Friday, January 11, 2008

"Rojak" Broken Bridge

For those who are from my opera troupe would know that we're currently rehearsing a new excerpt titled "Broken Bridge" from "Madam White Snake". In the spirit of rehearsal, I've decided to showcase a version of this "Broken Bridge", but somewhat a rojak version. Why would I call it rojak is because this performance is a combination of Yueju, Chuanju (Sichuan opera) and Yuju (chief opera genre of Henan). The role of Madam White Snake was performed by Fang Yafen in Yueju style, Xiao Qing (green snake) performed by Xiao Xiangyu in Chuanju stye and Xu Xian by Tao Changjin in Chuanju style. One interesting part is that although the singing and acting was very much authentic, the dialogues between the 3 actors are rather funny, because the 3 characters are all speaking in different dialects and they don't seem to understand one another!

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

International Hokkien Opera Gala - Hokkien Opera From China, Taiwan and Singapore to Perform Alongside Next Month


For the upcoming Chinese Cultural Festival, 3 Hokkien opera troupes, one each from Taiwan, China and Singapore respectively, will be coming together to perform in a few excerpts for our local audiences. The three troupes participating in this gala are: A Yuan Opera Troupe (阿源戏班) from Taiwan, Zhangzhou City Xiangju Opera Troupe (漳州市芗剧团) from Zhangzhou, China, and our very own Bukit Panjang Hokkien Konghuay Opera Troupe. This performance gala will be taged over 3 nights in 3 different community clubs, and the details are as follow:

Date: 29 Feb. 2008
Venue: Tampines East Community Club theatratte
Time: 7.30pm
Tickets: $10, $20
Programmes:
"The Secret Engagement" from "Romance of the Dragon Princess" (Hokkien Konghuay Opera Troupe)
"The Arrogant Princess" (Hokkien Konghuay Opera Troupe)
"Daiyu Buries the Fallen Flowers" from "Romance of the Red Mansion" (Hokkien Konghuay Opera Troupe)
"Shanbo Bids Yingtai Farewell" from "The Butterfly Lovers" (Zhangzhou City Xiangju Opera Troupe)
"Chen San Brings Water" and "Yi Chun Stops Chen San" from "Chen San Wu Niang" (A Yuan Opera Troupe)


Date: 1 Mar. 2008
Venue: Taman Jurong Community Club
Time: 7.30pm
Tickets: $5
Programmes:
"The Secret Engagement" from "Romance of the Dragon Princess" (Hokkien Konghuay Opera Troupe)
"The Arrogant Princess" (Hokkien Konghuay Opera Troupe)
"Daiyu Buries the Fallen Flowers" from "Romance of the Red Mansion" (Hokkien Konghuay Opera Troupe)
"Shanbo Bids Yingtai Farewell" from "The Butterfly Lovers" (Zhangzhou City Xiangju Opera Troupe)
"Yi Chun Stops Chen San" and "Double Jealousy" from "Chen San Wu Niang" (A Yuan Opera Troupe)


Date: 2 Mar. 2008
Venue: Chong Pang Community Club multi-purpose hall
Time: 7.30pm
Tickets: Free admission
Programmes:
"The Secret Engagement" from "Romance of the Dragon Princess" (Hokkien Konghuay Opera Troupe)
"The Arrogant Princess" (Hokkien Konghuay Opera Troupe)
"Daiyu Buries the Fallen Flowers" from "Romance of the Red Mansion" (Hokkien Konghuay Opera Troupe)
"Shanbo Bids Yingtai Farewell" from "The Butterfly Lovers" (Zhangzhou City Xiangju Opera Troupe)
"Wu Song and Pan Jinlian" (A Yuan Opera Troupe)