A made-in-Shanghai classic Peking Opera, The Royal Concubine, will be staged in Beijing next month, and it is just the prelude to the play's ambitious plan of world tour.
Starring Mei Baojiu, son and artistic heir of late Peking opera master Mei Lanfang, The Royal Concubine was a hit when it debuted in the opening of Shanghai International Arts Festival in 2001. The opera had the second run in the city last year. Its seven performances were sold out.
The play is a marriage of tradition and modernism, with elements borrowed from opera and modern dance.
"Just like my father's 'Mei-style' aria, the play sticks to the essence of Peking Opera and at the same time updates and renews the ancient art form," said Mei Baojiu. "I regard it as a gift to my father for what would have been his 110th birthday next year."
The opera is based on the love tragedy with imperial concubine Yang Yuhuan and Li Longji, an emperor of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).
The play will run in Beijing's Poly Theater from April 15 to 18, and the organizer hopes to tour foreign countries in the future.
Organized by Shanghai Wenxin United Press Group and Shanghai Media Group, the play has assembled 300 artists from Shanghai Peking Opera House, Shanghai Opera House, Shanghai Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai kunju Opera House, and a few others from China Opera House in Beijing.
(Eastday.com March 21, 2003)
