為什么美國(guó)觀眾看不懂《美猴王：西游記》.

　　The Lincoln Center Festival, a summer rite forculturally inquisitive New Yorkers that kicked offthree weeks of performances over the weekend, isusually an adults-only affair. Not in the sense that itsprogramming regularly features bared flesh and bluetalk, but because its mostly foreign-languageproductions cater to those who don't have troublesitting still for, say, a five-hour staging of anobscure Austrian novel, or an esoteric Germanmodernist opera.

　　對(duì)于文藝的紐約人來(lái)說(shuō)，林肯中心藝術(shù)節(jié)(Lincoln CenterFestival)是每年夏季的慣例活動(dòng)，它連續(xù)三個(gè)周末舉辦藝術(shù)表演。通常，這些表演專供成人觀看。并不是因?yàn)楣?jié)目中經(jīng)常含有裸露肌膚的場(chǎng)面或者下流的臺(tái)詞，而是因?yàn)檫@些節(jié)目大多是以外語(yǔ)表演，適合那些能夠忍受一動(dòng)不動(dòng)坐上5個(gè)小時(shí)，觀看一部由晦澀的奧地利小說(shuō)改編的戲劇或者一部難懂的德國(guó)現(xiàn)代主義歌劇的觀眾。

　　The festival's centerpiece this year, the boisterous spectacle "Monkey: Journey to the West," isa notable departure. With a mischievous simian for a protagonist, interstitial animationsequences, exuberant low humor (ooh! smelly shoes!), extended martial arts battles andcircus-style acrobatics, the production aims to broaden the festival's demographic to includamilies — and for that matter all fans of those populist entertainments.

　　該文化節(jié)今年的重頭戲《美猴王：西游記》(Monkey: Journey to the West)非常熱鬧，與以往的節(jié)目大不相同。該劇的主角是一只淘氣的猴子，幕間空隙播放動(dòng)畫片，劇中的幽默簡(jiǎn)單易懂(噢!臭鞋子!)，有長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的武術(shù)打斗場(chǎng)面以及馬戲團(tuán)風(fēng)格的雜技表演。該劇的制作團(tuán)隊(duì)意圖把文化節(jié)的觀眾群擴(kuò)大到整個(gè)家庭以及所有喜歡流行娛樂(lè)文化的人。

　　Indie rock fans are a target audience, too: the show's music is by Damon Albarn, best known asthe songwriter for the 1990s British rock band Blur (now reassembled and back on tour), andthe "visual concept, animation and costumes" are by Jamie Hewlett, Mr. Albarn's partner inthe virtual band Gorillaz. (Please don't ask me what a virtual band is.) The participant mostfamiliar to frequent festivalgoers is the director, Chen Shi-Zheng, a regular at the festival,having staged the epic opera "The Peony Pavilion" in 1999, in addition to three other shows.

　　喜愛(ài)獨(dú)立搖滾的人也是該劇的目標(biāo)觀眾：本劇的音樂(lè)作曲人是由達(dá)蒙·阿爾本(Damon Albarn)。他是20世紀(jì)90年代英國(guó)搖滾樂(lè)隊(duì)“污跡”(Blur，該樂(lè)隊(duì)現(xiàn)在重組之后重出江湖了)的歌曲作者。本劇的“視覺(jué)理念、動(dòng)畫和服裝”設(shè)計(jì)師是杰米·休萊特(Jamie Hewlett)，他是阿爾本在虛擬樂(lè)隊(duì)“街頭霸王”(Gorillaz)里的搭檔(請(qǐng)不要問(wèn)我“虛擬樂(lè)隊(duì)”是什么意思)。在這個(gè)創(chuàng)作團(tuán)隊(duì)中，經(jīng)常觀看該藝術(shù)節(jié)表演的觀眾最熟悉的是導(dǎo)演陳士爭(zhēng)(Chen Shi-Zheng)，他是藝術(shù)節(jié)的?？?，1999年導(dǎo)演過(guò)史詩(shī)歌劇《牡丹亭》，另外還導(dǎo)演過(guò)其他3部戲劇。

　　So, props to the festival artistic director, Nigel Redden, for extending an invitation to NewYorkers who might not normally find themselves engaged by this generally high-mindedcultural smorgasbord. Now time for a spoilsport alert: As someone with a limited affection forCirque du Soleil-style entertainments, which "Monkey" generally resembles, I found the show tobe visually beguiling but anodyne, juvenile and a little tedious, even at the comparatively brirunning time (by the festival's standards) of under two hours. Which proves, I suppose, that incasting a wide net you risk having some folks fall through the holes.

