A mysterious man, wondrously talented but disfigured, haunts the dark corners of a tower. A beautiful maiden, who with her charm and innocence persuades him to come forth. A tragic love triangle.
This isn't the plot of Phantom of the Opera but the upcoming Taiwanese Opera production Who Is My Bride?
A production of the Tang Mei Yun Taiwanese Opera Group (唐美雲歌仔戲團), one of Taiwan's top troupes, Who Is My Bride? borrows key plot elements and set pieces from the internationally acclaimed Phantom and puts them in an historical Chinese context.
Founded in 1999 by Tang Mei-yun (唐美雲), daughter of Chiang Wu-tung (蔣武童) an early pioneer of Taiwanese opera , the troupe has for many years been trying to reinvent the art form to make it relevant to contemporary society.
"In order to introduce Taiwanese opera to a younger audience, we took a step back and analyzed what might turn off the new generation of audiences," explained Tang, who both stars in and directs the new production. "We realized we had to create characters and situations that engaged the audience and ... not just preach traditional morality."
The story unfolds in three different eras. Whether trans-planting elements from a hit show such as Phantom across time and cultures can reinvigorate Taiwanese opera, and make it appeal to youngsters in the era of game consoles and computers remains to be seen.
"We like to think of this as the Chinese version of Phantom of the Opera, but with an emphasis on traditional Chinese music, bringing the story into a mystical eastern setting that is nothing like you've ever imagined," Tang said.
Performance notes:
What: Tang Mei Yun Taiwanese Opera Group's Who is my Bride?
Where: National Theater Hall
When: Today through Sunday with evening performances starting at 7:30pm, and afternoon performances starting at 2:30pm
Tickets: Tickets cost between NT$400 and NT$2,000 and are available at Arts Ticketing, visit www.artsticket.com.tw for more details
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