After 17 years of training, Hsiao Yang-lin (蕭揚玲) feels like she is finally about to step into the perfect role for her, playing the lead in this weekend's production of "Mon Li-jun," a Chinese Honan opera.
"It's amazing, she exclaims. "A play that is designed for me.
Whether it was designed for her or has been tailored by her is a moot point. Clearly, Hsiao's strengths are going to be accentuated by the script, which reflects her interpretation of the character, she says.
"It is also a challenging role because I am playing a man in five of the six acts," says Hsiao.
Mon Li-jun is well known among Taiwanese opera fans, but this is the first time in 10 years that it's being performed in Mandarin as a Chinese opera.
The story of the fabled Mon Li-jun is enchanting. She was a brave and talented woman whose cunning saved her from persecution at the hands of the government, which had accused her father of being a traitor. To protect herself, Mon Li-jun dons the disguise of a man and flees her hometown, leaving behind a self-portrait for her fiance, Shao-hua.
Shao-hua is a military official who has successfully defended the country from intruders, thereby earning the praise and gratitude of the emperor, who decides to give him a woman from the royal family for his bride. But Shao-hua refuses the emperor and insists on waiting for Mon Li-jun to reappear. To settle the dispute, the premier steps in and negotiates a delay of 100 days before the wedding will occur.
Then by chance Shao-hua discovers that the premier is actually his fiance in disguise. Mon Li-jun asks him not to reveal her identity, but instead wait the 100 days so that she can win the friendship and support of the emperor's wife. After her true identity is discovered, the tension increases when the emperor decides to take Mon Li-jun as his concubine. But Mon proves clever, getting the emperor's wife and officials to speak for her. The ending is testament to her talents as a political player.
Hsiao, in playing Mon Li-jun, has reached maturity as a performer in taking on this role of such a well-known female figure in Taiwanese folklore.
Hsiao's mentor, Wang Hai-lin (王海玲), aka the Queen of Honan Opera, strongly recommends her protege for her brilliant and solid acting. Wang will be supporting Hsiao by playing the role of the emperor. For Hsiao, the role is the reward for a lifetime of hard work and tireless devotion.
"I have always wanted to act, since I was a child," said Hsiao, who was born in Kaohsiung and began attending the local experimental school of the Kuo-kuang Chinese Opera Company at the age of 11. "When I started at 11, I knew nothing about Honan opera. Now I am totally enthralled. It sets me free. I can let go of all kinds of emotions on stage that I have to hide sometimes in real life."
Honan is a province in central China. Honan opera is spoken and sung in Mandarin but with a Honan accent. It is easy for Mandarin speakers to understand the words, according to the troupe's publicist and researcher Alice Lin. This time the troupe adopted a story that is familiar to local opera fans in an effort to expand its audience base. The troupe also wanted to be innovative, so it spent four months creating, preparing and rehearsing the new version of the play.
"Honan opera is a lot more friendly than Beijing opera," Lin said. "It tailors itself to the general public. Most people go to Beijing opera, in which the performers speak and act in a very polished and elaborate style. Honan opera is considered more natural and straightforward.
The weekend show, according to Hsiao, is different from other performances based on the same story in that it focuses more on the interaction of Mon Li-jun, Shao-hua and the emperor. The performance will last for about two hours with an intermission after the first 80 minutes.
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