　　該文化節(jié)的藝術(shù)總監(jiān)奈杰爾·雷登(Nigel Redden)想吸引那些通常不會(huì)被這個(gè)比較高雅的文化節(jié)吸引的紐約人。現(xiàn)在我要說(shuō)一句掃興的話了：我本人不是特別喜歡馬戲團(tuán)式的娛樂(lè)表演——《美猴王》總體來(lái)說(shuō)是這種類型的表演——所以我覺(jué)得該劇雖然在視覺(jué)上讓人陶醉，但是平淡無(wú)奇，幼稚，還有點(diǎn)乏味。雖然它的表演時(shí)間相對(duì)較短(以該藝術(shù)節(jié)的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)來(lái)看)，還不到兩個(gè)小時(shí)，但依然給人冗長(zhǎng)的感覺(jué)。所以我覺(jué)得，在撒開(kāi)大網(wǎng)捕魚時(shí)，你也有可能丟掉某些以往的觀眾。

　　Based on a 16th-century Chinese novel, "Monkey" relates a fable that is widely known in Asiancultures, drawn loosely from the historic pilgrimage of a priest from China to India in search ofBuddhist sutras. In the novel, the troublemaking creature of the title accompanies the priest onhis long trip in search of enlightenment.

　　《美猴王》是根據(jù)16世紀(jì)的一部中國(guó)小說(shuō)改編的，講述了一個(gè)在亞洲廣為人知的故事，故事取材于一個(gè)中國(guó)僧人去印度尋找佛教經(jīng)典著作的著名朝圣之旅，不過(guò)這部小說(shuō)跟歷史有很大區(qū)別。在小說(shuō)里，該劇標(biāo)題中那個(gè)愛(ài)惹事的猴子陪伴僧人走過(guò)了漫長(zhǎng)的取經(jīng)之旅。

　　An opening animated sequence depicts the birth of the monkey, who is hatched from a stoneegg that bumps across mountain peaks in time with the thundering opening bars of music. Thescrim on which the video is projected then clears to reveal an exotic playground whereMonkey (Wang Lu at the reviewed performance) frolics merrily.

　　開(kāi)場(chǎng)的一段動(dòng)畫片描繪了猴子的誕生，它在一個(gè)石頭中孵化，伴隨著轟鳴的開(kāi)場(chǎng)音樂(lè)，石頭在大山之巔彈來(lái)跳去。投影到麻布上的視頻清楚地展示了極具異國(guó)情調(diào)的樂(lè)園，美猴王(筆者評(píng)論的這一版本中由王璐飾演)在這個(gè)樂(lè)園里快樂(lè)地嬉戲。

　　"So much fun!" he exults as gymnasts in monkey suits perform elaborate acrobatics aroundhim. "This is cool!" (The show is performed in Mandarin, with English supertitles projectedabove the stage.)

　　“太有趣了!”他歡呼道。一群穿著猴子戲服的雜技演員在他周圍表演復(fù)雜的雜技?！疤猛媪?”(該劇是用普通話表演的，英語(yǔ)字幕投影在舞臺(tái)上方。)

　　Innocence dies quickly for our hero, however, when he is suddenly struck by the knowledge ofthe inevitability of death. Bummer! Being the brash, adventurous creature that he is, Monkeysets out immediately to achieve immortality. The journey takes many an exotic detour, andeventually evolves into an episodic story of a band of hardy sojourners fighting off enemiesthat resembles a Chinese version of "The Wizard of Oz."

