Q and A with Mr. Big Mountain

Dashan (AKA Canadian Mark Rowswell) is the omnipresent foreigner, the one lurking on the tip of your taxi driver's tongue, the one in the Tang suit, the foreigner that even the foreigners who arrived yesterday love to hate - but he's also a talented media personality, actor, and as it turns out, a really nice guy. He's appearing in Chaoji Bendan, the Chinese version of the farcical French comedy The Dinner Game. Written by Francis Veber, The Dinner Game chronicles a competition among a group of friends to see who can find the most stupid person to bring to dinner (you may have heard of the film version). Tonight (Thursday) and Friday are your last chances to catch it at the Poly Theatre, but the show will be back for a second run in late September at the Ethnic Cultural Palace Theatre (see below for details).

Between performances, Dashan answered a few of our questions about Chaoji Bendan, acting styles in China, and being Zhongguo's No. 1 laowai.

tbjblog: Chaoji Bendan had its first performance in Beijing last night, how did it go? Are there any noticeable differences between Shanghai and Beijing audiences?

Dashan: I thought last night was great, and the entire cast was pleased with how it all went. We had just had two weeks off, so all of the actors were a little concerned that there would be slip-ups or that the rhythm would be off. On the contrary, we agreed after the show that having time off really allows you to come back with a fresh perspective and renewed energy. In fact, I think we pushed everything up half a notch, which is very rewarding.

We’ve now done almost 30 performances, but each performance is a little different. That’s one of the great things about stage – actors will continue to tweak things a bit, and pick up on slight differences in your partners’ performances. And, of course, the audience is different each night, so the reaction you get from the audience varies from show to show. Live comedy is very much a dialogue between performers and the audience, and you determine the speed and rhythm of the performance by listening very closely to how the audience is reacting. So these are the things that keep it fresh and interesting for the performers, even after doing dozens of shows.

That being said, I think it would be an oversimplification to compare Beijing and Shanghai audiences. Which Beijing audience and which Shanghai audience? There are endless permutations. The experience of doing 15 shows in Shanghai really showed me what a huge range of audiences you can get in the same theatre night after night. I’m sure the audience tonight will be different from last night.

tbjblog: To what extent is Chaoji Bendan similar to the original Dinner Game - in what ways have they adapted it to Chinese audiences, other than basic translations?

DS: We haven’t changed the basic story at all. We all play French characters in a drama that takes place one evening in an apartment in Paris.

That being said, comedy can never simply be a direct translation. Direct translation is the sure-fire way to kill any comedy. So there is lots of adaptation done during the initial translation of the script, and even more during the 5-week process of rehearsals. The Chinese director will have his own personal view of how the drama should be portrayed, and each actor has his/her own understanding of their character. If something doesn’t feel right, doesn’t make sense or just doesn’t flow, we change it. The goal is to put on something that Chinese audiences will enjoy, not simply to do a Chinese replica of the original play.

Of course, a lot of humour is lost in translation. For example, one of the character’s names in French is “Juste Leblanc”, which leads to a “Who’s on first” type of conversation about why the character is called “Only Leblanc” – why doesn’t he have a first name? It just doesn’t work in English or in Chinese. There was no way to save that part, so we just cut it.

On the other hand, lots of new stuff is added during rehearsals. Often it just starts with a joke on set – you try something different just for fun, it works, so you keep it. Lots of the humour in our performances are things that weren’t in the original version, both in terms of new dialogue and in terms of performance. You know, when we start rehearsing the thing all we have is a script. We have no idea of how the original actors played their parts, so each actor develops his/her own interpretation. In that way, the non-verbal humour is all our own.

tbjblog: Many foreigners living in China know about you from your appearances in Chinese television dramas, Chinese-language learning programs, advertisements and of course your Xiangsheng work - is your performance in Chaoji Bendan the first time that you've appeared in a Chinese stage production ?

DS: My work with the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Institute began last year when I was invited to play the role of the American reporter Edgar Snow in a large-scale historical drama. It was a completely non-comedic role, and my first time working in stage drama, which was a lot of fun. After that experience, I kept in touch with the people in Shanghai and worked on a few ideas and proposals, which eventually led to “The Dinner Game”. My main goals were to 1) do a comedy; and 2) do a smaller production that would be easier to take on the road, touring across China. So this play has satisfied both of those goals.

tbjblog: Do you regularly attend Chinese stage performances? If so, what performances, actors or directors have impressed you recently?

