叠配文 – 觀後随想
數年前發現了三個非主流，高質素的劇團後，「同流」的作品已看過八齣，「愛麗絲劇場實驗室」也有六齣，《叠配文》是「7A班戲劇組」的第五齣，購票時主要是因為劇團，看劇前的一段時間較忙 (看劇當天更是零晨後才從赤立角機場回到家)，因此沒有做 “事前資料browsing” (說“搜集”則太誇張了)，到了入埸一翻場刊，才大為驚喜，如果不是劇場常客對演員未必認識 (除了歐錦堂)，但in my books 這卞士是“粒粒巨星”，名字在這随想blog內都常有出現。
同樣高興的是認識了“總統劇作家” 哈維爾的作品。《叠》劇共十二場，每三場構成一組，即是共四組，每組重複埸景的次序，這刻意安排，正好使四組合成「起，乘，轉，合」，如要我胡亂的冠以標題，可試叫作：1. 官場百態 2. 奪權 3. 求存 4. 太陽之下無新事。故事影射的雖然是半世紀前東歐極權共產政府，但在今天的政架構府或甚至是private sector職場打滾的朋友，會發現很多似曾相識的場面。不如就從演員和其角色的角度“随想”一下。
眾生之中，要算黄頌明演高層女秘書Hana最維肖維妙，此等人以扮靚為業，收集坊間gossip為樂，深知官埸攻彷之道，重複地顧左右而言他，來勢凶凶的老細也拿她沒法，黄頌明的演繹，氣定神閒，入木三分。羅松堅的Ptydepe講師是全劇中最突出的一個，其實可以看成他自己的獨腳戲，最好看的是第二埸對叠配文這現像的分折，淋漓盡致。參與話劇以幕後編導為主的陳正君演的Kubs帶點神祕色彩，卻找不到作者或劇評文獻中對這角色有否特别詮釋，我把他當作歌劇Tales of Hoffman裡的Muse Nicklausse 之類的surreal角色欣賞，也很有趣。「叠配文翻譯中心」的三寶亦很“搶鏡”：這blog提過不少的梁翠珊和周家輝，加上《最後晚餐》的編劇鄭國偉，三人略帶漫畫式的演繹，把故事的荒謬性盡情發揮。薛海暉的監視員在這方面更“多走一步”(recognize the commercial?)。馮幸詩在《頂頭鎚》看過，演的「圓圓」和彭珮嵐的「雲雲」，伴着馬沛詩的「金花」，載歌載舞，今次演純情Marie很合適。全劇精華的不用說是歐錦堂和朱栢謙的數度短兵相接，精彩之處，實難以形容。朱栢謙已不在「中英」，聖誕檔期的的《寶石王子》中不會出現，《叠配文》見到他，喜出望外。
其他亂雜而無章的聯想，首先說文化中心大堂本劇的海報上已貼上滿座告示，可喜！因為是翻譯劇，英文字幕很有幫助，而且設計一流，眼力不太好的一群看得特別舒服。說到眼力，如除下眼鏡望向舞台，劇中的星形國徵 (?)，竟有七分似HKSAR的洋紫荊區徵！盡情聯想：Josef 把Marie的名字柔情地重複唸着，是否reference 2000年千禧舞台盛事《夢斷維港》(West Side Story)，歐錦堂是主角之一，不過演Tony的是阿Paul黄貫中，演Maria的是杜雯惠。
莫札特之死 – 觀後随想
電影重看不少，舞台劇卻極少，今次竟接連兩次重看，上月破天荒連續兩個周末的《海倫凱勒》，為的是要看齊A，B兩個cast；《莫札特之死》是重看2010年「拉闊劇團」JCAAC黑盒劇場的演出，請參閱「網誌32」，當年「拉闊」資源有限，小劇場形式製作，亮點是在於精彩的劇本和悅目的演技，還記得當日中場休息時 “竊聽” 到觀眾席上一位劇壇老前輩和朋友交談中讚賞該演出的說話。今次移師大會堂，資源明顯較大，尤其是梁健堂的服裝設計，看得人神馳目眩。更喜見「中國香港青年交響樂團」參與演出，現場音樂在香港劇壇其實不少，而且也都用得很好，或一座鋼琴，或兩三件樂器，林林種種，這blog裡也提過不少，但今次這規模的古典樂團則較少見，記憶中只有2000年一齣「中英」製作的莎劇《仲夏夜之夢》，樂團現場奏出 Mendelssohn 為該劇寫的作品為配樂。
說回莫扎特，今次配樂混合了現埸和錄音，效果不錯，一開埸先聲奪人，黃凱泰混厚的男低音和震撼的樂團 “prologue式” 地送上Don Giovanni 中最陰暗的一節 (該劇其實是喜鬧劇)。劇情中提到Mozart的不同作品有合適的不同處理，The Marriage of Figaro 現場奏出前奏曲，那怕只有幾句，已足“莫迷”樂壞了，Cherubino的進行曲承接劇情，用了錄音，想是歌劇的CD，以後的兩段也是。The Magic Flute 跟上次一樣，功用是作為Salieri 最後毒招的武器，斷了Mozart 的最後續命丹Freemason (共濟會)，台詞是主，音樂是副，所以用了Papageno輕巧的 “Drinking song” (the name I coined)，以免分散觀眾對台詞的注意力。最後點題的 Requiem 的錄音和電影Amadeus 裡的頗相似，說到電影，不能不再提「網誌32」開始時說的一段 (請參閱)，及作以下補充 (note 1).
