Shao Opera Art Research Institute of Zhejiang
The Monkey King on stage is clever and agile. Having gone through countless artistic refinement, it has now become a special performance genre in Chinese opera. In this year of the Monkey, the Festival has put together a series to highlight the monkey plays and to offer entertaining and delightful programmes to be enjoyed by all ages.
Monkey play can be categorised by region and defined as the southern and the northern styles. The northern style is represented by Peking Opera, while Shao Opera of Zhejiang is most widely known for the southern style monkey play. Stylistically, the performance of Shao Opera is gallant and straightforward. Shao Opera Monkey King Thrice Beats the Bony Ghost was made into a film in 1960. Since then, Shao Opera monkey play has become widely popular across the country. Shao Opera Art Research Institute of Zhejiang made their Hong Kong debut in 2008 and its performances were enthusiastically applauded by the Hong Kong audience. Returning with critical acclaim, the institute will stage the best of its monkey play with martial acts to astonish the theatre. The audience will look forward to the dynamic cast comprising of Liu Jianyang (Eleven-Year-Old Boy) – famed as “The New Monkey King of Jiangnan” and the proud apprentice of Shao Opera Monkey King master; Yao Baiqing – an exponent of Shao Opera Wang Xiaokui stylistic school and known as the “reborn Bajie of Jiangnan”, as well as the fine actors of the institute. Shao Opera is also reputed as ritual performances at temple fairs. The revived Mulian opera titles selected in the programme of the excerpt performance will highlight the ritual character of the regional opera. Praising Qin Qiong’s Contributions is an excerpt that emphasises on both the singing and the movements; Nine-twist Bridge has a tight-knitted plot; The Fisherman Meeting the Woodcutter, on the other hand, is a classic “duet” play performed by laosheng (old male) and zhengsheng (male lead) actors. The repertoire will stereoscopically demonstrate the artistic qualities of this major local opera genre of Zhejiang.
Shao Opera Monkey King Play
Originally known as “Shaoxing Luantan”, has the common name of “Shaoxing Daban” and is one of the three major regional operatic genres of Shaoxing. The singing is mainly presented in the styles of erfan and sanwuqi. The lengthy style in singing compares to waves rolling at the bottom of the sea; it is sonorous, bold and touches the heart. The stage performance of Shao Opera is one that features both civil and martial acts. Its repertoire is usually themed around kings, generals, prime ministers, as well as their battles and conquests. In the 1940s, renowned Shao Opera artists “Liulingtong” (six-year-old child) and “Qilingtong” (seven-year-old child) arranged and performed all 36 books of Journey to the West. They pioneered in the Monkey King Play of Shao Opera.
The uniquely styled Monkey King Play of Shao Opera features the strengths of various schools. The performance of Sun Wukong has incorporated the qualities of a deity (from the northern school of monkey king play) and the qualities of a monkey (from the southern school of monkey king play). The emphasis is placed on “human” qualities, and “human, deity and monkey” are fused into one. The mask of Sun Wukong in Shao Opera is primarily painted in red, white, black and gold over a red face in the shape of an inverted peach. The eyes are outlined with black and framed by a gold border to highlight the glittering eyes of the Monkey King. This special eye makeup projects the aesthetics of sharp and bright eyes, which are able to see things from a very long distance. “Rolls and Flips” are very frequently performed in Monkey King Play of Shao Opera; they are also the best part of the show. Zhu Bajie, on the other hand, plays his winning card with “foolish looks and skilful acting”. With a traditional black hair cover, the character’s fat body and exaggerating physical language, the performance is filled with a comedian’s touch. The result is a humorous and fun production in which fine acting skills are showcased.
Shao Opera Monkey King Thrice Beats the Bony Ghost is a milestone in Monkey King Play of Shao Opera. The title was made into a film in 1961 by Shanghai Tianma Film Studio. The film has generated huge repercussions both at home and abroad. The theatre group later created and performed programmes such as The Flaming Mountain, Creating Havoc in Heaven and Earth, Sun Wukong Thrice Saves Baihuaxiu, Journey to the West (first volume), Journey to the West (second volume), The Spirited Mountain Nearby and Who’s the Real Monkey King. All these are highly appreciated by the audience. Amongst them, Who’s the Real Monkey King was awarded Special Prize in Wenhua Awards in 2004 and the Audience’s Favourite Script in the 7th China Art Festival. In 2013, Shao Opera Monkey King Thrice Beats the Bony Ghost was included in the Excellent Reserved Repertoire of Zhejiang Province.
Shao Opera Art Research Institute of Zhejiang
Monkey King Thrice Beats the Bony Ghost
Shao Opera Art Research Institute of Zhejiang
Shao Opera Art Research Institute of Zhejiang
Liu Jianyang
Yao Baiqing
Shi Jiejing
Hu Jianxin
Zhang Jingang
Zhang Lixin
Xu Feng
Luo Jiqiang
Yang Jiong
Yang Qinfeng
Ye Jing
Hu Lianghong
Zhang Jun
Zhu Danxian
Shao Opera Art Research Institute of Zhejiang
Internet Booking: www.urbtix.hk
- With Chinese and English surtitles.
- Please refer to the ‘Extension Activities’ page for details of extension activities
- The running time of each performance is approximately 2 hours including an intermission of 15 minutes.
Shao Opera Art Research Institute of Zhejiang