Poetic justice

With an impressive body of work from more than three decades of directing, Chen Xinyi might be described as the high priestess of mainland theatre. She has staged a slew of acclaimed dramas, among them a play about Peking opera legend Mei Lanfang and another on the tragic pre-Qin dynasty reformer Shang Yang, which reportedly moved reform-minded vice-premier Zhu Rongji to tears when he saw the production in 1996. Along the way, Chen has also garnered 12 awards from the Ministry of Culture.

This week Chen, a native of Xian, brings her dramatic vision to bear in an unusual piece of theatre in collaboration with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, titled Farewell, Snow in Summer and in the Thoughts. The show features Chen in not only her usual role as director, but also as narrator for the three musical works in the programme - Memories, Zhuang Zhou's Dream and Autumn Execution.

It is Chen's third directorial effort in Hong Kong; she previously steered Dr Sun Yat-sen, a three-act opera commemorating the centenary of the 1911 Chinese Revolution, and the local debut of The Chinese Orphan (Orphan of Zhao), an opera based on a classic tale of the spring and autumn.

Neither matches the intensity that Chen is bringing to this production, which runs tonight and tomorrow night. A fortnight ago, she flew in to direct two days of rehearsals with the orchestra and to check on staging details, from costume to decor.

"This production, which I call a theatrical poem, exceeds a full drama. After directing for 35 years, I am taking part in the play for the first time as narrator because I trust I can do a better job on my own script than anyone else," she says.

Theatrical poetry, or jushi in Putonghua, is a form of staging that blends narrative with poetic touches. Her best-known jushi was based on the 1907 Chinese adaptation of Uncle Tom's Cabin (the first modern stage work performed in China).