Looking back on the 20 years of the company's history, Wei said that in some respects the popularity and accessibility of traditional Chinese opera has been constrained by the shear complexity and richness of the medium. Many local groups have sought ways to integrate this tradition into performances that can appeal to contemporary audiences, with more or less success. The constant danger is always that the result is simply Chinese opera lite, which keeps the fancy costumes and showy acrobatics, but dispenses with the vocal and athletic foundations that lie at the heart of the Chinese operatic tradition.
It is a fine line, and Contemporary Legend has sometimes strayed, in the view of this reviewer at least, dangerously close to self-parody, especially in larger set pieces. It is no surprise that it is in Wei's performance as Lady Macbeth in City of Desire or Wu's performance as the cast of King Lear, that Contemporary Legend is seen at its best.
But the old school must give way to the new, and the 20th anniversary performance of City of Desire is being used as a rite of passage for a new generation of performers. Sheng Chien (盛鑑) and Chu Sheng-li (朱勝麗), who performed as a soldier and a palace maid respectively in the first production back in 1986, have now graduated to taking the leading roles in three of the seven performances of City of Desire. Their performance will determine whether the Contemporary Legend Theater can continue to mine the rich theatrical seam that has been breached by the company's founder.
Performance Notes:
What: City of Desire by the Contemporary Legend Theater
Where: Metropolitan Hall (台北市社教館城市舞台), 25 Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei (北市八德路三段25號)
When: Wednesday to Oct. 14 at 7:30pm, Oct. 14 and Oct. 15 at 2:30pm (leading roles will be played by Sheng and Chu on Oct. 12 and the two matinees).
Tickets: NT$400 to NT$2,000, available through NTCH ticketing
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