　　不過(guò)，我們的主人公很快就不那么天真了，他突然意識(shí)到自己必死的命運(yùn)。太氣人了!這只性急、愛(ài)冒險(xiǎn)的猴子馬上出發(fā)，開(kāi)始尋找永生的方法。旅程充滿奇異的波折，最終演變成一個(gè)由片段組成的故事——一群勇敢的旅行者打敗了敵人，有點(diǎn)像中國(guó)版的《綠野仙蹤》(The Wizard of Oz)。

　　After acquiring in an undersea kingdom a supply of magical accouterments — a golden rod andarmor, cloud-hopping shoes — Monkey becomes the dender of the monk Tripitaka (Li Li) onhis journey to India. They are accompanied by Pigsy (Xu Kejia), a lusty Falstaffian Daoist sage,according to the program note, and Sandy (Dong Borui), a disgraced general who has beenbanished to a river of sand. Together they eventually reach paradise, where the Buddha giveseach a reward for heroism and endurance.

　　這只猴子在一個(gè)海底王國(guó)獲得了一套有魔法的裝備——金箍棒、盔甲和能騰云駕霧的鞋子，之后他成了三藏(李莉[音譯]飾)取經(jīng)路上的保鏢。與他們同行的還有豬八戒(許克家[音譯]飾)和沙僧(董伯瑞[音譯]飾)。根據(jù)節(jié)目單上的介紹，前者是一個(gè)福斯塔夫式的健壯的道家神仙，后者是一個(gè)被流放到流沙河的大將。他們最終一起到達(dá)了佛土，佛祖因?yàn)樗麄兊挠⒂潞鸵懔Χ?jiǎng)勵(lì)了每個(gè)人。

　　As these fanciful descriptions suggest, the plot may be hard to follow for those who are notalready familiar with the legendary figures. In any case plot is merely the scaffolding on whichto hang a series of lavishly staged divertissements involving elaborate juggling acts andcontortionists attired in bright costumes, hurtling themselves around the stage withirrepressible energy (if occasionally dicey precision).

　　僅僅根據(jù)這些怪誕的描述，不了解這些傳奇人物的觀眾很難明白這個(gè)故事的情節(jié)。不管怎樣，情節(jié)只是一個(gè)線索，用來(lái)展示一系列華麗的舞臺(tái)表演，包括精心設(shè)計(jì)的雜耍和柔體表演——穿著閃亮服裝的表演者以勢(shì)不可擋的力量(偶爾看著有點(diǎn)懸)繞著舞臺(tái)飛奔。

　　There are numerous aerial sequences, with demons and gods flitting back and forth high abovethe stage in flowing gowns, trying variously to tame Monkey's outlandish behavior or deathim. The climactic battle involves a drawn-out duel with Princess Iron Fan (Chen Jiaojiao),named after the implement that Monkey and his pals must borrow to make their way through afiery volcano.

　　劇中有很多在空中飛舞的片段，妖怪和神仙穿著飄逸的袍子在舞臺(tái)上空飛來(lái)飛去，用各種方法試圖馴服或者打敗猴子。打斗戲的高潮是與鐵扇公主(陳嬌嬌[音譯])的漫長(zhǎng)決斗。猴子和他的同伴們?cè)谌〗?jīng)路上要翻過(guò)一個(gè)熾熱的火山(實(shí)為火焰山——譯注)，必須跟鐵扇公主借扇子。鐵扇公主就是因她的這件寶物得名的。

　　As portrayed by the impishly funny Mr. Wang, wearing a yellow track suit and a floppy tail,Monkey exudes animal spirits that are more or less untameable. When the Buddha himselfintervenes in Monkey's fate, stretching forth a giant blue hand to tamp down his unrulyexcesses, this ornery creature has the nerve to urinate in his palm, for which he pays a heavyprice. Even at his lowest points, he finds the energy to keep scratching away at his crotch andemitting the high-pitched oo-oo-ing and ah-ah-ing that signify monkeyhood.

