Shorter and snappier 'Peony Pavilion' opera
By Xu Wei |
March 25, 2012, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
"KUNQU Opera Prince" Zhang Jun, a new UNESCO Artist for Peace, is always trying to enliven long, drawn-out classic plays by condensing them, simplifying and adding innovative elements.
He fused New Age, jazz, electronic and rock 'n' roll with traditional Kunqu Opera scores at a charity concert last December. He also staged the classic "Peony Pavilion" in a real garden in suburban Zhujiajiao water town.
His latest effort is a simpler, shorter and more dramatic "Peony Pavilion" to be staged from June 1 to 3 at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center.
A story of forbidden love, death and resurrection, "Peony Pavilion" from the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) has been compared to China's "Romeo and Juliet." It centers on the love of Du Liniang, the daughter of a rich family, and a poor young scholar Liu Mengmei. They meet and fall in love in a dream, while Du is sleeping in the family's peony pavilion in their garden.
Zhang will collaborate with award-winning Taiwanese theater director Li Shao-ping and famous Peking Opera performer Shi Yihong.
Many versions of "Peony Pavilion" have been staged and 600-year-old Kunqu Opera versions are common.
"But the new version will be more condensed and offer big emotional beats with simple acting," director Li says. "Many performers have overexerted themselves portraying the characters. However, what our audience need is not elaborate, stereotypical performance with too many techniques, but acting that can inspire and evoke imagination."
"The stage setting and costumes will also be simpler and more abstract, trying to recreate the play's original performance style," says Zhang.
Zhang is considering an overseas tour for the garden-version of "Peony Pavilion" in Germany and the United States. He is also preparing a new staging of the Kunqu Opera classic "Palace of Eternal Youth."
Earlier this year, he was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace, honoring his efforts to spread appreciation for Kunqu Opera and traditional Chinese culture.
Shi, known for her performance in the Peking Opera "Unicorn-trapping Purse," will play Du. Shi says that she like many Peking Opera performers have been required to learn Kunqu Opera.
"But it is still a challenge," she says. "The elegant art form is not that easy. The performer must be versatile, with an all-round ability to act, sing and dance."
Date: June 1-3, 7:15pm
Venue: Shanghai Oriental Art Center, 425 Dingxiang Rd, Pudong
Tickets: 80-680 yuan
Tel: 6854-1234
He fused New Age, jazz, electronic and rock 'n' roll with traditional Kunqu Opera scores at a charity concert last December. He also staged the classic "Peony Pavilion" in a real garden in suburban Zhujiajiao water town.
His latest effort is a simpler, shorter and more dramatic "Peony Pavilion" to be staged from June 1 to 3 at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center.
A story of forbidden love, death and resurrection, "Peony Pavilion" from the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) has been compared to China's "Romeo and Juliet." It centers on the love of Du Liniang, the daughter of a rich family, and a poor young scholar Liu Mengmei. They meet and fall in love in a dream, while Du is sleeping in the family's peony pavilion in their garden.
Zhang will collaborate with award-winning Taiwanese theater director Li Shao-ping and famous Peking Opera performer Shi Yihong.
Many versions of "Peony Pavilion" have been staged and 600-year-old Kunqu Opera versions are common.
"But the new version will be more condensed and offer big emotional beats with simple acting," director Li says. "Many performers have overexerted themselves portraying the characters. However, what our audience need is not elaborate, stereotypical performance with too many techniques, but acting that can inspire and evoke imagination."
"The stage setting and costumes will also be simpler and more abstract, trying to recreate the play's original performance style," says Zhang.
Zhang is considering an overseas tour for the garden-version of "Peony Pavilion" in Germany and the United States. He is also preparing a new staging of the Kunqu Opera classic "Palace of Eternal Youth."
Earlier this year, he was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace, honoring his efforts to spread appreciation for Kunqu Opera and traditional Chinese culture.
Shi, known for her performance in the Peking Opera "Unicorn-trapping Purse," will play Du. Shi says that she like many Peking Opera performers have been required to learn Kunqu Opera.
"But it is still a challenge," she says. "The elegant art form is not that easy. The performer must be versatile, with an all-round ability to act, sing and dance."
Date: June 1-3, 7:15pm
Venue: Shanghai Oriental Art Center, 425 Dingxiang Rd, Pudong
Tickets: 80-680 yuan
Tel: 6854-1234
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