反差， 例如<上表>後，公主答應成婚至擺宴一 段，原本粵劇的音樂幽怨又緩慢，這次 則配上輕快的樂曲，襯托著公主與駙馬 在喧鬧人群中的傷感。「我們也想看下 這個做法會不會帶來更多面的看法 呢。」陳善之說。

“There is no wasted ink in Tong Tik-sang’s script,” Chan said. A patchwork of intertwined destinies together composes the rich landscape of the story; the way they bring out the hmanity in one another, reveals the calling to live in the best and worst of times.

Musically, aside from preserving the classic songs and lyrics of the original, this adaptation also invited Lee Che-yi as the sound designer. He brings out the characters and settings through music, allowing even freer transitions. “Transitions, music, lighting, and the emotional tempo of the entire work are deeply interlinked.” Ng says, though transitions between many settings can be made instantaneously, when coupled with the right music, different, peculiar feelings can be produced. For example, after Princess’ Sufferings, the viewpoint shifts from the fallen Forbidden City to a common household. This piece of music is termed Forbidden City Aflame by Ng, reflecting the fall of a beautiful country, while expressing that the regularity of life is in its irregularity. Or take the poetry reading section of Oath Under the Twins Tree, which usually uses bright-sounding drums, but this time is paired with an elegant melody, expressing the scene at a tempo half the usual pace. The use of music also sometimes accentuates contrast, such as in Negotiating with the Qing Emperor, where the princess agrees to marry and to the banquet. The original opera’s music is solemn and slow, whereas this time, a light-hearted melody highlights the heartbroken princess and her consort amongst the crowd. “We also want to see if this method will bring more multifaceted viewpoints,” Chan said.

而說到這次演出最特別的，應是邀請不同年代演員，每日以不同組合飾演公主 與 駙 馬 。「《 帝女花》是很大的戲， 我們不能怠慢它，要成就大事。」陳善之 說， 「從噱頭來說，希望多些人參與；而從我們創作人比較調皮的一面來說，每個老倌都有自己的板斧和自己的刀刀劍劍， 創作能激發他們某程度上的不安——對手來了哦，那不自覺地就要把自己的兵器拿出來。」

在排練過程中，導演也正希望所有的表演者用自己的感受和演繹方式去做，「九成九都是不同的，因為大家不願意去跟別人的版本 。 」 吳國亮笑說，「 粵劇是充滿表演元素的，我很喜歡在現在劇本裡面去找，然後留下表演空間，讓他們自己去嘗試。」各個表演者使出渾身解數亮出鎮山之寶，怎能不讓人期待?

And perhaps the most special part about this performance, is the invitation of actors of different generations to play the princess and the consort in different combinations each day. “Floral Princess is a very grand piece; we can’t slow it down, we have to make something big happen.” Chan explains, “Gimmick-wise, we hope that more people can participate; coming from our playful side as creators, we might say every old hand has their own axe, their own swords and knives. Creation can stimulate their anxiety on some level — when the other player is coming, they will instinctively draw their weapons.”

In the rehearsal process, the director hopes that all performers act using their own feelings and interpretive methods. “Nine times out of ten it will be different, because people aren’t willing to go with other people’s versions.” Ng, laughing, says, “Cantonese opera is full of performance elements. I really enjoy looking for them in the script, and then leaving some room in the performance, to let them try it out themselves.” Each performer lays out all their cards to bring their A-game; how can we not look forward to it?

節目詳情 Programme Details：https://www.utopia.org.hk/content.php?id=79