Presented by the Chinese Music Group
October 6-8, Union Theatre, Union House
Review by Will Pridmore
I have never seen a production, musical or otherwise, in a language other than English. Mulan: The Original Mandarin Musical was a lovely introductory experience, and I was most surprised at how engrossed I was in the story, despite reading translated dialogue on a raised television screen. A number of the songs were stuck in my head during interval (albeit with completely wrong lyrics), and I left feeling that I’d seen an overall great show.
The performance went for around 3 hours, but it didn’t seem this long, as the piece had been well-prepared and was great fun. The cast were all outstanding at creating the atmosphere, and the dances were an interestingly creative blend of Broadway-style musical dance and more traditional (presumably Chinese) movement. The choreography was generally well-done and snappy.
All performers in this production were excellent, bar none. As a student show, Mulan could not have had a more able cast to bring this traditional folk tale to an Australian audience. All were heavily invested in their scenes, and their comedic timing made much of the dialogue very humorous even to non-Mandarin speakers. The singing quality and lush harmonies were brilliant, with only the occasional off note. Of particular note was Xuan Sun, whose rich baritone voice was very impressive, and Yo Zi Ngoo, who handled the childish Shao-Jie’s characterisation perfectly. As mentioned, however, all in the cast deserve huge congratulations for putting on such a powerful show. I saw moments of greatness in all of them, even when the scene focus was on others.
Two main costumes were used in the production: traditional Chinese robes and military armour. It was all of seemingly good quality, and didn’t appear to be cheaply made. The set was used very cleverly; the same tall rostra were used as thatch huts in Mulan’s village, showers at the military base and other objects. The performers generally managed to imbue the stage with life, but at times I couldn’t help noticing large empty spaces that could have been filled. The stage combat throughout was excellent, and didn’t seem fake or lacking commitment.
The characters in Mulan ranged widely in age, and the professional make-up efforts made this distinction possible. The sound effects used were convincing, and included a wolf howl and running showers. In fact, the props, set, sound and technology integrated very well, while a projector screen set up at the back of the stage allowed digital versions of objects, such as a kite, to change between the both iterations. A row of Chinese lanterns hanging at the back was a nice throwback to the origins of the work. Although I would have liked to have seen faster scene changes, or something to make them more interesting, I understand the limited options in this regard.
The Chinese Music Group (CMG) is known for its comprehensive efforts to make their productions as professional as possible. The beautiful programs, caring ushers and overall vibe were testament to this. The entire project was clearly handled with genuine care for the audience, and this coupled with the fabulous work onstage, gave an excellent impression
The English surtitles used in the production, however, needed editing by a native English speaker. Apart from several grammatical and spelling mistakes, much of the language used was vague and/or inappropriate. Some very abrasive swear words, that were patently too harsh for the situations, should have been toned down and, occasionally, I didn’t understand the intended meaning of dialogue. However, the amount of text was appropriate, and I was able to read all of it by the time the next actor spoke. At one point the translations fell significantly behind, and during the emotional climax the screen turned off (no!), but the multilingual aspect was otherwise handled adequately.
CMG is clearly a company with many passionate people from many different areas behind it, and Mulan: The Original Mandarin Musical exceeded my expectations for a production outside of my native tongue. Congratulations to one and all for a glorious production.
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Posted Tuesday 11 October, 2011. Updated Tuesday 11 October, 2011.