DS: I’ve spent a lot of time in Shanghai over the past two years, getting to know the whole drama scene down there. That’s been cool too, since Beijing has always been my base in China. I’ve gotten to see a lot of stuff in Shanghai and meet a lot of people in the industry there. Unfortunately, it’s hard for Shanghai dramas to break into the Beijing market, even though the ones that do make it up here tend to be well received. Actually, what has really impressed me are the actors and directors that are very professional and dedicated to their craft, but just don’t have the name recognition. They’re hugely respected in theatre circles, but almost completely unknown outside of the theatre. These days, nobody gets famous doing theatre, and the financial rewards are miniscule, but it’s a lot of fun and the people who do it well are very passionate about their work.

tbjblog: Do you think that China has a distinct "melodramatic" acting style and sense of humor? - If so, do you alter your own acting style and jokes to adjust to this Chinese style?

DS: Again, I don’t like to over-generalize. Sure there’s a lot of over-acting in Chinese drama, especially some of the older stuff, and there’s a lot of crap on television. As a performer, it can sometimes be difficult to “be real” because there is pressure to play into traditional stereotypes. That’s true across the spectrum, not only for foreign actors in China. Whether you play an emperor, a police officer or a businessman, you’re often expected to play into people’s well-established expectations of the character type. But, in general I think things have improving dramatically over the last decade or so. And this situation is not unique to China.

As a foreign performer in China, there is always the expectation that you will play into established stereotypes of what Chinese audiences think foreigners should be like. I know some people think I often play the “token foreigner”, but in fact the opposite is true. I’ve built my career playing against those stereotypes, to the extent that most Chinese think of Dashan as an entirely atypical foreigner.

So, in one sense: Yes. I perform to the audience. In comedy, it’s no use if I’m the only one who thinks it’s funny. The whole point is to do something that entertains the audience. But, on the other hand: No. I don’t play the old stereotypes, and don’t think you could describe my performing as “melodramatic”.

tbjblog: How do you feel in regards to your relationship with China's expat population in general - how do you think you're viewed, how do you view them?

As a public figure, you just have to accept that people are going to form opinions about you based on whatever small slice of your work they happen to see. There’s also a huge amount of misinformation and misunderstanding. Actually, sometimes it works in your favour, so you just have to accept that other times it doesn’t.

For example, I’ve been following media reports on the play I’ve been busy with these past few months. Lots of the coverage is just nonsense, either factually incorrect or even completely fabricated. But the general tone of the reporting has been extremely positive, so what do I care if they get their facts all screwed up?

At the other end of the spectrum, a lot of the commentary about Dashan that appears in expat blogs, for example, is completely ridiculous. Most of these people have no idea of what it is I actually do, or what the character “Dashan” represents. Often I think the bloggers are just blowing off steam based on personal frustrations they have with China in general, and “Dashan” is a convenient symbol for them to misuse. Why would I bother getting involved in that?

But, to answer your question, my relationship with people, expat or Chinese, who actually know who I am and what I do, is excellent. What more could I ask for?

tbjblog: Finally, what's your advice for us mortals on mastering Putonghua?

DS: Listen, I meet many foreigners in China who speak Chinese as well as or better than myself. That’s not false modesty. I couldn’t do what those UN-certified interpreters do day-in and day-out. I have never claimed that I’m perfect or that I’m some sort of “immortal” as you put it. That, again, is just media hype. I work hard at what I do, and just try to give it my best. That’s all. There’s no secret to learning a foreign language other than practice, practice, practice.

Chaoji Bendan
August 30-31 (Tonight and Fri)
In Chinese, no English supertitles. Tickets at 6416 9990. RMB 280-680. Until Aug 31.
7.30pm. Poly Theatre (6500 1188 ext 5126/5127)

Sep 26-Oct 1
This return showing has just been announced - no details yet for time and price. Call them as the date approaches for more information. Ethnic Cultural Palace Theatre(6605 2404)