The Chinese Opera Festival will give Hong Kong patrons a rare chance to see Wu opera in June. The performances are presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

     Wu opera is a major regional genre originating from Zhejiang Province. It is especially popular in the Jinhua area, which is why locals often call it Jinhua opera. Wu opera is a hybrid of six singing styles from different traditional genres, namely "gaoqiang", "kunqiang", "luantan", "huixi", "tanhuang" and "shidiao". Wu opera performers are always highly skilled in martial arts. As they are versatile in both civil and martial elements, their performances often demonstrate both boldness and tenderness. The line between the civil and martial repertoire is often crossed - civil sequences may be played with martial acts, and martial segments might be sung instead. Artistically, Wu opera is distinctly colourful, vivacious, intense and rustic. Its performers are particularly good at delivering dancing and martial scenes, as well as highlighting the power of movement and strong emotions.

     The Zhejiang Wu Opera Research Centre performed at the Chinese Opera Festival in 2013 to great acclaim. For Hong Kong audiences, the distinguished Wu opera artistes Yang Xiayun, Lou Sheng, Wu Wenling and others will perform the classics of the Wu opera repertoire. The full-length play "Mu Guiying" is an elaborate production that features superior martial skills. Other excerpts will be performed with the traditional techniques and martial postures of Wu opera. For example, in "Wang Ying Suffers Three Beatings", audiences can enjoy a water-drinking stunt, and in "Burning Zidu Alive" there are various entertaining face-changing tricks. "The Broken Bridge" from "The Legend of the White Snake" is a signature performance which adds martial touches to a civil style. Audience members are also sure to be excited by the "snake steps" of the White Snake and the Green Snake, as well as Xu Xian's "eighteen falls".

     Details of the performances are as follows:

June 23 (Friday), 7.30pm; Auditorium, Sha Tin Town Hall
Excerpts: "The Death of Zhou Yu", "The Incident at White Water Beach", "Wang Ying Suffers Three Beatings", "Stopping the Horse", "The Eighteen Arhats Fighting with Wukong"

June 24 (Saturday), 7.30pm; Auditorium, Sha Tin Town Hall
"Mu Guiying"

June 25 (Sunday), 7.30pm; Auditorium, Tuen Mun Town Hall
Excerpts: "Lu Bu Pacing His Horse", "Burning Zidu Alive", "Shenting Ling", "Shaving His Hair, Flooding Jinshan Temple & The Broken Bridge" from "The Legend of the White Snake"

     Tickets priced from $150 to $380 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone credit card bookings, please call 2111 5999.

     For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7325 or visit www.cof.gov.hk.

Ends/Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Issued at HKT 12:36

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