Customer Reviews

Chinese Theatre and the Actor in Performance (Cambridge Studies in Modern Theatre)

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Often, Western books on Chinese theatre tell us what traditional theatre looks and sounds like, attempting to offer a source of reference to the uninitiated. Alternatively, they offer us a purely historical account of the development of traditional Chinese theatre. This descriptive trend in Western academia has continued throughout the twentieth century. Finally, Riley has written a book which breaks the mould, theorising not only on the development of traditional theatre, but also on the ritual symbols and meanings which have not only affected its development, but have continued to pervade it to this day. Riley uses a combination of her unique experiences of living, training and acting in China, alongside meticulous academic research to explore the relationship between traditional theatre and its wider cultural contexts. Consequently, this book is the first large study in a Western language to explore traditional theatre beyond its surface representation. Whilst some of the claims Riley makes about her relationship with China and its theatre are untrue (for instance, her claim to be able to view Chinese theatre from a wholly insider's view is impossible to prove given her Western background), her thesis that Chinese theatre is a multi-faceted art form, steeped in ritual exorcism and spirit worship is beyond doubt. If you are looking for a very basic and descriptive guide to traditional Chinese theatre, you might want to look elsewhere. However, if you are looking for a well-researched and imaginative study of Chinese theatre, which gets past the usual description and theorises on the concepts at the very core of traditional theatre, then this is a book for you.

Chinese theatre (i.e., Chinese Opera or xiqu) is one of the most colourful, exciting and enduring of the world's theatre forms. There is much to be said about it's vibrant performance style and fascinatng history. Unfortunately, Riley's book adds little to the rather generic treatment of xiqu actors, performance form, or history currently available in English. While the author's touristy, shallow account of the world of Chinese theatre fails scholastically, the illustrations are nice to thumb through.