Xiqu

In Commemoration of the 400th Anniversary of the Death of Tang Xianzu:
Zhejiang Kunqu Opera Troupe

The Legend of the Purple Hairpin is the first dream in The Four Dreams of Yuming Tang – the representative works of Tang Xianzu. It was inspired by The Story of Huo Xiaoyu, a famous short story by author Jiang Fang of the Tang dynasty. Historically, Willow and Yang Pass are the only frequently staged excerpts in Kunqu Opera. To commemorate this world-renowned Chinese opera playwright, the Chinese Opera Festival has invited Koo Siu-sun, Hong Kong’s Kunqu playwright, to reorganise the 53 episodes of The Legend of the Purple Hairpin into one full-length play with 10 acts. The show will be performed with Tang’s original lyrics and the original musical notation made by Ye Tang from the Qing dynasty. There will be two performances of The Legend of the Purple Hairpin: the first one by Taiwan Kunqu Opera artist Wen Yu Hang and Hong Kong Kunqu Opera artist Ying Kam-sha; the second one, by the two outstanding young performers of Zhejiang Kunqu Opera Troupe – Zeng Jie will be playing Li Yi, while Hu Ping will play Huo Xiaoyu. The role of Grand Commandant Lu will be played by Zhang Shizheng, a Shi-generation Kunqu Opera artist. Liu Gongjin, on the other hand, will be played by fine young jing (painted face) actor Hu Linan. The play will be directed by renowned Kunqu Opera director Shen Bin and artistic supervision by Wang Shiyu and Wang Fengmei, the heritage bearers of Kunqu performing arts. By advocating this collaboration of elite playwrights, creative talents and performers of Hong Kong, the Mainland and Taiwan in this work, the Chinese Opera Festival is committed in promoting the heritage and development of the art of Kunqu Opera. The script of the Kunqu Opera The Butterfly Dream was adapted by Koo Siu-sun in 2005, based on the adaptation stage script by Yan Zhu from the Qing dynasty. Four actors performed ten roles to develop the story of Zhuangzi testing his wife. The play proved to be highly popular after its debut performance and is now being played by Kunqu Opera troupes worldwide. Its staging in both the east and west coasts of the United States have also received critical acclaims. In 2011, the play was restaged by director Lin Weilin of Zhejiang Kunqu Opera Troupe with young actors Bao Chen, Wang Jing, Hu Linan, Tian Yang, etc. with new ideas emerged. The excerpt performance will be led by the Shi-, Xiu- and Wan- generations of actors. Wang Shiyao and Zhang Shizheng of the Shi-generation will partner to stage Writing the Petition from The Story of the Gauze Silk – a performance that the audience will look forward to.