Adapted from Lu Xun’s novel, Forging the Swords tells the story of a naturally kind-hearted child, who is suddenly entrusted with the monumental task of avenging his father’s murder, says Megan Amato.
★★★★
One way actors can prove their mettle is to carry on in the face of adversity – and that is exactly what the cast of Forging the Swords did when they were having technical difficulties with their projector and continued acting and moving with aplomb, settled deep into their characters with the fighting spirit of the story itself.
Adapted from novelist 1926 Lu Xun’s work of the same name, the plot takes us to Chu Kingdom with a covetous king who commissions a powerful sword before executing everyone aware of its existence: the swordsmith, his wife and their infant son, and even the general appointed with delivering their deaths. Little does the king know that his formidable sword has a twin and its in the hands of a young man burdened with the responsibility of avenging his father.
What I love about the wuxia – Chinese fiction depicting martial heroes – genre is how it seamlessly blends martial arts and human peril with moments of levity. This was often shown through the King of Chu, played by Yang Fengrui (also the director, a man of many talents), who balanced the ruthless monarch’s paranoia with moments of humour within his inner court.
Zeng Mengsha also had her acting chops on display as she played young Mei Jian Chi. Her vulnerability draws empathy for the boy as he looses everything in a moment, his innocence stripped by his mother’s bitterness and the vengeful general’s expectations.
Seen through body language and her minute change in expression, Mei Jian Chi’s youthful innocence is replaced by the devastation and moral defeat of the terrible choice he is being urged to make.
My favourite moment was when our supposed-dead general, played by Peng Haoran, returns in ragged clothing to face the king, a straw hat perfectly shadowing his face as he challenges the sovereign who used him as a discarded weapon.
Every part of the production team and cast’s effort melded beautifully in this moment.
An wonderfully entertaining piece of theatre that combined well-choregraphed martial arts, paper mache puppetry and Nuo opera.
C ARTS | C venues | C aurora – main house
Aug 7-9.
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