I am Simon Niall, English musical actor. This is my first production for the Zhulong Teahouse Theatre Company and hopefully not my last. I'm very glad to return to the Orient. Ordinarily, I come here for relaxation between theatrical endeavours and to get ideas for new shows. It is rare that I am here on business.

My violet-hued, silk-brocade Hanfu costume, I'm surprised to find, fits me more comfortably than my own dressing gowns. And the soft linen undergarments are divine! I look at myself in the mirror and finally begin to see the young scholar, Xu Xian, I am to portray in the opera. Olive greasepaint, black pencil and rouge effectively accentuate the more sinological features of my otherwise European face. My black, silk trousers, black shoes, and white shirt are Tang-Zhuang, making my hybrid costume timeless, legendary.

The last time I wore anything like this was in my childhood, when I was a hostage of the Boxer Rebellion. An old, Shaolin monk took me under his wing and educated me in philosophy, medicine, and wushu. Ah, that was another time, as legendary as the opera I am about to perform in.

To relax my throat, I take another swallow of oolong and return the porcelain cup to its matching saucer. After one last look in the mirror, I take my paper umbrella and exit the dressing room.

Act I, scene i

The lush West Lake country is recreated on stage. From behind a backlit scrim lavishly painted with rose-coloured clouds and a blue lake dappled with green lily pads, I take my place at my mother's gravesite, at Broken Bridge.

I am Xu Xian, a student of medicine, currently dependent upon the hospitality of my sister and her husband, whom I assist in their herbal healing clinic. I know I could do better for myself with my own business. I would make a fine doctor provided I had the self-confidence to assert myself to such a situation. For now, I bow my head over my mother's grave, in the pear garden, and croon softly to her. The scrim lifts to reveal the scene, accompanied by a lone erhu's melancholy strain.

Against the cloudy backdrop, silver streamers blow, reflecting the stagelights as random flecks, simulating rain. From stageleft Bai Su (Lady White) and her waiting gentlewoman Xiao Qin (Lady Green) enter. Ancient snake goddesses, they have taken on mortal appearances in order that Bai Su may begin her quest for love. It is here at Broken Bridge, on rainy West Lake, that she finds it.

The ladies are radiant in their rich costume, and my heart leaps at the sight of them. Jia Li Shen is truly a formidable goddess in the role of Bai Su. I am grateful that she is not in actuality a serpent in human guise, or I might just die of fright! Her companion is splendid in her role as the wily and intuitive Xiao Qin. Her twinkling eyes and hint of a knowing smile are brilliantly executed.

The ladies are admiring the beauty of the West Lake country when the rain begins. Quickly taking shelter under the bowing boughs of a willow, they sing together of their fortune in recitative. In spite of the poor weather, they cannot be happier to witness such natural loveliness.

I join in their song when I first see Bai Su, as taken with her rare beauty as she is with that of the lake. An old boatman, topped with a straw coolie hat, drifts through the blanket of water lilies. "Kind ferryman!" I whisper loudly. "Who is that lady in white? Who is her father? I would swear she was Xi Shi, herself."

"That I cannot tell you, boy," the boatman answers. "And I could tell you many things about West Lake. I know every island, every lily, every tree, every temple. This lady and her maid have never been here before today."

I hand the boatman a tael and step aboard. Quickly his small barge carries us to the two, finely dressed women. The unrelenting rain prompts my gentlemanly duty, and I offer the ladies my umbrella.

"Good evening," I say with a greeting bow. "I am Xu Xian, a local apothecary. Please take my umbrella; I'm sure you'll find it more effective a shelter than the fickle protection of the willow." I attempt my most charming smile, which Bai Su demurely returns. I'm immediately given the impression that her modesty is a show, for she seems far bolder and wiser than she lets on. This act is for the benefit of a stranger, which can be expected. However, I hope to discover more of this sophisticated noblewoman. Her serving girl, Xiao Qin, is just as bold, but she lacks subtlety. I could swear she winked when I introduced myself, and now she smiles broadly, without shame! I dare not laugh.

"Take his umbrella, m'lady, by the Jade Emperor's beard!" Xiao Qin exclaims with delight. "If your fine clothes gets any wetter, you'll have to be rid of them entirely, and then you will give our young gentleman a fine greeting, indeed!"

The two women giggle to one another but then regard me with concern for my modesty. I answer them with a smile and another bow, accepting their jest in good humour.

"Now, now, my dear Xiao Qin," the lady responds. "I'll warrant a well-read apothecary like yourself, Xu Xian, appreciates the finer things. Something as base as seeing a disrobed lady, I'm sure, is beneath you." Bai Su eyes me carefully, awaiting my answer.

I cannot resist. "A finer thing than a disrobed lady beneath me? I'll have to think about that one."

The lady and her servant burst into laughter once again, still without a hint of red in their cheeks. I laugh with them, absolutely amused by so comfortable and unpretentious a pair.

Bai Su's curiosity is piqued, and the underscoring for the next song begins. "Tell me," she asks, "what else do you appreciate, my young Xu Xian?"

XU XIAN:
I like the blossoming sight
Of orchids in bloom
And the moon's silver light
When it brightens a room

BAI SU:
I think you and I are more alike than not

I like a cup of chai tea
Or maybe oolong
I like to practice t'ai chi
And play a game of mahjongg

XU XIAN:
I like Peking duck, but only when it's hot

BOTH:
I think you and I are more alike than not

XU XIAN: (cosying up beside Bai Su, under the umbrella)
I like to sit in the rain,
Umbrella above

BAI SU:
I like the song of a swain
That tells of his love
I think you and I are more alike than not

XU XIAN:
I don't like MSG
In a meal or a snack

BAI SU:
I don't balance my Qi
With pins in my back

BOTH:
When it comes to romance, Xi Hu's quite the spot
I think you and I are more alike than not!

For the instrumental break, Bai Su and I perform a vibrant dance, incorporating the umbrella - tossing it back and forth. Xiao Qin, in her long sleeves, keeps the high ground, smiling down on us as though we were her dancing puppets.

The song concludes with a final verse before the ladies depart, with my umbrella, aboard the ferryman's boat.

"Wait!" Bai Su cries, as the boatman's oar sends them up the lake. She holds out my umbrella.

"Today, it is yours," I call back. "I will come for it tomorrow, if I may be permitted to call upon you, Bai Su."

"Our residence is at the edge of town, at the Mansion of the Sleeping Dragon," she answers quickly. "Promise us you will pay a call tomorrow!"

"I will," I promise, just as the boat is steered from view.