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Kevin Kwong

Hua Mulan
Li Liuyi New Drama
Studio Theatre, HK Cultural Centre
Reviewed: Feb 23
Hua Mulan is the second instalment of mainland stage director Li Liuyi's Trilogy of War Heroines. The character is also the best known of the three, the others being Mu Guiying, a member of the so-called women generals of the Yang family, and Liang Hongyu, another gallant female warrior.
This production again  sees Li teaming up with leading lady Yingzi, composer Guo Wenjing and operatic singer Han Jianguang who, for this work, is the 'vocal designer'.
Like Mu Guiying, which made its debut here in 2006, Hua Mulan delves into the psyche of a character torn between  being a woman and a soldier. The almost two-hour performance is set on a battlefield where Mulan steps over corpses in search of a clean brook. Upon the water she sees her own reflection as well as the face of her father and  souls from the past. The water also reflects her inner desire to be a carefree young maiden again.
Yingzi gave a tour de force performance as Mulan, using her powerful voice and fluent Beijing operatic movements to subtly narrate her character's transformation: from the manly army general to, in the climactic finale, the lively,  coquettish young woman that she is,  revelling in her beauty and femininity.
Supporting her were the equally excellent Chen Lincang as Mulan's father, and Jiang Qihu and Liu Jinquan as her comrades.  But it was  Guo's wonderfully dramatic score that stole the show.
This trilogy will conclude with Liang Hongyu in November as part of this year's New Vision Arts Festival.  It'll be interesting to see how Li takes this formula forward.



Hua Mulan