I found the most intriguing part of the performance to be Song’s character, which wove together traits often categorized as opposites. He achieved a balance between female gentility and masculine dominance in both his appearance and role in his relationship with Gallimard. He was rather broad-shouldered, with a strong jaw, but his voice was sweet and his movements graceful. He spoke calmly even as he dissed Gallimard, the tone was gentle but the words were biting. In their dynamic, he affected a submissive personality, when in reality he had the control. The delicate clothing he wore disguised his more brash personality, which was revealed in all its “male” crudeness at the court hearing towards the end of the play. All of these contradictions were found in one character, and their amalgamation was not sloppy or badly portrayed. Rather, Song’s embodiment of both genders evoked some of the most interesting questions in the play, such as sparking the debate of what Gallimard’s sexuality could have been. It is the interaction between genders that is central to the plot of the play, in that the masculine west has historically treated the female east as a conquest begging for domination. I also found it contradictory when at the end of the play, it is revealed that Song really did fall in love with Gallimard, a man whom he referred to as being an imperialist, the very thing he hated.
An aspect of the play that surprised me the most, other than the sudden nudity, was the sudden communism. It was a loud, colorful spectacle of communist revolutionaries en pointe and the many faces of Mao Zedong staring back at you. Part of me found it funny, in all its extravagant ridiculousness, but I also understood the gravity of this scene. The performances of the Chinese opera were replaced with these new versions of entertainment; in fact the traditional dancing from the beginning of the play was mirrored in the dancing of the Chinese revolutionaries.
I really like your analysis of Song’s character. The actor did an incredible and convincing job of portraying a female, despite his male characteristics. He was feminine in manner but had a strong, more masculine personality. Both feminine and masculine characteristics were equally emulsified in Song. Interesting how you brought up Gallimard’s personality; perhaps he knew Song was male all along and was in denial about his sexuality. Yes, the representation of communism in the play was absolutely loud and bold but also very powerful; it did represent the gravity of the communist revolution and Song’s involvement in the revolution. Interesting how you noticed that the dances in the Chinese Opera and the by the revolutionaries were very similar, good observation.