Celebrated operatic thespian and dancer, Wu Hsing-kuo (
One of Taiwan's leading exponents of Wusheng (
Saddened by what he described as a "declining interest in traditional opera," Wu parted company with the troupe in 1984. Teaming up with a handful of local opera performers also disenchanted by the wane in popularity of traditional forms of Chinese opera, the collective formed the CLT 1985.
Since then the group has become one of the most influential and most respected opera troupes in Asia due to its ability to blend standard classical Beijing opera with Western theater.
The group's many such re-workings include Euripides' Medea, Aeschylus' Oresteia and Shakespeare's Hamlet, re-titled War and Eternity; MacBeth, renamed The Kingdom of Desire and more recently an adaptation of King Lear. For The Hidden Concubine, however, Wu and the CLT have veered away from Western adaptations and returned to their Chinese operatic roots, setting the on-stage dance-fused melodrama in a teahouse in ancient China.
"However much I enjoy blending Western themes with Oriental ones it makes a nice change to return to something very Asian, especially as the show's opening weekend coincides with Chinese Valentines Day," Wu told the Taipei Times. "As it's a love story, it makes it sort of special."
PHOTO COURTESY OF CLT
While avoiding blends of Western literature and Chinese opera to create the mythical world of The Hidden Concubine, Wu has instead merged one of China's most popular legends, The Outlaws of the Marsh (
Although much of the production comes from the Black Dragon Courtyard, it would have been impossible to simply rely on that particular opera for the storyline. "It is four hours long and few people have the patience to sit through a four-hour production these days," Wu said. "So I figured that by blending the opera with the action of Outlaws it would be the perfect way to include love, suspense, action and comedy within a time frame that people would find reasonable."
Both directed by and starring Wu, The Hidden Concubine is part love story and part comedic cautionary tale set against a backdrop of Soong dynasty corruption and double-dealing.
The plot centers around the chain of events that unfold after Wu, in the guise of the corrupt government official, Soong Jiang (
The relationship, while never blossoming into true romance, falls apart after the girl befriends Soong's young apprentice, Zhang Wen-yuan (張文遠) -- also played by Wu.
After threatening to expose Soong's corrupt dealings with the outlaws of Liang Shan (
Returning to Earth as a ghost, the young girl is given two choices by the gods: either to take Zhang's life for romance or Soong's life for revenge.
In order to give the show a degree of realism and a kaleidoscope of color, Wu called on the talents of costume designer, Huang Wen-ying (
For the show's dance routine's, however, Wu has opted to keep it in the family and the choreography has been arranged by Wu's wife and founder of the Tai-Gu Tales Dance Theater (太古踏舞團), Lin Hsiu-wei (林秀偉).
Performance notes
What: Contemporary Legend Theater's "The Hidden Concubine" (
Where & When: Performances will take place at Taipei's National Theater (
Tickets: Tickets cost from between NT$300 and NT$1,500 and are available from Acer ticketing outlets nationwide or, depending on availability, direct from the venue.
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