Song & Dance of a 3-Time Cancer Survivor
A version for enjoyable reading
Song & Dance of a 3-Time Cancer Survivor took more than seven years to write and was based on my experience and observation from 1993 when I was first diagnosed with cancer. I am not good with rhymes and not familiar with colloquial English. The Western concept of creative writing is that it is an original work by an individual that cannot be altered. This contrasts with my childhood memory of Cantonese opera in Hong Kong, which can be a collaborative work allowing modification by others (such as the performers). I reconnected with my MA supervisor Dr Mike Greenhough. I had hoped that Mike would co-write it with me: he and I writing the respective male lead and female lead parts (the dialogue between male and female leads), but Mike was busy with other commitments and could only spent a short time with me. I showed Mike the drafts of my story, and he supplied me with colloquial English phrases, puns, rhythms to choose from, and tweaked here and there. The resulting Song & Dance of a 3-time Cancer Survivor – libretto cum script and the core of my creative PhD – has my stamp and reads like a piece of Western creative writing, yet the creation process is so different from the Western concept that Mike and I are both happy to allow flexible use by others. This version is an extraction for a humorous read. See Chapter 5 from the free download of my PhD for the entirety with a reservoir of performative and supporting materials; and other chapters for related stories, research and info. Also see JD Morley's comments.
Click the blue link below to enter each act.
《歌舞慶重生》原名直譯是《三次患癌而存活者之歌舞》，含自嘲之意，因英文＂歌舞＂可解作多餘和過份，創作靈感源自我小時看的粵劇，這是我博士論文的主要創作部分，在英國的大學得到的學位，用英文寫曲本，分十二幕，如十二段折子戲，用了頗多英文俚語和相關語，有點難譯，不過我會慢慢地加上點中文。
Act 1. A KALEIDOSCOPIC PRELUDE《萬花筒前奏曲》updated 更新了
Reasons for Song & Dance
Relevant video "Three Times No Less"
Act 2. MISTER DRACULA, A MAN WITH NO NAME
A hospital appointment fantasy!
Act 3. REVOLVING CLOCKWORK FIGURES《時鐘的旋轉公仔》
Hospital stay 一 What fun! 一 tick tock tick tock!
Act 4. OPERATION BLIND DATE 《互不相識的男女的手術約會》
Joking about the operation!
Act 5. STILL DESIRABLE?
A disturbing scene!
Act 6. THE BEST CANCER TO HAVE!
Doctors and nurses sing and dance!
Act 7. SINGLE OR RETURN?
Suicidal thoughts 一 then, and now!
Act 8. GETTING TO KNOW YOU
Beautiful cancer cells!
Act 9. NO MONEY, NO CHOICES
The NHS!
Act 10. RADIO FUN & CHEMO COMEDY《放療趣事和攪笑化療》updated 更新了
You must be joking! How can such experiences be fun or funny ?!
Relevant video "Electro-Acoustic Radio Fun"
Act 11. YOU ARE NOT ALONE《你並不孤單》updated 更新了
Love and friendship
Relevant videos: "You Are Not Alone" and
"Katarina Majcen plays You Are Not Alone"
Act 12. POSTLUDE BOUQUETS《花圑錦簇後奏曲》updated 更新了
At the end of performances bouquets are usual...
but with an unexpected CODA... That's life!