Hong Kong Rep director Fredic Mao is taking a second look at Eileen Chang's class novel, writes Agnes Cheung

THREE YEARS AFTER he first put Love in a Fallen City on the stage, Federic Mao Chun-fai is reinterpreting the short novel by the late Eileen Chang Ai-ling.

"I'm not satisfied with our previous production. It was incomplete," says the artistic director of Hong Kong Repertory Theatre.

This time, he wants to enrich the hide-and-seek love between divorcee Bai Liusu and rich playboy Fan Liuyuan, a story set in Shanghai and Hong Kong in the 1940s during the Japanese invasion, with a present-day longing for true love.

Blending Chang's eloquent and ironic writing with songs, dance and video, Mao wants the new adaptation to be more than just a romantic story or entertainment.

"I believe that, deep down, Chang was trying to ask a serious question in the novel about how true love should be," Mao says of the production that's scheduled to be staged at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts from August 20.

He wants to present his view about how one has to love in the pursuit of a genuine relationship. "Learn how to love - that's always easier said than done," he says. "Each of us has our own baggage."

Chang herself faced the crossroads of her time when traditional ideas clashed with a modern outlook, and when Chinese and western cultures began to merge in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Inspired by Chinese literature professor Leo Lee Ou-fan's Confessions of a Profligate, Fan Liuyuan, Mao and playwright Nick Yu Rongjun envisage an elderly Bai Liusu reminiscing in the new production.

Lee's book is an account of the vicissitudes and regrets of Fan's life after he's separated from Bai. Although Chang's novel ends with the union of the two protagonists, their marriage is a result of the war. And that's not ideal, Mao says. In his new play, he asks what could have happened to Fan and Bai in the present-day context and whether the couple would let themselves go for the sake of freedom and emancipation.

When Mao directed the 2002 version to make the Rep's 25 th anniversary, he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer. Yet he fought on despite his poor health and the production was successful in depicting the romance. "That's what we were ready for at that point within the limited time for preparation and rehearsal", says Mao, who has since recovered from his illness after surgery.

Award-winning film actor Tony Leung Ka-fai will play Fan in the new play. Starring opposite will be theatre and TV actress Louisa So Yuk-wa, who won acclaim for her portrayal of Bai Liusu in the 2002 play.

Alice Lau Nga-lai, who made a name for herself with her performance in I Have a Date with Spring, reprises her roles as the Singer in the new performance. The rest of the cast remains the same as in the 2002 production, with music by composer and lyricist Chung Chi-wing and choreography by Yuri Ng Yue-lit.

Mao says ticket sales have been phenomenal and eight performances have been added, running until September 13. The show will be re-staged in March.

Mao says Leung is part of the recipe for box office success. "Some audiences simply want to see a star and so are attracted to the show."

Leung's list of film credits includes Zhou Yu's Train, Farewell China, Prison on Fire and French director Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Lover. In 2000, he and 1960s film idol Connie Chan Po-chu starred in Red Boat, a hit stage production.

Although the Rep is an established theatre company, it still needs to promote its works and reach a wider audience - and stars help, Mao says. "But that star must have something special to offer."

Mao says he expects Leung's charisma and impressive performance on the stage to add lustre to the production. "I appreciate Leung for putting so much time and effort into working with us and learning more about stage performing," Mao says.

After the performances in Hong Kong, the Rep will take the production to the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre for six shows, from October 18 to 22. An adaptation of Chang's novel is likely to strike a chord with the audience in Shanghai.

Last year, the company's Sweet and Sour Hong Kong was a success in Hangzhou and Shanghai. Mao says it's time for the Rep to broaden its exposure outside Hong Kong: "We're ready to let more people knows our works"

Yet, at the same time, the Rep needs to balance and come up with pieces that will draw a wider audience. "But we won't fawn on the audience with bad taste or vulgarity, " Mao says.

Since he became the Rep's artistic director in February 2001, Mao has been exploring ways to raise the standard of local dramas and musicals.

His Chinese Affection series in the 2002-03 season highlighted his efforts to bring together stage professionals from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Mao is also trying to find better ways to connect with audiences. For example, he's staging Love in a Fallen City in the Drama Theatre with its 415 seats, making it a smaller production than in 2002.

By minimising the space between the stage and the audience, Mao hopes to increase the viewers' enjoyment.

"It is a pity many people in Hong Kong mistakenly believe a big production must be good," he says. "A fine work isn't simply a show where you make use of a star's appeal to put it on at the Hong Kong Coliseum."