　　王璐扮演的美猴王十分調(diào)皮好玩，他穿著一身黃色的運(yùn)動(dòng)服，拖一條松垮垮的尾巴，散發(fā)著有點(diǎn)難以馴服的動(dòng)物野性。佛祖本人后來(lái)也被請(qǐng)來(lái)制服猴子，他伸出巨大的藍(lán)色手掌壓制猴子不守規(guī)矩的過(guò)分行為，這只壞脾氣的猴子居然還有膽量在他的手掌上撒尿，他為此付出了沉重的代價(jià)。即使在他最落魄的時(shí)候，他還有力氣不斷抓撓自己的胯部，發(fā)出尖利的“嗚嗚——”“啊啊——”的聲音，那展現(xiàn)出了他的猴性。

　　Mr. Albarn's ambitious and inventive score will probably not please rabid Blur fans expectingthrobbing electronic pop songs. Sometimes taking on the trancelike qualities associated withcomposers like Philip Glass, it is firmly rooted in Chinese styles of music. (Mr. Albarn has said hedrew primarily on the Chinese pentatonic scale.) The eclectic score — which includes suchoddities as honking car horns and the (recorded) sound of an elevator bell ringing — is capablyperformed by the New York group Ensemble Signal, which specializes in the work ofcontemporary composers.

　　阿爾本雄心勃勃的、別出心裁的配樂(lè)很可能不會(huì)讓“污跡”樂(lè)隊(duì)的粉絲們很高興，因?yàn)樗麄兤诖目赡苁羌?dòng)人心的電子流行音樂(lè)。有的音樂(lè)聽(tīng)起來(lái)很迷幻，跟菲利普·格拉斯(Philip Glass)等作曲家的風(fēng)格有點(diǎn)接近，但實(shí)際上它深深植根于中國(guó)的音樂(lè)風(fēng)格(阿爾本說(shuō)他主要從中國(guó)的五聲音階中尋找靈感)。其中的電子配樂(lè)——包括汽車?yán)群碗娞葩徛?是錄制的)等古怪的聲音——是由紐約樂(lè)隊(duì)Ensemble Signal精彩出演，該樂(lè)隊(duì)善于演奏當(dāng)代作曲家的作品。

　　The singing sometimes superficially resembles the style of traditional Chinese opera, with itseerie pitches, but the performers eschew a regimented style of performance for a looser,more physically fluid and natural approach that's more accessible to Western audiences. Theyall give vivid, animated performances as the tale's whimsical assortment of seekers afterwisdom.

　　劇中的某些唱段是從表面上模仿傳統(tǒng)中國(guó)戲劇的風(fēng)格，比如怪異的高音，但是表演者并沒(méi)有受限于那種風(fēng)格，而是采用更松散、姿態(tài)更流暢、更自然的方式，這更符合西方觀眾的口味。他們的表演生動(dòng)、活潑，就像故事中各種異想天開(kāi)、追求智慧的人們那樣。

　　For all its enticing visual flourishes, however, "Monkey" didn't supply the food for thought oremotional engagement that might make for a truly memorable experience. Perhaps becausethere wasn't much to draw me in, I found myself idly pondering the bits of gnomic Buddhistthought that occasional flashed onto the supertitles, only to disappear bore their paradoxicalideas could be properly digested.

　　盡管該劇的視覺(jué)效果華麗迷人，但是它沒(méi)有提供精神食糧，也不能引起情感上的共鳴，所以并不是一場(chǎng)真正讓人難忘的表演。也許是因?yàn)閯≈袥](méi)有太多吸引我的地方，我發(fā)現(xiàn)自己在漫不經(jīng)心地思索那些偶爾出現(xiàn)在字幕中的精辟的佛家箴言，只不過(guò)還沒(méi)等我看明白那些自相矛盾的語(yǔ)句，它們就消失了。

　　What to make of notions like "the bodiless body is the true body, and real form has no form,"or "a grain of sand the whole universe holds," or "no difference, no sameness, real or unreal"?Like the picaresque tale of "Monkey" itself, which may delight those already familiar with itscolorful characters, these obscurities are no doubt best appreciated by those already well-versed in the tenets of Buddhism.

　　“無(wú)身之身是謂真身，無(wú)形之形是謂真形”，“一沙一世界”，“無(wú)同無(wú)異，亦真亦幻”——這些話到底是什么意思呢?本來(lái)就熟悉這些有趣人物的人可能才會(huì)覺(jué)得這部講述冒險(xiǎn)傳奇故事的《美猴王》很好看;同樣地，只有本來(lái)就熟知佛教箴言的人才最能欣賞這些隱晦的語(yǔ)句。