Warrior Princess

By+Corrie+Dosh

As a growing gallop of drums heralded a charge into battle， the stage at the Ellen Stewart Theater in New yorks East village began to shake. Flashes of strobe lights lit up the audience， a fog of dry ice wafted in and 13 warrior maidens released a volley of deadly arrows onto the threatening hordes of Huns. Standing tall against the gloom was a mighty figure in red. Mulan was here to save the day， fixed in purpose and steadfast.

Mulan the Musical has returned to New york for a three-month run after a years absence to revamp costumes， add theatrical elements and install additional scenes. The 13-member， allfemale troupe the Red Poppy Ladies is led by the thrilling Du Qianqian in the role of Mulan. All the members are experts at playing the tanggu—a traditional Chinese drum played with two sticks—as well as other percussive instruments. Du， age 20， has been playing the tanggu since age 13.

“Western audiences can easily understand percussion，” Du said， “but we didnt imagine how well the audience would receive the performance. They are very excited.”

Mulan the Muscial follows the classic Chinese folktale of a young maiden who disguises herself as a boy to go to war. The Red Poppy Ladies focus on the heroines ideal childhood， laughing and playing through chores and school. Her peaceful life ends when the kingdom declares war and one man from each household is ordered into conscription. Having no sons， Mulans aging father is told to enlist， prompting Mulans gender-bending subterfuge to take her fathers place in the emperors army.

If the plot sounds familiar to Western audiences， it is because it is the same story made famous by the 1998 Academy Award-winning Disney animation of the same name. The tale has widespread appeal for its themes of filial piety， honor， strength and feminism. While some call Mulan the Joan of Arc of the East， the ending to the tale is much nicer with Mulan being rewarded for her military prowess rather than burned at the stake. The warrior princess is forced to reveal her true identity after winning the final battle when the emperor awards her a lovely bride.

Despite her subterfuge， Mulan becomes a national hero for leading the troops to victory. Some 1，600 years later， she is still inspiring young girls to be bold and brave.

More thrills

The Beijing-based Red Poppy Ladies debuted Mulan the Musical to New york audiences in late 2012 on Broadway. Though well received， the show was reworked to add more theatrical elements and scenes of Mulans idyllic childhood. The aim， said director Zhou Li， was to show Mulan as a pretty， young maiden in contrast to the strong warrior she becomes.endprint

“After a year of preparation， were thrilled to be bringing Mulan the Musical back to life and back to New york City，” said Zhou. “Even though the legendary story is ancient， it remains relevant today. Its message of bravery， leadership， loyalty and the importance of family is universal.”

The troupe chose to present the story of Mulan because of its classic nature and positive message， he added. Just as the Disney company was drawn to its strong female lead， the all-female Red Poppy Ladies were also drawn to the story.

The tale is presented in 14 scenes of synchronized drumming， kungfu and dance. Large screens provide plot summaries in English and animated scenes show the peaceful life of the village and the volley of arrows from Mulans troupes. Du does an extraordinary job of embodying the heroine and conveying the emotions of leaving her family behind. The troupe uses traditional drums， tables， tubs， a fou （traditional wine cabinet） and even the floor in the high-energy performance. The style is somewhat like Stomp—the highly successful Western performance of fast-paced， nontraditional percussion.

“I loved it，” said audience member Alice Lee， visiting with her family from Washington， D.C. “The lights， the drumming…it was great. It had many funny scenes and I liked how they engaged the audience.”

During an early scene of a traditional Chinese wedding， one hapless audience member was dragged onstage， garbed in red robes and pushed to kowtow before the audience. He was a good sport about it， much to the audiences delight. The patrons enthusiastically hooted and hollered after each solo and scene， suitably impressed at the skill of the troupe.

Standout scenes were of Mulans schooldays， featuring the impish， cross-eyed antics of troupe member Shen Qian. The battle scenes are also quite spectacular. The scene Marching in the Dark has almost no drumming at all， just a choreographed display of battery-powered torches on a dark stage.

“I really like the new scenes showing Mulan as a young girl，” said Du. “They show her as an ordinary girl to better show her change into a warrior. The costumes before were very plain， but they have more color now and gold trim. These changes came directly from audience suggestions.”

A survey is distributed to theatre-goers after the performance so that the troupe can continuously improve the show， said Zhou.endprint

Red Poppy ladies

Beijings Red Poppy Ladies percussion group was founded in 2000 and has participated in over 3，000 performances around the world since then. Red Poppy first attracted its audience in 2001 in the CCTv Spring Festival Show， hosted by Chinas largest broadcasting station. In 2004， World Culture Open in South Korea honored Red Poppy with the World Peace Award. Red Poppy has performed in three Olympic Games， including the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening and closing ceremonies.

Mulan the Muscial is a family-friendly show， said Zhou， and children of all ages will respond to the tapping， drumming， thumping rhythms. It may even inspire them to take up drumming themselves， which has been shown to improve math skills and concentration.

“Once they start， they cant stop，” Zhou said.

The crowd left Mulan the Musical in high spirits， drumming and tapping their way out the door. The show seems primed for a strong run at the Ellen Stewart Theater， and will surely be welcomed by New york audiences for future staging. Even in the oversaturated world of New york musicals， Mulan stands out for its allfemale cast， phenomenal percussion and nontraditional staging.endprint