The RAS Comes to BILF – Anne Witchard on Lao She & the Premier of Ding, a one-man monologue based on the short story of the same name by Lao She – March 9th Beijing Bookworm

This weekend the Royal Asiatic Society Shanghai and the Beijing International Literary Festival get together….

As regular readers will know last year I published Anne Witchard’s study of Lao She in London, and the modernist influences he received there, as the first book in the new Royal Asiatic Society Shanghai and Hong Kong University Press “China Monographs” series (two a year, and two more to come this year in the summer). This got me thinking that not enough people now read (especially in translation) Lao She’s excellent short stories. Without doubt Ding (1935) is Lao She’s most overtly high modernist short story directly referencing European modernism in its homage to Joyce’s Ulysses (1922). It seemed to me suitable for being converted into a short one-man monologue for an actor to take it to new audiences and also compliment Anne’s book.

And so we have the world premier of Ding, the monologue (please note that’s “monologue”, not “musical” – though Les Mis is doing OK I note!). My first theatrical outing darlings and I’m thrilled (I think you’re supposed to talk like that when you do anything linked to the theatre). As Anne is speaking on Lao She, London and Modernism at the Beijing International Literary Festival at the Beijing Bookworm that seemed a good time to launch the production – so March 9th it is. The good folk at the Bookworm (Alex Pearson and Kadi Hughes) have been wonderfully supportive, and the very talented Fabrizio Massini is directing the piece.

Tickets are now on sale for the debut performance of my adaptation of Ding, at the Bookworm on Saturday March 9th at 22:00 hours (how fringe is that!) For anyone in Beijing during the Festival I do hope you can get along – it’s a great story and hopefully my adaptation will do it at least some justice.The performance will follow on after a discussion about Lao She’s work and time in London with Anne Witchard and Alan Babbington-Smith, also at the Bookworm. Tickets for both events available only at The Bookworm. Box Office hours: 10am-9pm.

“Something’s not quite right about this version of Greece here in our New China… I’m a narrow chested Apollo!!” – Ding