Name: Peony Pavilion
Start: 2024-03-02T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2024-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Organization

Admin

Hong Kong Arts Festival

Stage director

Guo Xiaonan

Set designer

Huang Haiwei

Lighting designer

Wu Wei

Singer

Hu Weilu

Liu Mengmei

Peony Pavilion -  (The Peony Pavilion)

Hong Kong

China

Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Grand Theatre

Public

The Peony Pavilion

Akshay C K

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Hailed as the Shakespeare of China, Ming-dynasty playwright Tang Xianzu is arguably the most seminal figure in the history of Chinese theatre. His magnum opus The Peony Pavilion tells the epic, death-transcending romance between a governor’s daughter and a young scholar. Written more than four centuries ago, this sprawling classic has stood the test of time and still remains the epitome of kun opera. Due to the work’s sheer scope, nowadays it is mostly presented on the kun opera stage in the form of excerpts.

In its 46-year history, Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe has staged The Peony Pavilion around a dozen times, and each rendition was met with critical and popular acclaim. The new adaptation, however, does something entirely different: Directed by acclaimed theatre director Guo Xiaonan and comprising all of the original play’s 55 scenes, it is making its debut on the Hong Kong stage following its highly successful premiere in November 2022 in Shanghai, offering an unmissable opportunity to witness this masterpiece in its full glory. 

The Peony Pavilion (complete version) is based on an abridged 35-scene version by the late dramatist Wang Renjie, while also returning the 20 scenes to the opera. By presenting the entire story as Tang Xianzu originally intended, it is able to showcase the complexities of the characters and the greater social landscape around them to a wider extent without taking away from the central plotline. Instead of a pure romantic drama, as it has been traditionally perceived, the complete version is given room to further emphasise the clash between love and societal norms, idealistic dreams and the harsh reality of the times, thus delivering more nuances and a profound, more complete story arc. 

Complete with innovative stage and costume designs, which create an ethereal, poetic atmosphere and an interesting blend of old and new, the production boasts a refreshing artistic texture that immerses the audience in a romantic dreamscape.

Making The Peony Pavilion (complete version) was an expansive, years-long endeavor undertaken by an elite group of multi-generation artists from the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe. Some of the most renowned veteran performers of the genre, including Yue Meiti, Cai Zhengren, Zhang Jingxian and Li Xiaoping, served as special consultants and instructors, while onstage, top young artists take the limelight. The female lead is played by Luo Chenxue, a National Class One performer who recently won the prestigious Plum Blossom Award for Chinese Theatre for this role in June 2023. Meanwhile, Hu Weilu, a new recipient of the Shanghai Magnolia Stage Performance Award for her cross-gender portrayal of the male lead, takes on a major career challenge and delivers an outstanding performance.

Tickets are available for purchase from 1 December 2023 at URBTIX

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