M Butterfly and Its Representation of Asia - Essay Example

M. Butterfly and Its Representation of Asia via Its Story, Scenic Design, Costume Design, Movement, Sound, and Lights Introduction M Butterfly, which is David Hwang’s play, is probably among one of the most highly acclaimed and popular Asian American plays produced in the 20th century. The importance of Hwang’s play and the increasing significance of Asian American theater depict the increasing attention accorded to the cultural, intellectual and political issues: gender, race, sexualities, ethnicity, and most importantly how they intersect. The vital strategies of comprehending M Butterfly rely both on the political contexts between China, North America and Europe and the orientalism culture of politics. M butterfly’s criticisms range from arguments or debates over illustration of sexualities and ethnicity, orientalism politics, theatre and performance theories, and lastly the masquerade concept. As such, this essay will explore and analyze the production of M. Butterfly and how it represents Asia through the story, scenic design, costume design, movement, sound, and lights. Body Three synchronized actors perform a splendid kabuki style dance during the opening scene of the play m butterfly. Their enticing precise movements are elaborately done. Also, their Asian themed masks, makeup and robes are all evident. Just as Asians are stereotyped to be feminine, the actors have a delicate characteristic in their movements. The western nations have a long standing stereotype that depicts Asians as exhibiting a feminine personality unlike their western counterparts who are seen as being more masculine. Additionally, the play depicts the notion of the submissive Asian woman. M Butterfly presents a fictionalized story of a French diplomat who was in a relationship with an Asian, specifically Chinese singer for more than twenty years without actually knowing that his beautiful obedient and submissive lover was actually a male. Gallimard views himself as being clumsy when it comes to love. However, he considers himself to be blessed since he has a devoted beautiful and exotic woman (Liling Song). Hwang employs the term oriental in the play to refer to how the Asians are deemed to be exotic by the west. Unknown to him, Liling is a Chinese spy whose intent was to manipulate Gallimard by extracting information from him concerning the Vietnam War. Hwang in an interview quipped that he was basically interested in the different ways he would create and showcase total theatre. He insisted that he preferred theatre which uses different mediums at his disposal to create keep the audience glued to the play (Hwang et al, 1989). To do this, he incorporated dance, opera, comedy and music in the play. Additionally, he went further and incorporated theatrical things such as costumes and make up changes. In light of this, little or no attention has been paid to m butterfly’s theatricality. Relying on postmodern aesthetics theory (parody, intertextual references), the play employs a lot of stage pictures, dramatic shapes, theatrical proxemics, language, character construction, and kinesics which contribute greatly to its thematic content. On a broader view, these attributes also depicts a Chinese/ Japanese culture. However, from a western point of view, the play illustrates a lot of aspects from the Asian culture. Most Americans have traditionally considered all Asians to look alike, whether they are Chinese or Japanese. The play illustrates this by the main action being theatrically moved to China form japan. More specifically, the appropriation of both Chinese Beijing opera and Japanese kabuki elements in the play represent the Asian monolithic culture. Song Liling appears on stage dresses in traditional Chinese garb while dancing. The play employs Chinese music during this scene which slowly transforms into Puccini’s opera love duet. Liling in her second stage appearance still dances to the Chinese music. Unlike in her previous appearance, she is now draped as the Japanese gisha (Butterfly). By the sole fact that Liling appears on stage as Gallimard is keenly watching stretches her image objectification by the western view (and also to that of the audience which is primarily attracted by her strong and captivating entrance from the stage). The design of the theatre and play reflects a semicircular ramp which is intricately curved around inner sets. This allows for a smooth transition between or over the stage spaces. Liling enters the stage via this ramp. This acts as a depiction of kabuki’s hanamichi. Kabuki hamanichi was a passage or way that ran from the stage’s left side via the audience and ending at the end of the theatre. Nevertheless, the play employs kabuki by using kurogo. This is a term which refers to stage assistants wearing black. Also, the characters undergo on stage changes unlike in the western theatre world where these changes are supposed to occur backstage. For instance, there is a transition and change from scene eleven act two to scene one act three. In this transformation, song addresses the audience directly by informing them of his upcoming change on stage. He removes his wig, kimono and makeup and subsequently appears as a man wearing an Armani suit. Gallimard transitions for the last time during the play’s last/final scene on stage. They exchange their roles in acts of self-sacrifice (butterfly/pinkerton roles). They have been performing these roles for the time their relationship lasted (20 years). In the play, Gallimard puts makeup that is normally used by Beijing opera female members. The makeup transforms him to have a white face with the eyes surrounded by rogue, and covering both cheeks and the sides of the nose. The kimono (which is a traditional Japanese costume) together with the makeup depict Asian cultural elements. Both the make-up and the kimono represent the Chinese and Japanese culture respectively. However, by juxtaposing both elements, the play’s author exposes the west’s lack of differentiation between the different Asian countries or cultures. This generalization and confusion is further reflected by Gallimard when he says that he has an orient vision in which slender