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02
Thu
Sep
2019
19:30 |
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$280, $220, $160, $140 |
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Auditorium, Tsuen Wan Town Hall |
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03
Thu
Sep
2019
19:30 |
|
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$320, $240, $140 |
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Auditorium, Ko Shan Theatre New Wing |
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07
Thu
Sep
2019
19:30 |
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$260, $200, $160, $140 |
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Auditorium, Tuen Mun Town Hall |
BUY TICKET
Chinese Opera
A Showcase of Cantonese Operas by Tong Tik-sang
'Tong Tik-sang' is a venerable name in the world of Cantonese Opera. A foremost librettist spanning more than a generation, he had written over 400 plays for Cantonese Opera in his lifetime. His plays are known for his refreshing, refined libretti and harmony in tones, and have remained popular among theatergoers past and present. 2019 is the 60th anniversary of Tong Tik-sang's passing. In tribute to this highly acclaimed librettist, we have selected three of his less staged works – All Because of a Smile, The Dream Meeting between Emperor Wu of Hon and Lady Wei, and Madame Wild Rose – so that the audience will gain a wider and deeper understanding of Tong's works outside of his 'Four Famous Plays'.
All Because of a Smile
Date: 2.9.2019 (Mon) Time: 7:30pm Venue: Auditorium, Tsuen Wan Town Hall
Fan Bingning is a prized housemaid in the residence of Jinan governor Wen Shoulian. At the marriage proposal of the high-born Yang Yuelou, Shoulian releases her to marry while he weds Yan Xijiao at his mother’s behest. Yuelou’s uncle, a greedy gambler, kills Yuelou for money and implicates Bingning. At the trial, the judge is Shoulian. Delighted at seeing her former master, Bingning breaks into a smile. Daomang uses the smile as an excuse to smear Bingning of adultery, and bringing pressure from the military chief to bear, forces Shoulian to indict Bingning and puts her in prison, pending death. Bingning gives birth to a son in prison and puts the baby under Shoulian’s care, hoping her son will clear her name and redress his father’s untimely death when he grows up. The disaffected Shoulian resigns from office in order to bring up baby Xiaolou. Eighteen years later, Xiaolou happens to rescue the emperor and is conferred the title of lordship for his valiant act. He searches for his mother, and mother and son are reunited in a fishing village. But Shoulian is being wrongly accused for acting with an ulterior motive. He dashes against a stove, blinds himself, and ends up as an itinerant singer. One day, he is hired to enter the Yang Residence to sing for Bingning; but he gets chastised by the Yang family. Driven by his conscience, Daomang lays bare the truth which clears the name for the upright judge and the chaste woman.
Loong Koon-tin as Wen Shoulian
Nam Fung as Fan Bingning
Chan Hung-chun as Yang Daomang
Lui Hung-kwong as Mrs Yang senior
Chan Ka-ming as Yan Xijiao (first) / Wen Lijuan (later)
Sun Kim-long as Yang Yuelou
Lau Yu-feng as Yang Xiaolou
Programme Length: The running time of the performance is approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes including an intermission of 15 minutes.
The Dream Meeting between Emperor Wu of Hon and Lady Wei
Date: 3.9.2019 (Tue) Time: 7:30pm Venue: Auditorium, Ko Shan Theatre New Wing
Wei Ziqing is a songstress at a prince’s palace. Her brother Wei Qing, a slave charged to take care of the horses, is in love with the widowed Princess Pingyang. In order to free her lover from servitude, the Princess plots with Dongfang Shuo to arrange a romantic meeting between Ziqing and Emperor Wu who is on his way to a sacrificial ritual. Ziqing is conferred the title of Lady Wei and is inducted into the palace to seek audience with the Empress Dowager. The jealous Empress secretly summons her brother to kill Ziqing but fails. Emperor Wu sends Wei Qing to lead a military expedition to the west. Ziqing lives in confinement in Changmen. The Emperor visits her in secret and is delighted to learn she is pregnant by him. The news is unfortunately leaked to the Empress. Wei Qing returns triumphant, and knowing his sister’s life is at stake, he feigns to kill her by using a palace maid in her place while his sister escapes unharmed. The Emperor, thinking his beloved is dead, mourns her at her altar. When Ziqing appears with her son, he thinks he is in a dream. When the truth is known, Wei Qing is already in command of the state’s armed forces. The Empress is powerless and the Empress Dowager gives her blessings to the two marriages.
Loong Koon-tin as Emperor Wu
Nam Fung as Wei Ziqing
Chan Hung-chun as Dongfang Shuo
Lui Hung-kwong as Empress Dowager
Chan Ka-ming as Princess Pingyang
Sun Kim-long as Wei Qing
In this production of The Dream Meeting between Emperor Wu of Hon and Lady Wei, there will be a special feature to the first show to enhance the singing: it is a soundtrack taken from the recording The First Meeting between Emperor Wu of Hon and Lady Wei, originally written by Tong Tik-sang and adapted by Ng Yat-siu
Programme Length: The running time of the performance is approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes including an intermission of 15 minutes.
Madame Wild Rose
Date: 7.9.2019 (Sat) Time: 7:30pm Venue: Auditorium, Tuen Mun Town Hall
To the outsiders, Dou Mei (Wild Rose) and her elder brother Pihai make their living selling swords and keeping a tavern, but in fact, they steal their guests’ swords, then Pihai would tweak them and sell them for new. Three years ago, Wild Rose and the Crown Prince Zhu Erkui were lovers, and she had given him a sword as gift. Later Erkui’s uncle Zhu Yunwen ascends the throne. He travels incognito to visit the Dou brother and sister, with the purpose of bringing them to live in the palace. When Erkui returns from his expedition, he thinks Yunwen has usurped his throne and seized his beloved. He vents his fury by wreaking havoc in the imperial court. Empress Dowager Pan wants to kill Erkui, but Yunwen saves his life by pretending to insult him and sends him into exile. Erkui invades the State of Yan, and after a number of mishaps, becomes first the consort to Princess Ma Yu’e, before becoming King of Yan. He leads an army southwards and kills indiscriminately, to the misery of his people. He eventually obtains the jade seal and threatens Yunwen to hand over Wild Rose. In order to relieve the people of this scourge, Wild Rose voluntarily gives herself up to Erkui, laces his wine with a drug and steals his sword and arrow token to disband his army. Erkui fights Pihai but loses. Wild Rose persuades him to take his own life to show remorse to the people. Before his death, Erkui hands over the jade seal and Wild Rose also takes her own life to show her love.
Loong Koon-tin as Zhu Erkui
Nam Fung as Dou Mei
Chan Hung-chun as Dou Pihai
Lui Hung-kwong as Empress Dowager Pan
Chan Ka-ming as Princess Ma Yu’e
Sun Kim-long as Zhu Yunwen
Programme Length: The running time of the performance is approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes including an intermission of 15 minutes.
Information provided by the performing group.
TICKETING
DATE VENUE PRICE 02.09.2019 (Mon)
19:30
19:30
Auditorium, Tsuen Wan Town Hall
$280, $220, $160, $140
03.09.2019 (Tue)
19:30
19:30
Auditorium, Ko Shan Theatre New Wing
$320, $240, $140
07.09.2019 (Sat)
19:30
19:30
Auditorium, Tuen Mun Town Hall
$260, $200, $160, $140
DATE02.09.2019 (Mon)
19:30
19:30
PRICE
$280, $220, $160, $140
DATE03.09.2019 (Tue)
19:30
19:30
PRICE
$320, $240, $140
DATE07.09.2019 (Sat)
19:30
19:30
PRICE
$260, $200, $160, $140