Tsai Ming-liang Returns to the Theater, Casting Award-Winning Actors in "Only You"

By Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

The inaugural "One-Man Show Series" at the National Theater and Concert Hall in 2011 invited internationally acclaimed director Tsai Ming-liang to present the world premiere of "Only You," his first return to the theater stage after 27 years. This year, Tsai is expected to generate buzz once again, bringing together a top-tier cast including Golden Horse and Asia-Pacific Film Festival Best Actress Yang Kuei-mei, Golden Bell and Asia-Pacific Film Festival Best Actress Lu Yi-ching, and Nantes (France), Indian, and Philippine Film Festival Best Actor Lee Kang-sheng. The trio will take the stage at the Experimental Theater of the National Theater from October 28, presenting Tsai Ming-liang’s most intimate one-man show, "Only You," in an up-close-and-personal experience for the audience.

"Only You" is the title of a representative work from the 1950s and 60s by Tsai Ming-liang’s idol, Li Xianglan. In the new millennium, it was even voted the number one classic Chinese song of its era by Southeast Asian Chinese communities. Serving as the play’s title, it hints that audiences can still hear Tsai’s beloved old songs throughout the performance. The play unfolds through a radio playing a request program, delving into the lonely lives of three ordinary individuals. Much of the detail draws from the actors’ own lives—when they return home and shut the door, aren’t they just ordinary people? Aren’t they essentially playing themselves? It’s hard to imagine Kang Sheng frequently running to the seaside, bucket after bucket carrying seawater home to change the water for his fish; or Lu Yi-ching drinking coffee to the point where she no longer wants to eat or sleep; or Yang Kuei-mei possessing an extremely sensitive constitution, often aware of things we can’t see...

Although primarily known for his films, Tsai Ming-liang originally trained in theater. After graduation, he worked in experimental theater and also took on film-related jobs for a living, including as a script supervisor, assistant director, and scriptwriter, before gradually shifting his focus to filmmaking. Reflecting on his return to the stage after 27 years, Tsai said, “It feels like going home for a walk; there’s no particular need to put in a lot of effort.” He explained that the National Theater and Concert Hall initially extended an invitation for a one-man show, but he wanted to collaborate with several of his regular cast members, eventually deciding to produce three one-man shows. He soon realized it was anything but easy. From now on, customers who purchase one ticket each for the three shows "Yang Kuei-mei’s Spider Spirit, My Ghost," "Lu Yi-ching’s Drop by Drop, My Dead Sea," and "Lee Kang-sheng’s Fish, My Desert" will enjoy a 20% discount.