Redefining Masculinity
- A review of What is Man?

By Emily Chau

The recently concluded play entitled What is Man? was an in-depth investigation in men’s relationships with others and themselves. Based on the Great Chinese Classical Novel Water Margin, (水滸傳), through 28 scenes, it showed the directorial visions of Hong Kong director Edward Lam (林奕華) and excellent performances by a Taiwanese cast. The Chinese name of the play was namedexactly the same as the novel Water Margin, which attracts people’s attention.

The Great Novel - Water Margin
Water Margin is one of the four great classical novels in the Chinese Literature, which talks about the outlaws of 108 heroes in the time of mid Song Dynasty and these fearless gang of outlaws took refuge in the Liang Mountain. Water Margin was first written in Chinese, and it was translated in various languages.

Words from the Director
Edward Lam, the director of the play, claims that What is Man? is a modern play that inspired by the Chinese classical novel “The Water Margin”. “Nowadays, some forms of oppression are connected with positions of power and influence, while others are self-imposed.” said Lam. In the ancient times, the outlaws on the Liang Mountain dealt with this through insurrection, or by making compromises with the authorities. “I want to express how modern men react to society repressions and this is the key question that this play wants to raise for the audience,” said Lam. Out of 108 Outlaws heroes, Lam tries to shorten the number and extracted nine heroic male in his play. These nine heroes in his play named exactly the same as the heroes in the book, Water Margin. Lam’s play expresses strong idea of masculinity and heroism by shaping different characteristics to each character and presents them in short stories.

About the Play
This play has a completely new interpretation. It follows the adventures of nine heroes for the classic novel. Instead of acting out the original story of the classical novel, Lam tries to seek out the resonance of the original story in the Chinese modern society. Lam tries to relate the original story with the modern society. This play tells you why those men were heroes and their relationships with their women.

In the play, nine men and three women show up in a casting for a gangster movie. And the director of the gangster movie tries to bring out the characters of each of the casting actors, both hero and devil. These actors end up revealing their inner selves, personalities and their personal concepts of masculinity. This play explores the formation of the male identity in the modern society and explores the oppression of men in the modern society.

Comments of the Audience
There are some artists, like Andy Lau, recommended this play is good. However, some audience found the play difficult to understand. “Overall, I would say the show is quite funny and touching at some parts, but after the whole show, I realize that I don’t know what is going on,” said Tomas Chan, a 22-year-old audience.

Rex Sit, a 23-year-old audience said, “Perhaps if the whole show is performed in Cantonese, I would find it better. But overall, I think the performance is a success. The theme of the play is good and creative. Edward Lam is really a talented director. I like this play very much.”

The idea of masculinity is changing over time. But still, there is something traditionally considered being the characteristic of a male. First of all, a man should take care of his woman and his family. And a man should be responsible for his behaviors and he should not betray their so called “brothers”. So that’s what a man should be?