Pai Niang Niang: The Last Osmanthus Blossom

Synopsis

In March 1972, Rebecca Pan self-financed the production of the first ever Mandarin musical, Pai Niang Niang and performed for 60 times at Princess Theatre, Tsim Sha Tsui. This is not only a piece of history of Hong Kong art and culture, but also the most important milestone of Rebecca’s oeuvre. This work used the Broadway musical model to adapt the famous Chinese myth Legend of the White Snake. Bringing together Eastern and Western theatrical styles, the production combined Chinese traditional music, dance, costume and stage design with modern Western concepts. Despite this bold attempt, the resulting work was ahead of its time and was not a commercial success. Also, it was thought to have not been captured on film and faded into obscurity. In April 2023, however, a partial film record of the performance was miraculously discovered. The restored surviving footage has become the finale of this documentary, Pai Niang Niang: The Last Osmanthus Blossom.