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The Leisure and Cultural Services Department's Chinese Opera Festival will present "The Seventh Fairy Maiden" and "The Female Consort of the Princess", performed by the Anhui Huangmei Opera Theatre, in June.
For the coming performances, the cast of the Theatre, including Wu Yaling, Li Wen, Jiang Jianguo, Yu Shun and Sun Juan, will perform the two classics onstage. The audience will be able to revisit the mellifluous singing that made Huangmei opera such a huge success.
Huangmei opera is also known as Caichaxi (tea-picking opera). It originated from Anqing, which sits at the junction of three provinces - Hubei, Anhui and Jiangxi. Later it incorporated aspects of the qingyangqiang vocal style, folk songs, the performing techniques of Anhui opera and other operatic genres to come into its own. The vernacular origin lends a natural, vivacious charm to performances, while the lyrical singing and the use of everyday language make it easy to learn to sing. All these qualities make Huangmei opera particularly appealing to the younger audience.
The Anhui Huangmei Opera Theatre has accumulated a rich traditional repertoire and a number of new experimental theatre productions over the years, including "The Seventh Fairy Maiden", "The Female Consort of the Princess", "A Dream of Red Mansions" and "Much Ado about Nothing". Many years ago, the Huangmei opera film "The Seventh Fairy Maiden" produced by the troupe, then named the Huangmei Opera Theatre of Anhui, took Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia by storm. It was so popular that many people in Hong Kong can still remember it today. This is a golden opportunity to show Hong Kong patrons the charm of Huangmei opera on the stage.
Details of the shows are as follows:
June 20 (Wednesday) "The Seventh Fairy Maiden"
June 21 (Thursday) "The Female Consort of
the Princess"
Both shows will be staged at 7.30pm at the Auditorium, Kwai Tsing Theatre. Tickets priced at $240, $180, $140 and $100 are now available at all URBTIX outlets, on the Internet and by telephone credit card booking. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and their minders, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients. (Limited tickets for CSSA recipients available on a first-come, first-served basis.) Please refer to programme booklet for group and package booking discount schemes.
For programme enquiries, please call 2268 7325, or visit www.cof.gov.hk/2012/eng/prog02.php. For ticketing enquiries, please call 2734 9009. For telephone credit card bookings, please call 2111 5999. For Internet bookings, please visit www.urbtix.hk.
The following extension activities will be held to tie in with the performances:
Chinese Opera Film Show: Huangmei Opera Film - "Milky Way Lovers"
May 25 (Friday), 7.30pm
Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum
Starring: Yan Fengying, Wang Shaofang, Huang Zongyi
Tickets: $30 (free seating)
Artists on Their Art: A History of the Development of Huangmei Opera and an Analysis of the Vocal Techniques in "The Seventh Fairy Maiden" and "The Female Consort of the Princess" (Conducted in Putonghua and Cantonese)
June 19 (Tuesday), 7.30pm
AC2, Level 4, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Moderator: Chang Ming
Speakers: Jiang Jianguo, Wu Yaling, Li Wen, Sun Juan
Free admission. Limited seats available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Exhibition on the Art of Huangmei Opera
June 2 to 6
Exhibition Corner, Yuen Long Theatre
June 12 to 24
Foyer, Ko Shan Theatre
Free admission
The Chinese Opera Festival 2012 is one of the celebration programmes of the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Ends/Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Issued at HKT 11:10
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