「網誌32」裡其他的不再一一重複，讚賞的地方，重演更好，想特別一提的是朱仲暐，當時寫的是: Constanze Mozart is not quite a key character although she has an important role to play. With each scene she appeared in, 朱仲暐 deftly revealed successive layers of the character Constanze, adding texture and depth as she went along. With her clear, bell-like timbre, she demonstrated once again the height of the beauty to which diction in Cantonese can soar, even with the most rapid-fire, emotion-laden lines. 這些今次仍全部合用，而最後Mozart死在懷中一埸，更是觸動。兩主角中Salieri換上了林澤群，是我重看的原因之一。有趣的地方，是在演繹上和陳仕文成了很强烈的對照。陳仕文的Mozart仍是 “很Tom Hulce” (這是盛讚)，林澤群是當下劇壇最iconic的演員之一，Salieri雖是歷史人物，但在Peter Shaffer筆下已成了藝術創作，看林澤群獨特風格的演繹，賞心悅目！
認識了半個世紀，從半個地球外飛來一同觀劇的朋友，讚賞演出之餘，也提出一個有趣的觀點，對劇不對人：Peter Shaffer這劇本强調Salieri的平庸，和Mozart揚溢的材華形成強烈的對比，其實他绝不是庸材，只是生不逢時，遇上Mozart，又未夠班作俞亮之爭而已。朋友還舉出Christopher Marlow 和Shakespeare 為比喻。我雖然對Salieri的音樂未有接觸，但亦覺得他這說法有道理，不過那是歷史角度，如果是從戲劇角度，藝術加工以突顯戲劇衝突是難免，Salieri就當作是“為藝術犧牲”吧！
Note 1: Mozart’s final hours – according to Amadeus (1948)
The scene starts with Mozart on his death bed, too weak to even hold a pen, and Salieri at the end of the bed with pen and blank music score sheet. He is in the process of transcribing Mozart’s Requiem pouring forth from the great composer’s soaring creative energy in the last few hours of his life. They are at the section “consigned to flames of woe”. The previous section has ended in F major, and he wants now to start with A minor – that’s what we hear first from Mozart.
“Let’s start with the voices”, Mozart begins to dictate the notes for the basses to Salieri, humming them as he goes along. “Time?” Salieri asks. “Common time”, Mozart is obvious impatient as he moves on to the tenors. “Have you got it?” is something that he keeps asking Salieri throughout the entire process, checking and returning the scores Salieri tosses at him.