and thin women dressed in kimonos and chong sams die or their unworthy foreign lovers. Cross dressing is also another element of kabuki theatre that has been adopted by the play. Cross dressing is basically defined as an action in which a male performer emulates a female’s actions and behaviors on stage and in real life. To make the cross dressing effect be felt by the audience, the play authors have to tell the audience that the play’s character is a male performer trying to emulate a woman. As such, the audience will separate the actor from the character. This helps to construct the character throught the play. Since the beginning of the late eighteenth century, male performers in china have been dressing as women therefore taking up the roles of female characters especially in Beijing opera. This practice is referred to as the dan in Chinese. The cross dressing practice was made popular by a growing custom in the 18th century where boys were bought from the poor parts of the various Chinese provinces and forced to take female roles in Beijing opera. A contract was normally signed which required the boy or boys to return to their parents after a given period of time. However, the boys were trained in the art of opera before the required period expired. During their time in the capital, some of them would take the role of courtesans since female prostitution was restricted or banned. Consequently, the boys now as actors (dan) would assume female roles on stage, and also they would assume these roles in other parts of social life. The boys or female roles were considered to represent the ideal and perfect woman. As song once said, it is only a man who can know how a real woman is supposed to behave and act. Furthermore, the idea of cross dressing is cemented by kabuki theatre where the act of men undertaking women roles can be traced to 1629 when women were banned from appearing on theatre stage. To reiterate the point stated earlier, the Japanese took the adoption of female roles by males to extreme ends. The onnagata actors not only tried to illustrate femininity, but also tried to become women. The Japanese actors went to extremes up to points where they lived and behaved as women outside the theatres. They wore women’ clothes and additionally engaged themselves in womanly duties such as sewing. M Buttefly uses the concept of onnagata and kabuki’s feminism from a traditional view point. This is better illustrated when song continues to act like a woman even in the absence of Gallimard in scene four act two (47-48). As such, the adoption of female roles by men is a traditional aspect of Beijing opera. Therefore, this aspect of the play can be interpreted to represent Asia. Space in the play is used to depict the psychic reality of Gallimard. During the opening scene of the paly, Gallimard is shown as being in an enchanted space which is in his cell. Gallimard comes up with the vision and imagination of how a perfect woman looks like while in this enchanted space. Gallimard enters a dreamlike stance where he creates a fantasy which the audience deconstructs to mean or show the unfulfilled wishes he has. His primary desire is to be in control. The theatre uses an A effect technique where the actor tends to play his part out of character. This technique is often associated with Asian art and theatre. The play’s actors get out of their characters and take time to tell the audience what is occurring on stage. The primary for this is to enhance and make it easier for the audience to understand the play more. Therefore, Gallimard wishes to be in charge by looking for a new twist to the story where song returns back to his arms thereby redeeming his glory. In order to make this possible, the play incorporates theatre within or in theatre. Gallimard thus assumes the pinkerton role as he commences to narrate the story. He acts as a master of ceremonies by introducing all the characters to his audience. Furthermore, Gallimard assumes the stage director role as he draws the audience’s attention and interest to one of song’s many first appearances where he describes her movement in detail (intra dialogic on stage direction). The actors in the play adorn kimono attires. The term can be translated to mean ‘a thing to put on or wear’. The kimonos worn by the characters in the play represent Asia since these garments originated from the region. The kimonos are often t shaped clothes with a hem just below the ankle. They are mostly or basically wrapped around the wearer’s body with the right side being under the left side. These garments are generally matched with zori which is traditional footwear in japan. In ancient times, kimono was worn by all genders. However, in present times, kimonos are mostly adorned by females when going for special occasions. Therefore, the play uses Asian dressing. Kabuki is defined as a traditional dance drama practiced in japan. It is also characterized by its actors wearing makeup. A kabuki stage has a projection termed as hanamichi. This projection goes into and through the audience. It is through this projection that the actors exit or enter the stage. Also, some scenes were traditionally performed on this projection. Kabuki can be traced back to the seventeen century in japan when Izumo began commenced doing a new and different style of drama. In the beginning, it was performed by both genders. However, the restriction of female performers later meant that the men adopted the female roles. Conclusion This essay explored and analyzed the production of M. Butterfly and how it represents Asia through the story, scenic design, costume design, movement, sound, and lights. The play incorporates various Asian elements. For instance, the stage design has a hamanichi, the actors wear Japanese traditional clothes and the story line depicts the notion of an Asian woman who is slender, beautiful and submissive. Additionally, M Butterfly employs the element of cross dressing which is a Chinese characteristic commonly used by Beijing opera actors. All these elements in the play represent Asia. Work cited Hwang, David Henry, and John Louis DiGaetani. ‘M. Butterfly’; An Interview with David Henry Hwang’. TDR (1989): 141-153. Print. Read More