At the beginning of the new year, the stage of Shanghai Oriental Art Center kicked off the 16th Oriental Masters and Famous Drama Month with a traditional "unboxing" event full of rituals, "The Blessing of Heavenly Officials". On the evening of February 28, actors in brocade attire pretended to be the "heavenly officials" in charge of "luck, wealth, longevity, happiness, and wealth" and stepped onto the stage to pay New Year's blessings. Lively gongs and drums sounded, applause and laughter repeated. The classic masterpiece "Odd Double Club" by the Kunqu Theater of Jiangsu Performing Arts Group was subsequently performed as the opening performance of this year's Famous Drama Month. The atmosphere was full of warm and festive New Year's celebrations.
Traditional New Year unpacking ceremony at the theater "Blessing from Heavenly Official"
As an important part of the spring and summer performances in Shanghai, this Oriental Masters and Famous Drama Month will last until May 1. Peking Opera, Kun Opera, Wu Opera, Shanghai Opera and other high-quality plays will be staged in turn. Various forms such as drama and dance theater will be gathered together. 10 stages and 16 performances will present to the audience a picture of the Oriental stage that combines traditional heritage with contemporary expression.
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Kunqu Opera Double Drama kicks off, bringing new year’s dance and festive atmosphere to the house
The performances of this year's Famous Drama Month were kicked off by the Jiangsu Kunqu Opera Theatre. Shi Xiaming, winner of both the Plum Blossom Award and the Magnolia Award, starred in two major plays, and presented together with a powerful lineup such as Zhou Xin and Xu Sijia.
The first "Odd Double Club" is a frequently performed repertoire in Kunqu Opera. It was originally an Huizhou opera. Yu Zhenfei, a Beijing-Kunming art master, brought it back to the south from Beijing and performed it under the title "Horse Dealer". It tells the story of the final reunion of Li Qi's family after they were wronged. The work is both literary and martial arts, with singing, reading, acting and fighting all interlocking together. It is bizarre, twists and turns and deeply touching. It is a light comedy that makes people laugh. The performance is very lively and festive during the New Year season.
Kun Opera "Odd Double Club"
On March 1st, the repertory play "White Luo Shirt" starring Shi Xiaming was performed. The play is based on a fragmented copy of the Ming Dynasty, and revolves around a young official Xu Jizu who unexpectedly reveals a shocking secret about his life experience during a murder trial. The plot is ups and downs, peeling off cocoons to analyze the depth of human nature. The long narration and singing show the inner struggle of the characters. It will bring the audience a different aesthetic experience from "The Odd Double Club" with a more solemn proposition.
New Year’s interaction before the show
It is worth mentioning that before the performance, Jiangsu Province Kun followed the tradition of "opening the box" to perform "Blessings from Heavenly Officials" and followed the ancient system of "jumping and adding officials" to deliver auspicious wishes to the audience at the beginning of the new year, which means good weather and good fortune. An interactive New Year session was also set up in the front hall of the theater, where the audience received "profit envelopes" symbolizing good luck, adding blessings and color to the new year.
Famous actors from various drama genres gathered together, and 10 dramas were staged one after another
With the grand opening of two masterpieces from Jiangsu Province and Kunming, the 16th Oriental Famous Drama Month has officially kicked off, and stage works of various types and forms will be presented one after another.
From March 6th to 7th, Peking Opera master Shi Yihong will present the classic works "Farewell My Concubine" and "A Dream in the Garden". The former is splendid in both singing and acting, and is emotional and poignant, while the latter is magnificent and has long-lasting sentiment. "Siping Mountain" performed at the same venue brings another tough style with the characteristics of southern martial arts, presenting an audio-visual feast that combines both civil and martial arts for the audience.
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From March 26th to 29th, the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the play's creation and the 410th anniversary of Tang Xianzu's death with the complete version of "Four Dreams of Linchuan". "The Story of Handan" is a mixture of sorrow and joy, "The Story of Nanke Dream" is strange and absurd, "The Story of the Purple Hairpin" is rich and emotional, and "The Peony Pavilion" is beautiful and elegant. Four dreams are intertwined, and the virtual and the real reflect each other. Li An, Shen Zhenli, Luo Chenxue and other "Plum Blossom Award" and "Magnolia Award" famous actors and actors from the middle and young generations will all appear on the stage, presenting an oriental dream scroll that spans time and space and connects ancient and modern times.
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From April 17th to 18th, Zhejiang Zhongyue Wu Opera Troupe will perform the new concept Wu Opera "The Monkey King Three Fights the White Bone Demon" and the youth version of "Mu Guiying", which are well-known masterpieces. They will demonstrate the deep integration of Wu Opera and future vision, and bring an audio-visual feast with both traditional charm and pioneering temperament.
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In addition, the realism-themed drama "South to North" by Jiangsu Provincial Performing Arts Group Theater will premiere nationwide at Dongyi on April 10th and 11th. The work is adapted from the popular TV series of the same name by Gao Mantang, directed by Jiangsu People's Art Director Yuan Junping, and co-created by powerful screenwriters Lin Weiran and Wang Renfan. It tells the story of the watch and inheritance of two generations of railway police in the great changes of the times.
From April 24th to 25th, Beijing Xiandanren Studio will present the latest work of the "Fat Tang, Thin Song" series, "Ci Ci of the Song Dynasty". Directed by first-level choreographer Zhao Xiaogang, the work brings together dance artists such as Shan Chong, Shen Xubin, Sun Qiuyue, and Zhang Zhe, and specially invites musicians Liu Xiaogang, Zhang Lu, Lu Le, Fu Chao, Zhang Naiwen, and Yang Lei to create cross-border creations. Through the collision of dance and instrumental music, they jointly perform a unique "elegance of Song Dynasty".
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From April 30 to May 1, Shanghai Opera "Family Ruijue" (inherited version) will appear on the stage, marking a successful conclusion to this Oriental Famous Drama Month. The work is produced by the Shanghai Theater Company and adapted from Cao Yu's drama "Home". It also traces back to the original novel by Ba Jin. Famous Shanghai Opera performing artists Mao Shanyu and Qian Sijian join in the show, bringing five generations of Shanghai Opera performers to perform on the same stage. With the musical characteristics of Shanghai Opera, which is "tactful, lingering, and good at love", it presents the image of Rui Jue, who is kind, gentle, and tough.