As they move into the orchestra portion of the music, Salieri is clearly dragging on behind, if not entirely lost. Wind and brass sections come in, first the bassoons and trombones, with identical notes, as described by Mozart and also heard in the background. “But I don’t understand” agonizes Salieri. “Instruments doubling up the voices” snaps Mozart who really has no time to waste. Timpani and trumpets, he moves on. Poor Salieri is hopelessly and completely lost. Mustering his last bits of patience, Mozart explains “That goes with the harmony”. He even illustrates with mimicking the sound of the timpani “Tum, tum, tum, tum”. Salieri is finally with him again, joining in the vocal harmony and transcribing feverishly.
“Is that all?” Salieri asks, mediocrity in the face of brilliance. Far from it, obviously. Mozart now brings in the strings, pulsating and ascending as Salieri miraculously is able to keep up with him. Then, to complete the voices are the sopranos and altos while the strings become supporting violins. “Do you have it?” Mozart keeps asking. “Not so fast” Salieri keeps pleading, and finally, in desperation, “One moment please”.
Finally he tosses the completed score to Mozart who looks at it and raises an arm, as if starting to conduct. A quick cut to a stunning frame - a carriage in the depth of night thundering across the wilderness, carrying Constanze racing to see her dying husband. Simultaneous, all the building up we just heard and saw (bass, tenor, wind, brass, timpani, string, soprano, alto) come to life in a glorious outburst of awe-inspiring harmony.
The scene starts with Mozart on his death bed, too weak to even hold a pen, and Salieri at the end of the bed with pen and blank music score sheet. He is in the process of transcribing Mozart’s Requiem pouring forth from the great composer’s soaring creative energy in the last few hours of his life. They are at the section “consigned to flames of woe”. The previous section has ended in F major, and he wants now to start with A minor – that’s what we hear first from Mozart.
“Let’s start with the voices”, Mozart begins to dictate the notes for the basses to Salieri, humming them as he goes along. “Time?” Salieri asks. “Common time”, Mozart is obvious impatient as he moves on to the tenors. “Have you got it?” is something that he keeps asking Salieri throughout the entire process, checking and returning the scores Salieri tosses at him.
As they move into the orchestra portion of the music, Salieri is clearly dragging on behind, if not entirely lost. Wind and brass sections come in, first the bassoons and trombones, with identical notes, as described by Mozart and also heard in the background. “But I don’t understand” agonizes Salieri. “Instruments doubling up the voices” snaps Mozart who really has no time to waste. Timpani and trumpets, he moves on. Poor Salieri is hopelessly and completely lost. Mustering his last bits of patience, Mozart explains “That goes with the harmony”. He even illustrates with mimicking the sound of the timpani “Tum, tum, tum, tum”. Salieri is finally with him again, joining in the vocal harmony and transcribing feverishly.
“Is that all?” Salieri asks, mediocrity in the face of brilliance. Far from it, obviously. Mozart now brings in the strings, pulsating and ascending as Salieri miraculously is able to keep up with him. Then, to complete the voices are the sopranos and altos while the strings become supporting violins. “Do you have it?” Mozart keeps asking. “Not so fast” Salieri keeps pleading, and finally, in desperation, “One moment please”.
Finally he tosses the completed score to Mozart who looks at it and raises an arm, as if starting to conduct. A quick cut to a stunning frame - a carriage in the depth of night thundering across the wilderness, carrying Constanze racing to see her dying husband. Simultaneous, all the building up we just heard and saw (bass, tenor, wind, brass, timpani, string, soprano, alto) come to life in a glorious outburst of awe-inspiring harmony.
