Shenzhen [Drama Gathering Saturday] arranged a Cantonese opera folding play, starring a row of young actors from the Shenzhen Cantonese Opera Troupe. Shenzhen Cantonese Opera Troupe is a state-owned professional opera theater troupe in Shenzhen, led by Feng Gangyi, the winner of the drama "Second Degree Plum" Award, and the award-winning plays such as "Legend of Zhongying Street" and "The Flag of Brother Camel", which enjoy a high reputation in the country. I had the privilege of watching the troupe's performance and looked forward to it. After watching the performance, the feeling that surged into the heart can be summarized in eight words: Cantonese rhyme around the beam, youth and moving.
The repertoire performed on the day includes "Stopping the Horse", "Fighting the Gods and Telling the Temple", "Tanuki Cat for Prince", "Dreaming Back to Taihu Lake", and "Lady Oriental". Except for "Stopping the Horse", the others are all a fold in the repertoire.
The overall impression is that the actors are very young, the artistic conditions are very good, the team is neat, and the performance is full of youth and vitality, which is very fascinating. In particular, the high-pitched good voice sings a clear and high-spirited Cantonese tone, which is even more pleasant.
"Stopping the Horse" is a gong play. Peng Shihui, who plays Yang Bajie, appeared on the scene, which was eye-catching. The appearance, body, steps, dance posture, leg skills, and voice are all in accordance with the rules, and they are a good seedling. Yang Zongming, who plays Jiao Guangpu, has a look, action, and pace within the style of "opening and jumping". The two danced together (stopping horses, stealing waist cards) and playing, and the coordination was also very smooth. The character and plot development of a play are clearly explained.
"Tanuki for Prince" actually plays the "Savior of Kou Zhu". Su Xiaohui and Huang Hui, who play Kou Zhu and Chen Lin, have good looks and good figures. In order to save the prince, he was afraid of disobeying his orders and falling into a dilemma, and his singing was full of emotions and the performance was quite infectious.
The performance of the evening, the most memorable for me was the "doing" of Guiying (Bu Meiling) in "Fighting the Gods and Telling the Temple", the "singing" of Fan Li (Xiaoyi) in "Dream Back to Taihu Lake", and the "beating" of Dongfang Shi (Wen Hui) in "Lady Of the East", which can be said to be wonderful and touching.
"Beating the Gods and Telling the Temple" is about the Song Dynasty woman Gui Guiying who rescued wang Kui, a fallen scholar, on a snowy day, and the two married and swore never to lose each other in the Sea Temple; after Wang Kui won the Middle Title, he actually broke the oath; Gui Ying was sad and indignant, and came to the Sea Temple to cry. This play is available in many drama genres across the country. It requires that the Danjiao who plays Gui Ying has comprehensive skills and can sing and do, especially the feelings should be in place. Bu Meiling's performance has a profound experience of the characters, and the emotional interpretation is more accurate and appropriate. In shaping the character, she used the natural flowing water sleeve kung fu to express the sad and indignant feelings of the time, which was just right. Tumbling and falling on the floor and on the table shows her hard work offstage.
"Dream back to Taihu Lake" should be a legend derived from the story of The Western Shi in the Spring and Autumn "Wuyue Rivalry". Xiao Yi, the actor of Fan Li in the play, is worthy of being the main actor of the troupe, and as soon as he appears on the scene, he can feel a unique aura of a different role. His performance advantages are relatively comprehensive, and his singing alone has many outstanding points. First, the sound cavity is high and low, casual, tactful, and very comfortable to listen to. Second, the design of the singing section is round and beautiful, and it is intriguing. Third, the words are both clear and beautiful, avoiding the drawbacks of individual traditional singing methods.
The Peking opera drama "Lady of the East" is called "Hongni Guan", which is a story from the Sui and Tang dynasties. The plot is more of a joke atmosphere. But the artistic requirements for actors who play people in the play are very high. It seems that several masters of Mei Shangcheng Xun in the Peking Opera line have performed this play. WenHui Wenwu, who played the Oriental clan that night, was a rare one. Her singing was already good, thinking she was just a legitimate green dress. Unexpectedly, she changed her makeup very quickly behind her, and the fight began, and lilisoso, wind and fire, were very imposing. When she and Wang Bodang fought, the "Big Fast Gun", "Double Gun Flower", and "Barbed Gun" were all very effective. It seems that she is still a qualified Dao Ma Dan and Wu Dan.
The above plays are only fragments, but they show the artistic level and lineup of the young actors of the troupe more comprehensively. In today's situation where opera audiences are becoming increasingly scarce, it is gratifying that these young people still insist on inheriting innovation and tempering in the position of the opera industry. Coming to Japan is long, and the burden is not light. The young people of Wu opera have set an example. I hope that the young people of the Shenzhen Cantonese Opera Troupe will also cheer up.
(Image from the Internet)
October 23, 2021