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NEVER TOO OLD Article Year: Wednesday - Sept 24, 2003 Written by: Li Ee Kee |
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Wu Jin who excelled in portraying the schemer and seductress in movies in the 1970s now gets to play one of Chinese classics' most renowned characters, Zhu Ying Tai in Butterfly Lovers Musical. The name Wu Jin may be unfamiliar to many but upon seeing her face with the characteristic mole on her chin, one would have little difficulty recalling the actress' infamous scheming roles in Taiwanese TV serials back in the 1970s and 1980s. It has been a long while since viewers have seen her perform. the actress is back on stage but not in a role most would imagine her to be. the 56-year-old will be playing one of Chinese classics' most renowned characters, Zhu Ying Tai. "Since I started acting, this is my first 'good' roles," said Wu who was in Kuala Lumpur for a press conference on the staging of Buttefuly Lovers Musical recently. "There are many suitable candidates but they chose me. I never imagined that at my age I would be playing Zhu Ying Tai." The legend of Liang Shan Bo and Zhu Ying Tai or Buttefly Lovers dates back over 300 years. In 1963, it was immortalised in The Love Eterne starring icons Ivy Ling Po and the late Betty Lok Dai as Liang and Zhu respectively. For her role, Lok won the best actress award at the Golden Horse Film Festival 1963. Last year, the tragic love story made a come back on stage with Ling and Wu in the lead roles. Nine sold out shows were staged throughout Taiwan. From the start, the charming and unpretentious Wu acknowledges the inevitable comparison with Lok. "Audiences who have seen the original show will automatically identify Zhu as Lok. Some might even imagine her face on mine. If it was 40 years ago, the comparison would have been reasonable. But matching me against Lok back then would be unfair. Lok had Jing Ting (a famous singer in the 1960s) singing her parts for her. I'll be performing the songs myself," says Wu in Mandarin. Wu impressed members of the media when she gave an impromptu performance, singing a verson of Jiao Dao. Asked if there is pressure on her, Wu said: "Yes. But Ling gave me a lot of encouragement." On her collaboration with Ling, Wu remarked that it is a priviledge. "She's a superstar while I'm a small time actress," said Wu humbly. "Actually I think we make an awkward combination, especially considering that we come from very different acting backgrounds. But there is no denying Ling's inimitable voice and her skill in huang mei diao (a singing presentation based on the popular folk melody of Hubei province that was revived in the 1960s). She will forever be Liang Shan Bo." Theirs was an old friendship that became stronger after both discovered they had breast cancer. Wu was diagnosed in 1999 and Ling two years ago. It was Ling who invited Wu to join her in Liang Shan Bo and Zhu Ying Tai. "When we started doing the shows in Taiwan, both of us were worried that we wouldn't be able to perform well due to our health. Thankfully, everything went well." since then, however, two of their colleagues have passed on - the actor who played Ma Man Wai (Zhu's groom) and the actress who portrayed Zhu's mother (Yen's comment: I think there is a mistake on this article here. I believed it's the actress who played Liang's mother who passed away) - bringing closer the reality of death. "I told Ling to take good care of herself because she is the only person who can play the part," Wu smiled, adding, Ling has been taking up various sports such as tennis to strengthen her stamina although Wu hasn't been able to do the same as she hasn't been feeling well. Wu said she constantly reminds herself that she has to do her best despite her illness as an encouragement to Ling, so that she may get through this difficult period. To fans, wu indicated that there are differences between the movie and stage version. The scene, Shi Ba Xiang Song (in which Zhu bids farewell to Liang) and the finale for example, will not be as dramatic as the movie version due to stage constraints. "But the spirit of Liang Shan Bo and Zhu Ying Tai is very much evident. Hopefully, we can continue performing it next year." |