Riding the Wind: Story Plays from Old China
Carol Korty
The White Snake
by Mary Zimmerman
Highlights
Synopsis
Mary Zimmerman reimagines The White Snake , an ancient Chinese legend in which a snake spirit transforms herself into a beautiful woman in order to experience the human world.
Adventuring down her mountainside with her companion, Green Snake, White Snake meets and falls in love with the humble, virtuous Xu Xian and convinces him to marry her.
Together, the three friends open a pharmacy, but soon the remarkable healing powers of White Snake draw the attention of a treacherous monk, Fa Hai.
Outraged at the union between a mortal and a snake spirit, Fa Hai takes it upon himself to destroy it.
Zimmerman brings to this timeless romance her usual brilliant mix of ingenious stagecraft, song, abundant humor and compassion.
Press Reviews
"A beautifully crafted [play] that foregrounds theatricality in order to explore the seemingly universal feelings of love, abandonment and desire."
— Exeunt
"The writer-director’s latest adaptation finds her inventive stagecraft as alluring as ever, and by the end, this Buddhist fable achieves its own poetic gravitas."
— Variety
"[Zimmerman’s] meditative quality perfectly complements the pulse of the narrative, an ancient Buddhist fairy tale about the nature of life and love and loss."
— San Jose Mercury News
"Even the darkest evil is brightly beautiful in The White Snake, a play that doesn’t want a single scene to whiz by without a wow."
— The New York Times
"The White Snake dazzles the eyes and the ears in recounting a millennia-old fable with almost shockingly contemporary resonance."
— TheaterMania
Characters
| Character |
|---|
| WHITE SNAKE (BAI SUZHEN) A snake spirit |
| GUAN YIN |
| GREEN SNAKE (GREENIE) |
| XU XIAN |
| BOATMAN |
| SISTER |
| BROTHER-IN-LAW |
| MASTER LIN |
| MASTER LIANG |
| MASTER WU |
| FA HAI |
| CRANE SPIRIT |
| STAG SPIRIT |
| CANOPUS An immortal |
| ACOLYTE |
| MADAME LIN |
| SECOND ACOLYTE |
| NARRATORS , |
| THE MOON , |
| MERCHANT , |
| POOR MAN , |
| DOUBT , |
| NIGHT WATCHMAN , |
| VISITORS , |
| CUSTOMERS , |
+ 4 more characters
Videos
The White Snake – Oregon Shakespeare Festival Trailer
Publication
The White Snake is a comedy play written by Mary Zimmerman and published by Samuel French .
Community Reviews
No community reviews yet
Buy Play
Performance Rights
Available for Licensing
Amateur & Professional
Fee: Minimum Fee: $110 per performance
Restrictions: Major Markets Plus (US) / Standard Plus Add'l Postcodes (UK)
Apply for RightsSimilar Plays
Plays with similar themes, style, and content.
More from Mary Zimmerman
More plays from Mary Zimmerman that we think you'll enjoy.
