The next play is called The Umbrella of Stage Directions.
Often in the Beijing opera and Chinese drama,
there's one character who's a trickster.
And that Jai Fu was the trickster.
The Umbrella of Stage Directions,
the throne room in Beijing, Jai Fu.
In Hainan, we have something called the umbrella
of stage directions.
King: what is it?
Jai Fu: you open this umbrella and all stage directions
come out.
King, what this means?
I do can in no way understand it by the broad high streets
of Beijing.
Jai Fu: right this second, king, umbrella is being opened
outside, and soon we will see.
Big banging sound of umbrella snapping open with wind.
Next, entering and exiting with astonishing rapidity,
all kinds of characters, they fall down, laugh, weep, get up,
fly about.
Open drawers, tear up pieces of paper, wring their hands,
stop, leap, go down on one knee, et cetera.
The acting of stage directions.
King: ah, so beautiful.
And how do stage directions end?
Jai Fu: like this.
Jai Fu signals to certain stage direction
men who seize, bind and gag the king and carry him off.
In a moment, the king comes back unbound and free.
King, oof, very good, clever.
Now you tell me, these stage directions
from many different plays?
Jai Fu nods.
Let plays be brought in.
I wish to see them, minority nationalities,
underground army, blad gark, other ones.
Keep here stage directions and bring plays.
Stage directions: but we are part of the plays, majesty.
King: no matter.
Keep stage directions here.
Jai Fu: so it shall be.
Jai Fu herds all the stage directions to one side
and encloses them in some kind of fencing, from which they
try in vain to escape.
They eventually do escape.