海倫凱勒 – 睇埋A组
首先：不比較，作幾個比喻，若是初演和重演也看過，我也不會比較高少敏和黄哲希《山羊》，又或黄慧慈和梁小冰《法吻》，又或黄慧慈和黄詠詩《香港式離婚》等等，很多時候 (自然不是說每一次都是)，角色有颇大的可塑性，兩個不同演員的演繹，同一柸雪糕，可以是芝痲味，也可以是綠茶味，說不上誰較誰好。
一齣作品，無論是電影或是舞台劇，真正的試金石，是重看是否覺得更好，電影重看真不少，甚至一星期內重看也不是沒有，舞台劇是第一次，如上說，不比較A，B組，單從整體來說，第二次更好看了，原理很簡單，有睱留心到更多細節，例如Frankie-Chester 長勝之Team的原創配樂，過場時大派用場，主用絃樂，不同的需要下或緊或緩，急切之處更出動敲擊樂，對劇情和觀眾情緒的推動大有幫助。另外細節例如 “water” 一個字终成為打通Helen和世界溝通的仔細鋪排 (remember, I never saw the movie “The miracle worker”)，不勝枚舉。又再有一點今次特別留意到的，是描寫繼母子之情，第一次不是沒看到，但太多其他吸引的地方，今次是特別等着 “can we be friends” 和 “we are already friends” 這兩句台詞，然後随想到《大龍鳳》(網誌58) 的馬文意和萬佳成，以及電影 Before Midnight 的 Celine 和 Hank，前者情況極相似，先敵後友，後者頗不同，全程窩心，那怕單是一方面的電話對話。說遠了。
接回首次看後的「随想」，Melody 的激動演出其實也看過，近如上述的《大龍鳳》，對高少敏有绝對信心和極高期望，慶幸终於到了等了半年的initial main cast. 「随想」只用一句 “台上全部演員的精彩演繹” 草草帶過，罪雖不至死，也足判監十年！補救補救！《作死》(網誌58) 之後，又再喜見藍真珍和蔡澤文，不要以為Viney和Percy這兩個角色輕，兩人恰到好處的comic relief，在劇情較沉重的地方，是很好的平衡。邢灏演繹James從再始 “難為正邪定分界” 而遂漸輪廓清晰，可圈可點。資深的余世騰和覃恩美，更使這演出生色不少。最後，AB组演閒角時亦一絲不拘，最感動的是楊螢映的盲人學校學生和Annie Sullivan依依不捨的一埸。
海倫凱勒 - 觀後随想
首先，喬遷之喜，新blog能夠以這齣作品house-warming，是blog主的榮幸！AB组魚與熊掌之嘆，也不是第一次，《八百比丘尼》網誌裡也提過《威尼斯商人》王曉怡和韋羅莎的情况，和今次一樣，一早購票時還未有AB組安排，卻反而免去選擇之苦。今次安排但又稍有不同，就好像話劇團零五年《生殺之權》一樣，辛偉強和王维AB组對調主角和配角來演。《海倫凱勒》裡，Helen Heller 是 “牌氣暴躁”，Anne Sullivan是“性格獨立，勇敢直言”，今次四個主角中，鄭至芝和阮韻珊舞台型象比較屬於“乖乖女”型，但看到鄭至芝演Sullivan的tough，無懈可擊，相信沒看到的阮韻珊演反叛的Keller一樣勝任。而看到的楊螢映，能不為她高興？Helen Keller是一個演員夢睐難求的挑戰，她演來絕對叫人相信就是一個失明失聰的女孩，bravo！同樣光芒四射的是鄭至芝的Sullivan，只看兩人的一場“迫教進食禮儀”，借老土的一句：已值回票價。
很慚愧The Miracle Worker跟很多其他名作一樣，沒有看過，1959年Broadway show沒看過理所當然，但1962年original cast Anne Bancroft 和Patty Duke 銀幕再演繹同獲奧斯卞的電影版仍沒有看，太失敗了。 好在今時今日，上Youtube找到片段，略瀏覽幾則劇評和影評，之後覺得其實也不必要，「中英」這演出，已盡得Helen Keller 和Annie Sullivan 在人類歷史上最光輝一頁的神髓：語言/文字的溝通，那怕是看不到，聽不到，仍不能放棄。呈現這精神，除了台上全部演員的精彩演繹之外，很細心編排的場刊亦可記一功。
全劇兩句鐘一氣呵成，連刻意分場也沒有，足見製作團隊對這故事的信心。劇中不少場口是鴉雀無聲，所謂針跌落地也聽到，足見觀眾的共鳴。另值得一讚的，是葵青這超大的舞台上，要佈景簡單而同時又沒有細小簡陋的感覺，颇不容易，今次佈景設計，實屬隹作。
後記：已購票週末睇埋A组，上次在葵青見高少敏是《八百比丘尼》等入場時，唔算數。
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