The 31st China Theatre Plum Blossom Award has selected 17 finalists from across China to compete for this prestigious award. The competition will take place in Guangzhou, the main venue, as well as Hong Kong and Macao branch venues. Finalist Zhang Jiachun and her affiliated company, the China National Peking Opera Company, will perform the Peking Opera Chuncao Breaks into the Courtroom in Hong Kong. On 15 May, a panel of expert adjudicators will be in Hong Kong for the competition and on-site judging. The same repertoire will be performed again on 16 May to provide Hong Kong audiences opportunities to enjoy high quality productions and to be a part of a grand event of the national art scene. Both performances will be open to the public.
Chuncao Breaks into the Courtroom
In 1963, the Fujian Puxian Opera Chuncao Breaks into the Courtroom was adapted into a Peking Opera by the China National Peking Opera Company. The script was co-written by the well-known librettist Fan Junhong and Zou Yiqing. The production was directed by Zheng Yiqiu, the music composed by Zhang Fu, and the vocal styles devised by Guan Yanong. With a tense and convoluted storyline, there are ample opportunities for comedic and witty interaction between the male and female protagonists. Among them, the excerpt The Walk borrows the performing methodology of a Henan Opera Carrying the Sedan Chair in which the characters of Prefect Hu, Chuncao and four sedan chair carriers portray the bumpy but hilarious chair ride over undulating terrain. The production opened to wide acclaim, and soon won a firm fan base. It has been staged frequently over the last six decades, and become part of the classic repertoire of the China National Peking Opera Company.
Li Banyue, daughter of the Prime Minister, and her maid Chuncao are picking flowers and catching butterflies on Mount Hua when Wu Du, son of the Minister of Civil Service, approaches and teases them. A righteous scholar Xue Meiting happens to pass by. He thwarts Wu Du’s attempts, but accidentally kills him in the ensuing scuffle. At the trial, Wu Du’s mother forces the Prefect Hu Jin to sentence Xue Meiting to death by caning. Having no time to return home to confer with her mistress, Chuncao barges into the courtroom and lies that Xue is the son-in-law of the Prime Minister. Chuncao then convinces her mistress to corroborate that Xue is indeed her fiancé. She later schemes to alter the contents of the letter from the Prime Minister so the false betrothal between Xue Meiting and Li Banyue becomes real, and the two of them marry.
Zhang Jiachun as Chuncao
Xu Mengke as Prefect Hu
Tian Lei as Li Zhongqin
Zhou Jing as Li Banyue
Zhang Bing as Xue Meiting
Zhang Zhiyong as Wang Xi
Bi Xiaoyang as Lady Yang
Jin Zhiqi as Wu Du
Wu Tong as Qiuhua
Running time of each performance is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Lyrics and dialogue with Chinese and English surtitles.
Information provided by the arts group.
The presenter reserves the right to change the programme and substitute artists.
The programme does not represent the views of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
China Theatre Plum Blossom Award
The China Theatre Plum Blossom Award was the first artistic award to honour outstanding young to middle-aged theatre performers in China. The title was derived from the Chinese analogy that “the plum blossom’s scent wafts in the most bitter cold” as the award honours the hard-earned achievements of performing artists. Established in 1983, the Award is now presented on a biennial basis. It has so far recognised 55 genres in Chinese traditional theatre, drama, opera and musicals, and 711 performers coming from 30 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, and Hong Kong. Awarded virtuosi include Shang Changrong, Zhang Jiqing, Mao Weitao, Pei Yanling and Wu Fenghua.
China National Peking Opera Company
The China National Peking Opera Company was founded in 1955 with the Peking Opera legend, Maestro Mei Lanfang, as its founding director. There are several organisations under its umbrella, namely the First Troupe, Second Troupe, Youth Troupe, Mei Lanfang Grand Theatre and People’s Theatre. Together they form a conglomerate of some of the most talented professionals in Peking Opera, including renowned performing artists Li Shaochun, Yuan Shihai, Ye Shenglan and Du Jinfang, leading stage director A Jia, and renowned playwrights Weng Ouhong and Fan Junhong. For more than 60 years, the Company has upheld the legacy while diligently striving to create new works. It has staged over 500 traditional theatre productions, new original historical dramas and modern Peking Opera. It has therefore contributed tremendously to the artistic base, heritage and development of the genre of Peking Opera. Some of its signature productions include The Wild Boar Forest, Lu Bu and Diao Chan, The Legend of the White Snake, At the Crossroads, Mu Guiying Takes Her Army to War, Wreaking Havoc in Heaven, All Red the River, The Lady Generals of the Yang Family, Chuncao Breaks into the Courtroom and Princess Wencheng. It has been giving overseas performances in over 50 countries and regions, covering five continents.
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15.05.2023 (Mon) - 16.05.2023 (Tue) 19:30
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