Forbidden City
by Sachi Oyama, book; Nathan Wang, music; Noelle Donfeld, lyrics
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Genre:
Musical, Drama
Runtime:
100 - 110 mins
Cast:
8 male(s), 4 female(s), gender-flexible
Synopsis:
A young boy, hugging his pet doll, fulfills the requirement to enter the fabled Forbidden City, there to find a world of secret loves, passions, hatreds, and conspiracies. As he begins his journey, An-Li, newly made eunuch, is armed with the knowledge that his doll is blessed with his mother's tears and thus empowered to grant a magical wish.
Upon entry, he is guided toward Yi Po, the main actor and director of operas for the Dowager Empress of China. An-Li is told that Po will help him in his journey to perform an act of bravery in the fabled City and thus regain his "precious" in the afterlife. The director is a favorite eunuch of the Dowager Empress, who has returned from a brief retirement to take back her regency from her nephew, who has angered her with his passion for reform. She comes with Shih-Kai, her advisor, and Jung Lu, her lover, who are at odds as to how to deal with bellicose, intrusive foreigners.
Po's duty is to provide the Dowager with diversion, but he is in conflict. He loves the Emperor's wife, the Pearl Concubine, from afar and will do anything to protect her. The Emperor and his concubine want reform for the country. Sensing his hidden love for her, the Pearl Concubine asks Po to present an opera which shows the danger of stagnation. Po, sensing it will endanger her, refuses.
The Dowager, meanwhile, "consults" the past emperors but cannot decide how to react to the presence of foreigners in China. When Jung Lu tells her she will always react as "a woman," she angrily unleashes the Harmonious Fists, a group of men who believe themselves magical and impervious to bullets. The results are disastrous.
The Foreigners invade the Forbidden City once again, forcing the court to flee. As the Empress is about to flee with her court, the Pearl Concubine confronts her and tells her she must take the Emperor with her to safety. Angered, the Dowager orders the Pearl Concubine thrown down a well for her insolence. The court flees, and all are left to wonder what has become of the brave concubine.
In the Second Act, the Dowager returns to a burned and destroyed Forbidden City. They have been allowed to return provided they pay indemnity to the foreigners. The Dowager agrees, and her advisor, Shih-Kai, as well as her nephew, the Emperor, are forced to commit suicide--Shih-Kai for his poor advice, the Emperor because he has outlived his usefulness. Jung Lu survives to continue his torturous love affair.
Po laments at the well where he believes the soul of the Pearl Concubine resides. An-Li, aggrieved at his master's sadness, wishes there was something he could do to alleviate his pain. He remembers the one wish that he was promised on the tears of his pet doll and wishes for the return of the Pearl Concubine.
She returns. She tells Po of the knowledge she now possesses. The Pearl Concubine tells Po he must create an opera that shows what will happen in the century to come. Rejoicing in his ability to atone for his past cowardice, Po reveals the future to the Dowager in the form of an opera. In it, there is a confrontation between the government and students demanding reform. They are defeated but triumphant in bravery. Also revealed is the disdain in which the Empress will be regarded-the legacy of her cruelty and shortsightedness. Po is put to death for his opera of truth. An-Li is now left alone. But the spirits of the past return-Emperor Kang Hsu, the Pearl Concubine, and Yi Po, his master. They are there as they witness the transformation of the young boy to young believer, one who will carry the torch of bravery to those yet to come.
Notes:
CD is available. Show is available for world premiere.
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