Xiqu

Two top-notch Peking Opera troupes are visiting Hong Kong to showcase their distinguished talents to kick off the Chinese Opera Festival. The first three performances will be headed by the Peking Opera Theatre of Beijing. The opening performance A Right Royal Match is a lively and entertaining traditional Peking Opera. Esteemed performing artists Yu Kuizhi, Du Zhenjie and Yang Shaopeng will be co-playing Liu Bei; Li Shengsu and Zhang Huifang will be co-playing Sun Shangxiang. Also in the cast is the representative xiaosheng (young male) actor Li Hongtu and other renowned artists. A Meeting of Heroes, Invoking the East Wind and The Huarong Pass is another classic that features reverberating singing. The cast comprises of Tan Xiaozeng (celebrated laosheng (old male) of the Tan (Xinpei) school), Zhu Qiang (laosheng of the Ma (Lianliang) school), Du Zhenjie (laosheng of the Yang (Baosen) school), as well as guest performer Yang Chi (direct apprentice of Yuan Shihai). The Fourth Son Visits his Mother is a representative work of Wang Rongrong, renowned leading qingyi (virtuous female) of the Zhang (Junqiu) school. She will be partnering with laosheng actors Zhang Jianfeng, Tan Zhengyan, Yang Shaopeng and Zhu Qiang, who will be co-performing the role of Yang Yanhui. The First Troupe of the China National Peking Opera Company will take the lead in the next three performances. Yu Kuizhi, a leading artist playing the laosheng role, will be headlining in Pillars of the Dynasty, Visiting the Mausoleum and The Two Faithful Courtiers; he will be co-starring with Li Shengsu, a dan (female) performer who has inherited the art of Mei Lanfang, and Yang Chi. The production is characterized by demanding singing segments that bring out the rapport and virtuosity of the cast. The Nymph of Luo River and The Unofficial Biography of Taizhen are both famous Mei (Lanfang) school repertoires. The Loss of Jieting, Empty City Stratagem, Executing Ma Su, on the other hand, is a representative Peking Opera title that underscores the art of laosheng.