WHAT IS MAN? 《水滸傳 》非常林奕華

I went to see this play to support joe chang(張孝全), who i know for six years since the taiwan tv series 《又見》. Without knowing much about the scrīpt, i didnt expect much initially, but it turned out to be so successful, i was more than happy that i went. The story is exactly what it says on the title- 'what is man?' unveiled by nine distinct male characters, with code names based on one of the four greatest tradition chinese novels- shui hu zhuan  《水滸傳 》. In the old days, these men were either perceived as rebellious heros, or feared as notorious bandits; yet in modern days, how are they perceived? Their reaction to the rapidly declining social status, or rather, the uprising of female, were somewhat confused, otherwise confined to themselves, failing to express. The idea of manhood is unfortunately just as unclear, this left the characters in embarrassed or even bizarre situations. The stage effect and acting  performance was much more professional than anticipated, even though the plot is  singly repetitive, they managed to deliver nine different comprehensive versions, some violent or humorous, others profound or frightening. In the end, the nine characters all fused into one, leaving viewers to decide their own perception of being a man. In my opinion, the qualities we generally believe in our own sex and the opposite might not necessarily be true, though not far from either. 'Men/ Women are all the same', one of the most controversial topics of human society, was courageously conveyed throughout the play. Overall, this is a three-hour long entertainment that both gender should see.