Of revenge and 'giving precedence'

Revenge is said to be sweet, but does it always have to be bloody and cruel? Chen Sheng-fu (陳勝福), producer and troupe leader of Ming Hwa Yuan (明華園), has dealt with this old question in a most thought-provoking manner in his latest Taiwanese opera (歌仔戲 ), in which he turns scenes of brutal bloodshed and a tragic ending into a happy one.

Chen calls his new opera "unconventional and educational."

Though The Revenge of Princes (王子復仇記) is a story that takes place in a Song Dynasty royal family, with episodes of taking revenge and power struggles, Chen insisted the script does not reprise Hamlet.

The opera, which starts tonight and runs until Sunday at the National Theater in Taipei, took Chen two years,with his younger brother Chen Sheng-kuo (陳勝國), to complete.

Revenge is a story about two exiled princes and their mothers at the royal court. The two destitute princes meet and become good friends, though they are unaware of the secret of their royal birth.

When they ascend to power the two good-friends-turned brothers face a power struggle with each other for the emperor's throne.

Chen said he treated this part of the opera with extra care in the hope of conveying a message.

He is convinced that, "Giving precedence to somebody out of thoughtfulness or out of knowing one's limitations, rather than resorting to violence to right every injustice, is perhaps a better alternative to life-long happiness."

Chen said he believes the major characteristics of Taiwanese opera are loyalty, filial piety, moral integrity and righteousness. These four virtues are distinguished elements of oriental culture and the Taiwanese have been upholding them as an important part of their traditional culture.

For the stage performance of Revenge, Chen has applied a number of cutting-edge stage techniques. First of all, the curtain will remain up throughout the entire show and the stage lights will stay on between scenes.

Sometimes, three different scenes may appear simultaneously on the same stage so as to convey related subjects or a sequence of historical events.

The show has a cast of over 100 people, including the well-loved Sun Cui-feng (孫翠鳳), and Chen Sheng-zai (陳勝在).

The Ming Hwa Yuan was established in 1929, in Tainan City. Since then the troupe has performed in many different countries, including Japan, the US, England, France and China. However, the troupe's ticket office receipts in October were squeezed by two large-scale shows, namely Snow Wolf Lake (雪狼湖) by Jacky Cheung (張學友) and The Phantom of the Opera.

Even so, Chen said that a good troupe can never make excuses. Taking on new challenges holds the key to the troupe's survival, he said.

Performance notes:

What: Ming Hwa Yuan's Taiwanese Opera Revenge of the Princes (明華園戲劇團: 王子復仇記)

When: Tonight at 7:30pm, Saturday at 2:30pm and 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm

Where: National Theater at 21-1 Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei (台北市中山南路21-1號國家戲劇院)

Ticket Price: NT$600 to NT$1,800

Call: (02) 3393 9888 www.artsticket.com.tw