Hugh Lee (李國修), founder of one of the nation’s leading theater groups — the Ping-Fong Acting Troupe (屏風表演班) — died yesterday at the age of 58 after battling cancer for three years.
The troupe announced Lee’s death yesterday morning and said that his wife, actress Moon Wang (王月), and their two children were with him when he passed away at 3:34am in Greater Taichung.
Lee, born in Taipei in 1955, first rose to stardom because of his comedic performances in TV shows in the 1980s and won a Golden Bell Award for “most promising actor” in 1982.
Photo: CNA
The actor also began working in local theater around that time and was one of the two actors featured in the 1985 play That Night We Performed Crosstalk (那一夜，我們說相聲), the first production of the now renowned Performance Workshop (表演工作坊) cofounded by Stan Lai (賴聲川).
Lee set up Ping-Fong in 1986 and was the group’s main actor, director and writer, before announcing in December 2011 that he was taking a break from the stage because of colon cancer diagnosed the previous year.
Lee’s works, such as Can Three Make It (三人行不行), were known for satirizing contemporary political and social events, and for using a few actors to play tens of characters.
One of Lee’s most notable productions was the Fong Ping Trilogy. The three plays tell the story of a fictional “Fong Ping” theater group’s disastrous attempts at staging its productions, reflecting the challenging environment local performance groups face.
Lee was the first recipient of the National Award for the Arts in the drama category when the award was established in 1997. He was honored for his works that combine traditional and modern art formats, and his efforts to build a professional theater group.
In a recording played during a press conference held by his family yesterday, Lee said he hoped that people would appreciate his life in the theater through the 27 scripts he left behind.
TV presenter and actor Sam Tseng (曾國城) has been asked to host the funeral. Tseng’s job is to make people laugh because Lee wanted people to feel they are going to see a performance, Lee’s son said.
Ping-Fong said its performances will go on as scheduled, and fans planning to attend his funeral are invited to register through the troupe’s Web site and encouraged to bring a ticket stub from a past performance.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday expressed his condolences to Lee’s family, describing Lee as a master of the performing arts who cultivated great talent in the field.
Lee’s death is a great loss to the arts and culture industry, Ma said.
“Mr Lee was an actor and director with rich talent and amazing creativity. He gave new life to Taiwan’s drama and left rich cultural assets for the nation,” Ma said on his Facebook page.
The president said he called Wang yesterday morning to express his condolences.
Ma said he had performed a show with Lee while serving as Taipei mayor in 2001 to promote traffic awareness regulations and was impressed with his patience.
“He patiently taught me how to perform and I realized that the reason he has been an influential figure in the performing arts is that he is willing to pass on his experience to others and to cultivate talent,” Ma said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture said it would propose awarding a presidential citation posthumously to Lee, in recognition of his life-long contribution to the performing arts in Taiwan. The Cabinet will review the proposal tomorrow, it said.
Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS