Opera Excerpts
2/5│Wednesday│8pm
Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium
Tickets: MOP 150, 120, 80
Performers: Guo Xiao, Zhang Bing, Xu Chang, Wang Lu, Liu Jia,Li Haiyan, Song Xiaochuan, Gao Mukun and Dong Yuanyuan
Programme:
Legend of the White Snake: The Trip to the West Lake
The Crossroads
Just a Dream
Farewell My Concubine
From the Xi School’s old man role, known as laosheng, to the Mei School’s matron role, qingyi, to the painted face jing or hualian role of the Qiu School, the many facets of Beijing Opera will be showcased in Macao by National Class I actors. These outstanding Beijing Opera performers demonstrate the allure of this cherished art form through renowned and universally acclaimed works from the standard repertoire. A masterpiece from the China National Beijing Opera Theatre, this programme presents highlights and excerpts from four of the most famous Beijing operas.
Legend of the White Snake: The Trip to the West Lake recounts this classic love story with moving scenes,portrayed with tenderness and romance.
The Crossroads recounts the tale of Jiao Zan, a senior general in the Song Dynasty. Jiao is framed by treacherous officials and exiled to a desolate island, but he is secretly followed there and protected by order of Yang Yanzhao. When Jiao stops to rest in an inn at the Crossroads, a misunderstanding ensues, provoking an unavoidable fight.
Just a Dream tells of the cruelty of war, as Gong Sunzan’s recruitment of soldiers during the Han Dynasty campaign for territorial expansion separates newlyweds, destroys families and crushes soldiers’ dreams of returning home
“Even the strongest warrior can be seduced by a beautiful woman” – the moral of the story from the evergreen Farewell My Concubine. This tale brims with pathos as the ill-fated Xiang Yu takes his own life on the banks of the Wu River.
With surtitles in Chinese
Duration: approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, with no interval
