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Operatic treatment for classic texts
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ADAPTIONS of classic texts by the Northern Kunqu Opera Theater company will open the festival of traditional Chinese opera at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center this month.
The annual event runs from March 13 to April 26.
The Beijing company is bringing local audiences three productions, “Dong Xiaowan,” “Xu Pipa” and “A Dream of Red Mansions” — the first time they have brought so many to Shanghai.
According to Yang Fengyi, director of Northern Kunqu Opera Theater, the three shows have different styles.
“Most of our productions are based on classic literature,” Yang says. “We hope to retain the original appeal of Kunqu Opera while covering a wide range of subjects.”
“Dong Xiaowan” debuted last year in Beijing and tells the tragic tale of a young scholar who falls in love with Dong Xiaowan, who works in a brothel in ancient China.
It will be staged on March 13 — on the eve of White Valentine’s Day, when women who received Valentine’s Day gifts are expected to return the favor.
Staged on March 15, “Xu Pipa” (“The New Legend of Pipa”) is based on the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) work by Cao Yin, grandfather of Cao Xueqin — the author of the Chinese classic “A Dream of Red Mansions,” which is also being staged by the Northern Kunqu Opera Theater.
Parts of the text have been lost over the years, and the company has worked to fill the gaps and present this classic on stage.
Set among the turbulence of the late Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220), it is the story of Cai Wenji, one of the most famous female poets of ancient China.
Wei Chunrong, winner of 21st Plum Blossom Prize — the highest theatrical award in China — plays the lead.
“A Dream of Red Mansions,” a new interpretation of the Kunqu Opera classic, will be staged on March 18 and 19.
Kunqu Opera fans will be delighted by the storytelling stage presentation, said the company.
In addition to these three shows, a new original Kunqu Opera production will also be performed in Shanghai this year, says the company.
Zhang Jun, known as “Prince of Kunqu” will present his first original Kunqu opera, “Blossoms On A Spring Moonlit Night,” from June 26 to 28 at the Shanghai Grand Theater.
Zhang, who was honored as a UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2011, will play the lead.
Kunqu Opera week
Date: March 13-19
Venue: Shanghai Oriental Art Center
Address: 425 Dingxiang Rd, Pudong New Area
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