|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Theatre listings > National Beijing Opera Company- Tour. Reviews of Forest of the Wild Boars and Legend of the White Snake. Cast - Here. Note on Chinese Opera and glossary - Here. Company - National Beijing Opera Company of China. Tour details on the website - http://www.thebeijingopera.com . Surtitles Kathy Hall. Seen to review at Edinburgh Festival Theatre 0131 529 6000 on 24 May 2005 - . Reviewer - Ksenija Horvat. Forest of the Wild Boars by of China. Intensity and beauty. The qualities that strike one most about Forest of the Wild Boars is the intensity and beauty that comes out of this simple and pure art form. Beijing Opera is renounced worldwide for its stylized and spectacular performances, and this production represents it in the best light. From the moment the curtain rises, the spectators are transported into the polychrome world picturing the rich tapestry of human emotions and easily recognised archetypes. The events showing the frailty of innocence, the polar opposite qualities of love and hate, devotion and jealousy, loyalty and treachery are woven into the story about Lin Chong, the young commander of elite army, who is wrongly accused of high treason, and sentenced to life in exile, far away from his beatiful wife Lady Lin. The plot flows seamlessly, and is presented in a precise and effortless fashion that makes this production easy to follow, even without the help of surtitles. Consisting of harmonious display of dancing, mime, acrobatic combat skills, dialogue, monologue and musical accompaniment, the Beijing Opera tells the story in an entertaining and accesible manner. It is a highly sophisticated entertainment form with performances honed to perfection, whose visual and acoustic richness captures the imagination of an audience of all ages and cultural backgrounds. There is much to be learned from the Beijing Opera's performance styles. The company's restrained, completely controlled performances make it easy to forget that behind the effortless elegance lies years of rigorous physical training. Although an ensemble accomplishment in the truest sense, with wonderful performances from all company members, one does have to mention a few such as Yu Kuizhi's perfect wusheng presentation of Lin Chong. Yang Chi is funny and captivating as Monk Lu in probably the best example of a jing character seen on stage in the recent years, and Li Shengsu's Lady Lin is a truly mesmerising vision of fragile beauty and unshakeable loyalty. Above all stands out Zheng Yan's stellar portrayal of villanous Gao Shid. Zheng Yan succeeds in creating a character that is funny and chilling at the same time, a spoilt, mean rascal from Chinese folk mythology, a perfect chou who would, if presented before a Chinese audience, be gleefully booed off the stage. The bareness of stage allows for unrestricted movement and spectacle, such as in the scene where Lin Chong is captured and tortured before the Commander-in-Chief, or in the later spectacular combat scene. The minimal use of props relies on the audience's imagination to conjure the specific locations. The beautifully crafted backdrops and transparent screens create a clear sense of depth and perspective. This bareness of staging is sharply contrasted with the lavishness of costumes, which are not only extravagantly beautiful but also clearly display the characters' social status, and the loud musical accompaniment that is essential in setting the action's tone and underscoring the characters' emotions (look for the wonderfully poignant scene in the second part, where Monk Lu Zhisen receives news of Lin Chong's predicament). In this production musical accompaniment was provided by orchestra band and percussion band. This is a common trait of Chinese Opera, with the former usually accompanying peaceful, idyllic scenes, while the latter underscores combat scenes. In short, Forest of the Wild Boars is everything it says on the tin. It is funny, spectacular, colourful and imaginative; a fascinating theatrical encyclopaedia of Chinese culture. A true treat, worth seeing. © Ksenija Horvat, 24 May 2005 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com Legend of the White Snake. Astounds and touches hearts. The White Snake and her sister the Green Snake get seduced by the delights of human world, and descend upon the earth in the forms of young ladies by the names of Bai Suzhen and Xiao Qing. While strolling by the West Lake, they are caught in heavy rain, and a young apothecary Xi Xian comes to aid with his umbrella. The meeting is a fatal one, Bai Suzhen and Xi Xian fall in love and set into motion the chain of unfortunate events. For all those who enjoy Chinese myths, and myths in general, Legend of the White Snake is an absolute must. Retold in a simple manner, this easy to follow story grips one's attention from the outset, and the mastery of presentation showed by two female performers, and the rest of the ensemble, is remarkable. Bai Suzhen, or the White Snake, is played by Li Shengsu, who already captured the hearts of the Edinburgh audience the night before in Forest of the Wild Boars by her a superb performance in qingji role of Lady Lin. In Legend of the White Snake, she shows her considerable combat expertise, attacking the role, and her stage