'Farewell My Concubine' to hit Shanghai
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E-mail CCTV, January 24, 2013
"Farewell My Concubine" is a Peking Opera play. Out of its countless versions, a new one will presented to audiences soon. The show was created by the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe. With public rehearsals almost over, the play will finally be staged at Shanghai Grand Theater on January 31st.
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Peking Opera play "Farewell My Concubine" is to hit Shanghai. |
"Farewell My Concubine" is a Peking Opera play. Out of its countless versions, a new one will presented to audiences soon. The show was created by the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe. With public rehearsals almost over, the play will finally be staged at Shanghai Grand Theater on January 31st.
"Farewell My Concubine" is based on the legend of the ancient hero Xiang Yu and his beloved Yu Ji. As the story goes, Xiang Yu lost the battle for the throne, and the couple killed themselves at the riverside, besieged by their enemies.
The characters have been interpreted by many famous Peking opera masters, including world renowned Mei Lanfang. Audiences could still get a sense of Mei's performing style in this year's Yu Ji. However, details are a little bit different.
Shi Yihong, Peking Opera performer of "Farewell My Concubine", said, "When I think of inheriting such an ancient play, I believe it must go through some adjustment and innovation, to build a perfect bridge between tradition and something new."
This year's version is not a copy of the 1950s version. The script has undergone six modifications, meticulously going over every word, every line.
Xiang Yu's character used to step up on the stage in the second half of the play. Now, he appears at the beginning, adding more tragic power and delving deeper into the romance of life and death. The performance of Peking Opera artist Shang Changrong has made the character even more vivid.
Shang Changrong, Peking Opera performer of "Farewell My Concubine", said, "A work of art is never finished. It can always be polished further. I think if we keep doing like this, we will have larger and larger audiences."
Sun CHongliang, director of Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe, said, "We hope that this version of "Farewell My Concubine" can be remembered as a classic example of a good combination of tradition and innovation. It answers to the past and the present."
The show features a star-studded cast. After two months of rehearsals, it will finally be presented to audiences on the last day of January.
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