'LADY PRECIOUS STREAM'

Evening Star, Issue 22682, 23 June 1937, Page 15

'LADY PRECIOUS STREAM'

The Otago University Dramatic Society’s production of the Chinese play ‘ Lady Precious Stream,’ to be presented to the general public in Allen Hall this iveek, is noteworthy because of the many novel features it contains. The whole presentation is unusual and fascinating to Western eyes, and all who see it cannot fail to be delighted with so charming a play. Tho most important persons are undoubtedly the two property men, who are on the stage from the beginning of tho play until the end—one cannot say “ from the rise to the fall of the curtain,” because in tho Chinese theatre there is no curtain, the actors all leaving the stage at tho end of each scene. Tho property men arrange the stage, distribute the properties when needed, place chairs where they are required, provide any effects that are desired, and are always ready to catch any of the characters who have to faint or die. Seeing they are called upon to do any work associated with the business on the stage, they do not wear any gorgeous clothes, but leave that to the characters in the actual story of the play. This story concerns His Excellency the Prime , Minister, _ Wang Tun; his family, and their affairs. In the first act Wang wears a truly gorgeous gown of black silk with red cuffs and collar, tho whole of tho hack being covered with dragons wonderfully embroidered in silver thread. In the second act lie wears a multi-pat-terned brocade in colours of red and purple. Madam Chen, his wife, wears three costumes —a navy jacket patterned in red and pink, worn with navy trousers; a maroon silk jacket with bands of cream, and a fierce dragon embroidered in cream silks covering tho hack, worn with black silk trousers with a cream and maroon pattern; and a heliotrope satin costume trimmed with cyclamen crepe do chine. Their eldest daughter is Golden Stream. She wears a yellow satin jacket and golden trousers, a conventional Chinese tree being painted on, her jacket. HOr second costume is a yellow silk jacket with a beautiful spray of golden flowers worked on the back, and worn with apricot and gold trousers. Her husband is Su, the Dragon General. Ho wears a gown of brown satin with golden painting upon it, and another gown of old gold silk worn with a waistcoat of black with golden dragons beautifully embroidered on it.

Wang’s second daughter is Silver Stream, who first appears in a jacket of silver satin and blue trousers, one of the sacred birds being painted on the back of tho jacket. Her second costume is a blue silk one with leaves spraying across the back and silver leaves forming her headdress. Her husband is Wei, the "Tiger Genera), and he wears two gowns, one of green satin painted in shades of mauve and pink, and the other a blue silk with a' pattern of, purple and cyclamen flowers. The youngest daughter of the Wang family is Precious Stream. In the first act she is a young girl of 15, with her hair down and wearing a jade green jacket beautifully painted with a design of flowers, her trousers of a darker green also having flowers painted on them. In the second scene her hair is up and adorned with a- jewelled headdress, but when she is disowned by her family she must remove her finery, reverse her coat, and become poor and plainly dressed. In the succeeding scenes she becomes increasingly poorer ond more plainly dressed. The hero of the story is Hsieh PingQuie, who is first seen in the very humble dress of a gardener, then as _a captain in the army, and later as His

Majesty King of tho Western Regions, a very military State, which he Has conquered. iu addition to the principals above mentioned there are many other characters in this delightful play. There is the Princess of the Western Regions with her two maids and her two aides-de-camp, Ma Ta and Kiang Hai. There are throe suitors for tho hand of Lady Precious Stream, two attendants, two soldiers, tho warden of the three mountain passes, and, of course, the “ honourable render,” who explains to the audience what each scene is supposed to represent. Tho dressing of so large a cast has been a big task for so small a. society, hut it has been undertaken with courage, for the society feels that in pro-' senting ‘ Lady Precious Stream,’ which has not hitherto been produced either in Australia or New Zealand, it is making a real contribution to dramatic work in this city. The play is being produced by Mrs 0. O. Stephens.