Reflections on the Play 'Fools' | Student Production at Taipei National University of the Arts

On Saturday, a friend and I headed up to Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA) in Beitou to see a performance featuring a mutual friend. He played a role in the university’s spring showcase drama “Fools” (Fool’s Village). I thought he and the actor portraying Doctor Zubritsky gave truly stellar performances, although what I am about to write below has little to do with them (laughs).

Allow me, an utterly non-professional theatergoer, to air a few less-than-ideal impressions first:

• The lighting operator seemed consistently a beat too slow when spotlighting key characters;
• The choreography introduced in the opening acts brought delightful surprise, but entering the middle and later stretches, the repetition of just two or three choreographic routines felt somewhat tedious, only freshening up during the closing curtain call;
• The kissing scene woven into the plot felt overly contrived to the audience, resulting in an awkward, jarring sensation;
• The lead actor’s past vocal projection training did not quite seem to suit this particular role and dramatic atmosphere;
• Certain performance details were paced too quickly without adequate breathing room, leaving the audience little time to register them.

The points above are merely personal observations. That said, the male lead was undeniably handsome, and the supporting actress was truly charming. As for the female lead—well, she had a noticeable mole just to the right of her mid-spine (ahem).

Still, spending a few hundred NT dollars to enjoy a decent, hilarious drama on a leisurely Saturday evening was thoroughly worthwhile.

As for the rest—does one really need anything more?

— Here is a divider —

I originally wrote only the first half, but a friend chided me for just fooling around in my review, so I suppose I should add some deeper thoughts.

— Aha, here is another divider —

Wan-tong: “You are angry with me. If receiving an education only makes you angry, what is the point of it all? When you weren’t badgering me with these questions, everything you said was so fascinating. Is this what becoming an educated, intelligent person turns you into?”

Zheng-xian: “No, Wan-tong, forgive me. My frustration and impatience have made my behavior cruel. Can we please begin from scratch? One plus one equals two, repeat.”

Wan-tong: “One plus one equals two, repeat.”

Zheng-xian: “No! Do not repeat the word ‘repeat’! Once more: one plus one equals two, repeat.”

Wan-tong: “What did you look like when you were a little boy?”

Zheng-xian: “(Roars) What did I look like when I was a little boy?!”

Wan-tong: “You’re shouting again.”

Zheng-xian: “I am merely… I was pondering why we were placed on this Earth, and what the ultimate purpose of human existence is.”

Wan-tong: “The purpose of human existence…”

Zheng-xian: “(Roars) You must stop asking me questions! I am out of time!”

Wan-tong: “Then how am I supposed to learn?”

Zheng-xian: “Wan-tong, you must answer the questions I ask you, not demand answers from me.”

Wan-tong: “Then I will only ever learn what you want me to know. Why can’t I learn the things I genuinely wish to understand?”

Zheng-xian: “Because the things you wish to understand hold no practical value. Everything I intend to teach you is accepted, conventional knowledge.”

The excerpt above is an exchange between the male and female leads in the drama. It takes place when Zheng-xian, terrified of succumbing to the curse and turning into a fool himself, frantically attempts to “educate” Wan-tong, only for Wan-tong to effortlessly reveal the profound truth underlying their situation.

Reflecting on my own past behavior, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of somber realization. Haven’t many of us committed the exact same blunder in similar conversations? We so habitually take our own narrow slice of the world and mistake it for the entire cosmos.

Yet that is an old trope, and not quite the core point I want to emphasize today. What I truly wish to ask is: how many people, when confronted with another person’s unfamiliar worldview, possess Wan-tong’s capacity to keep dialogue alive with genuine curiosity?

How many people instead resort to condescending tones, attempting to overpower and suppress the other? (Just like Zheng-xian!)

How many silently endure the other party’s oppression until they can bear it no more?

How many are so impatient for immediate answers that they fail to see the deeper essence within?

How many opportunities have countless individuals discarded simply because they could not tolerate another person’s differing perspective, never even contemplating coexistence?

What constitutes love?! What constitutes foolishness?! What constitutes true wisdom?!

I only know this: seize every opportunity, and never give up. Even if it seems foolish, that might just be the wisest choice a person could ever make.