REVIEW OF DATONG AT RICHMOND THEATRE: THE CHINESE UTOPIA A CHAMBER OPERA IN THREE ACTS
The long historical association between Britain and Hong Kong is wonderfully explored in the deeply moving Datong, The Chinese Utopia, A Chamber Opera in Three Acts. This production is presented by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, commissioned and produced by the Hong Kong Arts Festival to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR. Datong tells the story in music, singing and drama of Chinese history from 1905 to 2017.
Everything is brought together to create a total work of art. Minimalist scenery, evocative music, spellbinding singing and powerfully moving acting all come together to create an unforgettable evening. I can think of no better introduction to Chinese history and culture than this stunning production. As China comes of age, all of us will have to sit up and take notice. I’m sure that Datong will play an important role in that dialogue between China and the rest of the world in the coming months and years. It’s an exquisite chamber opera that tells the incredible story of utopian philosopher and constitutional reformer, Kang Youwei, through the eyes of his daughter, Kang Tongbi, a pioneering Chinese feminist. The audience is taken through a sweeping journey from the last days of the Qing Dynasty through to the Cultural revolution of the 1960’s.
Datong explores the life of Kang Tongbi, sung superbly by the super talented Louise Kwong, as a metaphor for China. We see her thanking her liberal reform minded Father Kang Youwei for not binding her feet and so giving her the freedom to walk freely without limping. Freeing his daughter from the cruelty of foot binding is Kang Youwei’s demonstration of his determination to reform China. As we watch Kang Tongbi walk across the stage flexing her feet from heel to toe we become aware of just how constraining and cruel female foot binding was. We realise how important have ones natural feet and being able to enjoy the simple pleasures of walking are to Kang Tongbi. This theme is picked up in the third Act when we see Kang Youwei’s granddaughter Luo Yiufeng sawing off the heels of her shoes as Red Guards are heard menacingly denouncing her family as Royalist Dogs during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in 1969. We see the connections in China’s story and the central theme of Women’s Rights, or lack of them rather.
Datong tells many stories but one of them is the difficulty of bringing about gradual reform in China and so resentment builds up until it bursts out in violent uprisings. This Catch 22 has haunted China. The ruling elite see any reform as a sign of weakness so reform is impossible, creating a void into which Revolutionaries fill with incendiary rhetoric. This is known in China as the “ bad Emperor” problem. Datong poses in this problem in startlingly vivid and evocative scenes from across the last 100 years. It asks the question “can China achieve universal harmony?” This wonderful production both asks the right question and proposes the best way of solving it. Democracy and Reform.
Better explained in pictures than in words…a sight to behold:-
