Online Review : Awakening (賈寶玉) 2012

As HOCC (Denise Ho) celebrate her 10th Anniversary, she had crossover with a drama company called “非常林奕華” (ELDT) that also have a 20th Anniversary and created a drama show called “Awakening” in October,2011. This is a drama that based on a famous Chinese novel called “Dream of the Red Chamber” or the other is “The Story of the Stone” that written by Cao Xueqin (曹雪芹).

After the drama finished the showings, HOCC released a CD album with the same name of the drama. Thus, I have missed a chance to watch the showing of Awakening, so I heard this soundtrack CD and tried to imagine the story in Awakening, what is the messages in this drama. When I heard the soundtrack CD, I tried to imagine that how the story of Awakening goes, and feel the messages that HOCC wanted to project to the audiences. However, the CD album have not a great impact to me and it could not give me a clear mind setting to really understand the story or the messages that I felt very disappointed to this CD album of HOCC. It just gave me a basic concept of the story flows but it couldn’t project the story to my mind this made me feel very puzzled.

Until February 2012, HOCC decided to have a re-run showing of Awakening that is also the first station of Awakening Asia Tour showing. 

The story is about the love story between Jia Baoyu (賈寶玉), Lin Daiyu (林黛玉) and Xue Baochai (薛寶釵) , and the drama has chosen the ending part of Dream of the Red Chamber. The drama has total 4 parts with 20 scenes, at the beginning is about after Jia Baoyu died and backed to heaven, he found that he has forgotten the things in the world and he wanted to go back to the world and re-play his life again but one thing should be memorized that he wouldn’t change anything that have happened. For knowing the result but nothing can do, this feeling is really bad. From the story Jia Baoyu, it tried to explain life and study losing something and accept this fate and growing.

In this drama, it contains some stereotypes, in China there must be a blind wedding (盲婚啞嫁) in the past, and because Jia Baoyu loves Lin Daiyu very much so Jia’s parents lied to Baoyu and said he is going to marry with Lin Daiyu. However, the real wedding is Jia Baoyu and Xue Baochai. This stereotypes that parents always not allowed their child to decide everything and their life should control by the parents. Also, there is a scene about Jia Baoyu had to punish by his family, but his mother will tried to not let Baoyu’s dad hurt their son. This we can that it has stereotypes that mum is always more protect their child. Moreover, it also about the cultual economy, based on the first showing, the ticket were sold out within some minutes and one of  Edward Lam's drama had not been shown, Edward Lam and HOCC has promoted Awakening continuity, so  HOCC planed to have a Asia tour to have more income. Also, after HOCC finished her Asia Tour in Hong Kong, HOCC also promoted a DVD with a booklet let is the photos and feelings of Awakening and some MVs of it.

One of most touching scene is that Jia Baoyu is going to marry with Xue Baochai, one side Xue Baochai is coming out and ready to go to marry and the other side is Lin Daiyu coming out also and have a solo speech. In that moment my tears drop off from my eyes that the feeling of facing the fate and you couldn’t change any of it is very pain and sad, but also makes me understand dream and fate are always opposite, you can tried to keep on your dream but it must affect your real life.

From Drama back to the CD album, I can feel more about the story about Jia Baoyu, and all songs are linked according to the drama scenes, aftering finishing the drama and heard back the CD, my mind appears the scene of the drama and I can feeling more what HOCC wants to talk about, the main point is people have to learn how to give up what you have, accept the fate you are facing and grow up in these pressure in this society.

Reference: 

HOCC, Explain Drama “Awakening”: How to find out our angle (解構“賈寶玉”舞台劇：如何找到一個屬於我們的角度。). HOCC-GOOBLOG. 22 Aug 2011. Retrieved on 16 Apr. 2012. < http://www.goomusic.com.hk/blog/>

 

Ch!kin, “Awakening” Stone has not been broken, poem(HOCC) not yet waken (【Awakening】頑石未破．詩未醒覺).Ch!sin. 15 Oct 2011. Retrieved on 16 Apr. 2012. < http://chisinchikin.wordpress.com/2011/10/15/awakening/>

Edward Lam, “Awakening 2012 Asia Tour, First Station –HK” (賈寶玉 2012亞洲巡演 第一站【香港】).eldt.org. 12 Dec. 2011. Retrieved on 16 Apr. 2012. <http://www.eldt.org.hk/?p=346>

                                                                                                         Ng Po Yu (10486365/20855602)