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Orange's TV Review

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Tipping The Velvet (3) : 女裝/男裝.舞台上的表演者

Nan從舞台旁躍上舞台上,是劇場競爭下意外的轉折.她本人並沒有表演的野心,她甚至私心地認為Kitty的事業最好不要太成功,因為她不想和別人分享Kitty.她願意上台完全是因為愛情,順著Kitty的意願,否則這一段就變成另一部<All About Eve 慧心美人>.在變裝的過程中,電視版只是輕描淡寫地拍到Nan剪短了頭髮,在她看鏡子的那一刻,我們以為她會難過,沒想到她笑著回頭望向Kitty:現在我變得跟妳一樣了.

原著提供更多調整性別裝扮的複雜過程.在Walter的主導下,Nan剪短了頭髮,穿上男裝,真的像極了男孩子 (所以有人批評電視版的敗筆就是Nan的選角,連原作者都小小抱怨,Nan在劇中太過漂亮),但怎麼看就是不對勁,旁觀者清的房東太太發現了問題:"Too real. She looks like a boy. Which I know she is supposed to - but, if you follow me, she looks like a real boy. Her face and her figure and her bearing on her feet. And that ain't quite the idea now, is it? (P.118)" 原來女扮男裝的關鍵在於性別曖昧,太過真實反而失去戲劇效果,所以他們又把Nan修飾得稍微女性化一點.

電視版充分發揮它的媒體優點,把Nan與Kitty的排演過程刻劃得活力生動.電視至少用四個場景交叉剪接,表現她們如火如荼的排練:Nan在房間一邊刷牙一邊練歌,Walter在公寓內的鋼琴間,和空曠的音樂室,及半成品的舞台上彩排.把維多利亞時期劇場的歌舞表演,突破文字的描寫,顯現在螢光幕上.

她們排練的曲子:I am rather shy,描述Kitty飾演的Bill,要指導Nan飾演害羞的Bob如何結交女友.這中間少不了Bill要示範Bob如何牽手如何親吻.在彩排時,Nan還在震懾於Kitty的吻(雖然那應是Bill's Kiss);台下觀眾則對倆人的親吻不知所措,到底是因為二個男人相吻(角色),還是因為倆個女人相吻(演員)所引起?電視版非常成功的傳達這種性別裝扮與角色扮演造成的混亂和樂趣.

可是在原著中卻是大異其趣.Nan剛開始穿起男裝時,產生特別的心理變化:「如果我在妳身邊,穿上這些(男裝),Kitty,我會忍不住想吻妳!」Kitty便安撫她:「妳會習慣的,只不過是執行Walter的計劃.要不然,表演(指二人親吻)會成何體統!」(P.114).在稍後的段落,Nan發現自已越趨於男性化,她對Kitty的慾望就越強烈:"Indeed, I seemed to want her more and more, the further into boyishness I ventured."(P.124).倒是電視編劇抓住這個心理,乾脆讓倆人在舞台上公然大吻特吻,顛覆更上一層樓.

票房成功的雙人秀飽受影迷的喜愛,電視版只用一個鏡頭交待她們被影迷追索簽名.在原著中,Nan意味深長的,將眼前的影迷和過去的自己作比較,這些人知道他們在追求什麼嗎:

"Did they know why they looked? Did they know what they looked for? Above all, when they saw me stride across the stage in trousers, singing of girls whose eyes I had sent winking, whose hearts I had broken, what did they see? Did they see that - something- that I saw in them? (P.129)

雙人秀是Nan生命的高峰,但緊接著就是下坡了.Kitty曾告誡她要小心謹慎,不要讓別人知道她們的戀情,不過Nan的男孩子氣卻是很難隱藏的住.一日在劇場後台,另一對拉子工作人員邀請Nan參加派對,Kitty一口回絕了,因為:"They're not like us! They're not like us, at all. They're toms."(p.131).
Nan不解:"But if we're just ourselves, why do we have to hide it?".
Kitty的恐同症在於懼怕被別人辨認出來:"Because no one would know the difference between us and - women like that!"

電視版只用Kitty與Walter幾個眼神交會的鏡頭作情變的伏筆,原著中則強調Kitty的恐同症變成她離開Nan,投入Walter懷抱的推力.

Nan抽空回家探視,因為和Alice的關係徹底決裂,她已無心留在家裡,臨時改變計劃,提早回倫敦,不巧撞見Kitty和Walter的姦情.三個人當場把話攤開了,Kitty抱怨Nan太像男孩子: "We should never be careful enought! You are too much- Nan, you are too much like a boy" (P.171)

Nan質問Walter知不知道她們的關係?"I know, that you were - sweethearts, of a kind",Nan繼續挑戰Walter她們關係的程度:"Of a Kind. The kind that - what? Hold hands?",接著她拋出露骨的聲明:
  • 原著:Dind't she tell you that I fuck her?(173)

  • 電視版:Dind't she tell you that we fuck each other?

  • 電視版延續Kitty在性關係中主動的形象,連著把這一句的主詞一併改掉.


    心碎的Nan離開Kitty,也離開了舞台.不,應該是離開了劇場的舞台,到了另一個舞台.在原著123頁,Nan曾得意於自己變裝成男生的成就:"The truth was this: that whatever successes I might achieve as a girl, they would be nothing compared to the triumphs I should enjoy clad, however girlishly, as a boy."(P.123).在倫敦的街頭上,她將再度證明這真是一項奇異的成就.

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