BWW Interviews: THE BLUE DRAGON's Tai Wei Foo

Robert Lepage is one of Canada’s most acclaimed and well-known directors (in addition to being an actor and a playwright).  His work is known around the world for its innovation, versatility and creativity. 

Lepage’s work has always been embraced on the Toronto stage, and this month the city welcomes the critically acclaimed The Blue Dragon where it will play at The Royal Alexandra Theatre until February 19^th.  The show is a loose sequel to Lepage’s 1980’s The Dragon Trilogy, and it explores Lepage’s alter-ego Pierre LaMontagne 25 years after the original production took place.  The show focuses on LaMontagne’s relationship with two women – one is his ex-wife who is visiting Shanghai from Canada – the other (played by Tai Wei Foo) his current art student and sometimes lover.  When the two women inadvertently connect, a chaotic story ensues that examines the complex nature of human relationships. 

The Blue Dragon has been applauded for its use of imagery, lighting, set design and choreography and uses all of these techniques quite effectively to tell its story.  Done in no less than three languages (English, French and Mandarin), the show’s actors have to be quite accomplished to handle the difficult material.  Tai Wei Foo not only plays one of the main characters, but also choreographed and performs the dances in the show.  She took a few minutes to talk to BWW about the unique nature of the production, the impact theatre can have on our lives and why she thinks everyone should experience The Blue Dragon:

Congratulations on The Blue Dragon opening in Toronto! How as the show evolved since you’ve been with it?

I don’t think it has changed that much, but we have translated the a lot of the French text into English which is a fairly major change.

You do the choreography for the show, have you changed much of that?

Yes.  I actually try and change it around in different cities because that way it keeps it interesting.  I choreographed three dances for this production.  I’m mostly trained in traditional Chinese dance but I’ve done some ballet in this show as well.  So even after 200 performances I’m still trying every single night to improve on the ballet technique because I know that’s not where my strength is.  The other two dances have remained mostly the same, although I do try and make them a bit more challenging and continue to push myself to perform at a higher level.

Is that part of how you keep from losing the spark when you have been performing this piece for so long?

I think so.  It’s a psychological thing too.  You have to remember that every day you have a different audience and often there are children who are experiencing the show with fresh eyes.  I think and think of myself like one of those children and make it feel like it’s my very first show.  It’s difficult but it’s another way or challenging myself and impressing the audience in order to keep everything fresh. 

Has the audience reaction varied in the different cities?

It really has.  In Tokyo it was a shocking different because there is no standing and cheering out of respect for the performers.  There are also certain lines that some audiences react to very strongly and others not at all.  It’s likely the cultural differences between various countries.  Some audiences laugh and scream and stand up and cheer – and in other cities they sit silently.  It’s really interesting to contract each city. 

When you have a more active audience does it help you as a performer? Or do you find you want to work even harder when they are quiet?

If they’re quiet we sometimes end up giving more because we worry that we aren’t winning them over.  But every audience is different in that regard, and obviously you feed off the energy coming from the crowd and tweak your performance accordingly.  

We have audience members who just want to relax and go to the theatre and sit back and take it all in.  Others are more vocal.  But with every audience we want to respect them and given them the best performance possible. 

What do you think of the impact of social media on promoting shows such as this? And have you had a lot of instances where people have used their phones during the show?

I guess for ticket sales social media can be really good but as a performer it can be a problem, especially when people are using it during a show.  Personally I don’t like the idea of tweeting during a show, and I feel like certain audience members wouldn’t like it either.  It can take away from the experience to have people on their phones around you.

Finally, what would you say is the number one reason to encourage a younger audience to come out and see the production?

I think it would be because going to the theatre brings you to another world.  Just to be a part of the arts and certain productions can transport you.  Dance and musicals can bring you into a magical world and inspire you to be a richer person.  It really opens you up.  Even if you don’ think you like theatre, perhaps try and go at least once.  Just to open your mind and see what else is out there because you may not even know experiences like this exist.  It may even help you end up on a whole different path!

When and Where?

The Blue Dragon

The Royal Alexandra Theatre

Performance Schedule:

January 10^th – February 19^th

Tuesday-Saturday at 8PM

Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2PM

Tickets range from $25-$99 and can be purchased in person at the box office, by phone at 416-872-1212 or online at www.mirvish.com

Photo by Racheal McCaig Photography

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