Shanghai Daily news
It¡¯s a story of love, betrayal,revenge and a murderous family--- the Sichuan
Opera ¡°Jinzi¡± has all the ingredients of a Shakespearean ragedy but adds a
distinctly Eastern flavor to the plot.
Adapted from ¡°Wilderness,¡± one of the most famous works of China¡¯s literary
giant, Cao Yu, the play tells the tangled story of a beautiful girl, Jinzi, and
her lover, Huzi, who is framed for the murder of his own father by his uncle.
Ten years later, Huzi escapes from prison only to find that Jinzi has been
forced to marry a man she does not love. Reunited with his lover, Huzi vows to
revenge himself ...
Listed as one of the top 10 stage roductions for the National Elite Stage
Arts Project (the highest stage art award in China) last year, the play has won
other state-level awards over the years. It is regarded as a representative work
of Sichuan Opera. Its dialogue is beautifully written with spectacular singing.
Various operatic tricks such as bianlian (face off or face change) are part of
the play. The leading lady is played by Shen Tiemei, president of the Chongqing
Sichuan Opera House and one of China¡¯s most renowned Sichuan Opera performers.
¡°It takes a great deal of effort to perform the opera,¡± Shen says. ¡°I¡¯ve had
to wrestle with every small movement and singing line.¡±
The play has been warmly received both at home and abroad. It is staged more
than 30 times in China every year and has traveled to Europe including France
and Holland. In 2006, the play is scheduled to have a 25-city tour of France.
Sichuan Opera is one of the cultural highlights of the southwestern province
of the same name. Having assimilated the characteristics of other Chinese opera
forms, Sichuan Opera utilizes local dialect, five different sonic systems and
folk music of the province. In order to portray special characteristics of the
players, the opera relies on a series of stunts including face off, spitting
fire and rolling light.
Bianlian is used to reflect what is going on in the actors¡¯ minds and to show
their feelings and sentiments in a romantic way. Actors change their facial
make-up in the wink of an eye.The trick has been widely acclaimed and is famous
for the amazing speed with which actors put on new faces on stage. No matter how
closely bianlian is watched, the secret of the trick remains hidden from
audiences.
Date: October 17-18, 7:30pm
Venue: Shanghai Art Theater,
466
Jiangning Rd
Tickets: 50-220 yuan
Tel:
6256-8282