adversaries with passionate gusto. Li Shengsu is well matched by young Huang Hua, whose Xiao Qing must be lauded as an inspired example of wudan role. Amongst other protagonists, Zhang Wei's Xu Xian offers a sensitive portrayal of a shilly-shallying youth whose lack of faith brings misfortune upon him and his young wife, Yang Yanyi's rich voice adds menace to his portrayal of the evil monk Fa Hai, and we dare you to spot Zheng Yan (Gao Shide in Forest of Wild Boars) in another delightful chou role as the old Boat Man. Another revelation of the evening is Chen Guosen whose Little Monk (after his sombre portrayal of villanous Lu Qian in Forest of the Wild Boars the night before) has the audience laughing heartily. The production is accompanied by music of a small integrated band (consisting of the elements of string and percussion orchestra) reduced in size for the purpose of touring, with Zhao Qi on drums, and Li Yiping playing Qin. The set is flawless, and the lighting helps transport the audience into the magical world of good and evil spirits fighting over the souls of humans. Legend of the White Snake is a tale of love, loss, constancy, unfaithfulness and the triumph of good vs. evil, as magical as the culture from which it originated. Its source is a famous tale from the T'ang Dynasty (618-907 AD) about a young man's tragic love for a lady in white. Like Forest of Wild Boars, it represents a palette of cultural wealth of inland China, a memento from a distant time, perfectly preserved by the expert performers of Chinese opera. The Beijing Opera Company have performed on the Edinburgh Festival Theatre's stage before, and there is a great many Edinburgh's audiences who will wait impatiently to welcome them again. Last night's performance of Legend of the White Snake touched the hearts of many with its gentle love story, while its breathtaking acrobatics and combat scenes were frequently followed by the audience's enthusiastic applause. It was a great tribute to the skills, elegance, histrionics and warmth of these superb Company performers. © Ksenija Horvat, 25 May 2005 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com Note on the Chinese Opera Form and glossary by Ksenija Horvat - Of course, it would be delusional to claim that Chinese opera is, or should be, everyone's cup of tea. It is a verocious attack on all senses, with its loud colours in costumes and makeup. The colours of costumes are significant for the understanding of the characters and the plot, and the elaborate makeup serves a double purpose, to accentuate the protagonist's facial features, and to determine the type of character. For example, the white patch on the nose signifies clowns in general. The type of a clown is determined by a shape and a size of the white patch. Similarly, the characters of warriors or demons would have their faces painted with different colours signifying different features, such as red for courage and loyalty, green for stubbornness, or white for treachery. Music in the Chinese opera is played in a register the western ear is unaccustomed to. There is a specific historical reason for this. In the past times, this form of entertainment was performed in the open-air, in markets, squares, streets, teahouses or the courtyards of temples. As a consequence, the orchestra had to play loud, and the performers had to perfect the high pitched singing style that would carry above and beyond loud music, to be heard by their audiences. This singing style was perfected by the Beijing Opera, the most popular amongst different types of Chinese opera, and now widely accepted as the national opera of China, which was established in 1953 by Mei Lanfang, an internationally renowned performer of dan roles, and the Opera's first director. wusheng - leading male roles, acrobats who play military men and fighters. jing - mostly male, the face-painted roles of warriors, heroes, statesmen, adventurers and demons. chou - clowns, characterised by a white patch on the nose, sometimes mean and other times witty characters. © Ksenija Horvat, 25 May 2005 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com Casts of the two shows. Forest of the Wild Boars Musicians Su Gangzhong (drums), Zhao Jianhua (Cao Qin). Cast Wang Jue - Fu An; Zheng Yan - Gao Shide; Wang Baoli - Lin Shou; Song Yi - Jin Er; Yu Kuizhi - Lin Chong; Li Shengsu - Zhang Zhenniang, Lady Lin; Chen Guosen - Lu Qian; Yang Chi - Monk Lu Zhisen; Sun Guiyuan - Gao Qiu; Liu Kuikui - gao Wang; Song Feng - Zang Yong; Chen Zhongjian - Dong Chao; Shen Jingin - Xue Ba. Legend Of The White Snake. Musicians Zhao Qi (drums), Li Yiping (Qin). Cast Li Shengsu - Bai Suzhen, White Snake; Zhang Wei - Xu Xian; Huang Hua - Xiao Qing, Green Snake; Yang Yanyi - Fa Hai; Zheng Yan - Boat Man; Li Lei - Lu Tong, or Deer Boy; Sun Liang - He Tong, or Crane Boy; Liu Kuikui - Monk; Chen Guosen - Little Monk; Sun Guiyan - Dragon God. 2005 Tour Details of National Beijing Opera Company of China see Website http://www.thebeijingopera.com. Theatre Editor, Thelma Good's e-mail is thelma@edinburghguide.com Although every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information presented in these pages, no responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions. Theatre listings >
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|||