Combining bold design with drama, stagecraft and symbolism, The Handan Dream is a contemporary telling of a classic Chinese play, and is the story of a man who dreams an entire life only to wake up in the inn where he started.
Performed in in Mandarin with English surtitles and with strikingly colourful costumes by one of the lead costume designers on the Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony, The Handan Dream began life in Guangzhou and has been performed at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, as well as touring internationally. The show will be performed at Hackney Empire in the lead up to Chinese News Year on 16th February in the city that hosts the biggest Chinese New Year celebrations outside Asia.
Tang Xianzu is one of China’s most revered playwrights, and is often described as China’s Shakespeare having died in the same year as the Bard. The Handan Dream is one of the most well-known of Tang Xianzu’s plays along with The Peony Pavilion.
In ancient China, the highest of ambitions was to pass the imperial examinations and become a civil servant. Dejected protagonist Lu has tried and failed the exams three times. On his way home Lu stops at an inn, but while waiting to be served his food he falls into a deep sleep in which he dreams of an entire well-spent life. Lu studies for exams, earns a degree, falls in love, gets married and has children, is condemned to death, is cleared of all charges, and slowly grows old. Just as his food is about to be served, the young man wakes and realises it was nothing but a dream.
With music inspired by traditional Chinese Kun opera to accompany the scripted drama, The Handan Dream will immerse audiences in an intriguing world between illusion and reality. Influenced by Chinese/Zen philosophy, dream and illusion is a common topic in Chinese literature and art. What lies behind is the contemplation on consciousness and whether reality is ultimately empty.
