|
BUTTERFLY LOVER ONCE MORE Article Year: Friday - October 10, 2003 Written by: Li Ee Kee |
|
After 40 long years Ivy Ling Po, who played Liang Shan Po is The Love Eterne, reprises her role in the play Butterfly Lovers Musical that will be staged tomorrow at Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur One could say Ivy Ling Po was the Hilary Swank of her time, earning distinction by portraying a male character in The Love Eterne some 40 years ago (although in Swank's case, she depicted a girl who wanted to be a boy in Boys Don't Cry). Playing the lengendary Liang Shan Bo, one half of the renowned Butterfly Lovers, none have since be able to fill Ling's shoes. As Wu Jin, who is cast as Zhu Ying Tai, once remarked: "She (Ling) will forever be Liang Shan Bo." Forty years since the release of the movie The Love Eterne, Ling reprises her role as Liang shan Bo opposite Wu, who takes over from the late Betty Lok Dai in Butterfly Lovers Musical. Nine shows were stages throughout Taiwan last year to a resounding success. There will be a one-night performance at Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, tomorrow at 8pm, and then it is back to Taiwan again for another series of performances. Ling was in Kuala Lumpur recently to meet the press and promote her show. Though in her 60s, Ling is still quite a stunner and one can hardly imagine her playing the role of a man. Ling got her start in the entertainment industry at the tender age of 10 playing servant girls in small-budget films. coming from a poor family that had immigrated from China to Hong Kong, she needed a job to help feed the family. Working her way up, she later signed on to Shaw Brothers, where she was cast as Liang Shan Bo in The Love Eterne. Since then, many have come to equate Ling with huang mei diao (a singing presentation based on the popular folk melody of the Hubei province that was revived in the 1960s). It was quite a surprise then to discover that Ling had never been trained in it. "I picked it up by listening to the album, Tin Sin Pui. Actually it is not hard singing in huang mei diao," says Ling in Cantonese. "But I think it's because the movie (The Love Eterne) was so popular and it had good songs. Moreover unlike other actors/actresses in the movie, including Lok Dai, I sang an acted my parts, so the public began associating me with huang mei diao." Reprising her role as Liang Shan Bo after 40 years was furthest from Ling's mind. Even so, after completing the nine shows in Taiwan, she admits a sense of fulfilment. "There are differences in portraying Liang Shan Bo now and then. The emotions, for example, are different because when I first played him, I was in my early 20s. What we hope to do with this restaging is to convey the spirit of Liang Shan Bo and Zhu Ying Tai (the name of the doomed lovers)," says Ling. Comparing the difficulty between film and stage performance, Ling reveals that performing on stage is much harder: "Takes for films are done in short intevals while on stage it's a continuous two-hour process, where you have to immediately get into character, sing and act. You have to be at your best and you have to get your songs right the first time. But it's all worth it when you see the immediate reaction from your audience." As for being paired with Wu, Ling points out that it will be awkward for audiences initially, especially those who are accustomed to Lok. "Wu would not have been suited for the film but on sage audiences will accept her." Asked how she has maintained her voice over the years, Ling, who now resides in Canada, says she has no special regiment. "Perhaps it's the tonic shuin mui pei pa ko," she reveals, smilingly. On the lack of interest among the present generation towards Chinese musicals of this nature, Ling is optimistic that it will be back in fashion. "Everytying has its season. Now it's horror, martial arts and comedy. No doubt this genre of film requires a large amount of financing because you have to recruit so many people, such as composers, singers...but one day it will be revived." |