晚清「世界劇場」的理論與實踐──以小說《黑奴籲天錄》的改編演出為例

The Theory and Practice of Late Qing Theatrum Mundi: Stage Adaptations of Uncle Tom’s Cabin

本文所討論的「世界劇場」，指的是清末以降中國戲劇團體以放眼世界的全新視野所編演的作品。這些新劇表面上為中國劇場增添許多特殊景觀，背後其實蘊含了渴望國家早日脫胎換骨、爭得世界強權地位的精神意念。世界劇場形塑於晚清並持續發展，反映了中國社會在思想、政治、文學、劇場美學等知識範疇上的變化。本文以劇場史的建構為基礎，嘗試呈現中國社會在當時特殊的文化脈絡裏，對世界劇場以及種種「黑奴戲」的需求。林紓、魏易合譯的小說《黑奴籲天錄》多次改編為舞臺作品上演，是世界劇場頗具代表性的例證。晚清中國劇壇陸續改編這部小說，體現了戲劇改良言論人士及劇場工作者對世界劇場的共同追求。原著採用通俗的感傷筆法，描寫飽受白人欺壓的黑奴，十分契合當時中國讀者對國難當頭的憂慮及哀思。隨著林紓、魏易等人散播的黑奴之喻，他們翻譯的小說成為頗受歡迎的新劇素材，既可成為劇場新美學的實驗文本，也能結合民間推展的勸股、募款、助學等社會運動，成為凝聚群眾力量的重要媒介。以春柳社《黑奴籲天錄》（1907）、春陽社（1907－1908）和上海新舞臺（1912）的《黑奴籲天》三種劇作為例，我們得以具體觀察「世界劇場」的樣貌與內涵。

The preference to stage non-Chinese stories was an important aspect of the origins of modern Chinese theatre. Although Western stories play a crucial role in today's repertoire, this phenomenon was just emerging at the turn of the twentieth century. In the aftermath of the Boxer Uprising, Chinese theatre underwent series of radical changes that were envisioned by intellectuals as well as theatre practitioners. This article first analyzes the idea of adapting foreign stories for the Chinese stage. In contemporary discussions about China's position in the world, ”the stage” (wutai) became a synonym of ”the globe” (shijie). Naturally, it was believed that to stage global events could foster the spectators' awareness of the nation's situation in the world and to envision their place in the future. Although interested in using non-Chinese plots, late Qing ”theatrum mundi” was in fact a form of national theatre, in which all the foreign appearances on the stage were part of the state-of-the-nation plays. This article then turns to three stage productions of Harriet Beecher Stowe's ”Uncle Tom's Cabin”. Lin Shu and Wei Yi's Chinese version of this novel (1901) was meant to serve as a political warning to the Chinese people. Evidence shows that their point was well understood by many readers, and the different stage versions of this novel can therefore be viewed as reinforcement to these reactions. By examining the forms and contents of the stage adaptations of the novel, it is possible to illuminate the formation of ”theatrum mundi” in the modern Chinese theatre.