Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts - Beijing Comedy Theatre
Dates: March 28-29, 2018
About
Hunan Huagu Opera Playing Gong
Script Adapter: LI Guoren
Music Designer: TANG Shenghe
Cast
CAI Jiu: LING Kangguo
LIN Shiniang: LI Xiaojia
The work carries forward a traditional technique of “dual roles” in Huagu Opera and features humorous lines and vivid characters, which sets a good example for modern dramas with brilliant artistic achievements. Adapted by LI Guoren on the basis of a novel Banging a Gong Three Times authored by KE Lan, the work was premiered by Hunan Huagu Theatre. It is directed by YU Pucheng and ZHANG Jian and composed by TANG Shenghe. HUANG Fan and HU Jianmin serve as set designers. LING Guokang and LI Xiaojia respectively play the role of CAI Jiu and LIN Shiniang. In 1965, this work joined a drama performance of the Central South China, for which a recital was also held in Beijing. Both performances were highly-praised. The script was originally published by the People's Daily. Dozens of commentaries have focused on the work. Various local operas transform it into their own styles. The Pearl River Film Studio made it into a film. Hunan Huagu Opera Playing Gong is printed in several versions.
Hunan Huagu Opera Repairing Pot
Playwright: TANG Zhou, XU Shuhua
Music Designer: ZHANG Guohui
Cast
Aunt LIU: HUANG Juanjuan
LIU Lanying: LI Ming
LI Xiaocong: LI Zuo
With TANG Zhou as playwright, the work, after adapted by XU Shuhua in 1964, is renamed Repairing Pot, which was premiered by Hunan Huagu Theatre and directed by ZHANG Jianjun at the time. ZHANG Guohui and HU Jianmin respectively served as composer and set designer. ZHONG Yichun, LI Guyi and PENG Fuguang respectively played the roles of Aunt LIU, LIU Lanying and LI Xiaocong. In 1965, the work joined a drama performance of the Central South China, for which a recital was held in Beijing. The Pearl River Film Studio made it into a colour film, which was popular with the broad masses. The work was widely-adapted and presented in the past. Hunan Huagu Opera Tinkering has been printed in several versions.
Hunan Huagu Opera Extra Class
Cast
President LIU (company president): SONG Gu
Teacher WANG (retired secondary school teacher): ZHANG Xiaohu
Nana (PR Manager): LUO Ning
As a Huagu playlet with realistic theme, the work demonstrates an expressive technique of traditional routines, presenting the dominant light comedy style and following the clue of gratefulness, which is an urban play mirroring our current fast-paced lifestyle, but still strengthening a humorous mode by means of traditional veteran tunes such as “xihu tune”, “eight tones in a row” and “dialect song”. Structurally, it follows the creative thinking of a classical playlet including Repairing Pot and Playing Gong that combines with a routine mode of “holding court trial,” so the whole work is easy to understand. The work is of appreciative, educational and aesthetic significance.
Synopsis
Hunan Huagu Opera Playing Gong
During the autumn harvest period, commune member CAI Jiu attends to his duties by managing a rice field and stopping chickens and ducks from eating grains in rice grown there. LIN Shiniang secretly sends her ducks to feed on the rice field, which is discovered by CAI. But she refuses to admit her mistakes by means of flattery, denial, shrewish action and other methods. With a jocular tone and humorous attitude, CAI reasons things out. Consequently, LIN finally makes an apology.
Hunan Huagu Opera Repairing Pot
LI Xiaocong, an educated young man in a rural village, grasps the skills of tinkering. Nevertheless, his girlfriend LIU Lanying’s mother looks down upon the occupation of tinkering. LIU helps LI by finding a solution. When LIU’s mother feels anxious over a broken pot, LI is invited by LIU to tinker with it. After listening to LI’s explanation on tinkering, LIU’s mom abandons her idea that the occupation should be deemed lowly and deserves recognition as noble, and finally agrees on the marriage between her daughter and LI.
Hunan Huagu Opera Extra Class
A man, who used to be an expelled student and ran away in a rage, becomes chairman of a company. In an unconventional manner, he wants to recruit a 68-year-old male secretary. The bizarre behaviour is beyond comprehension. After several rounds of selections among job candidates, a retired middle school teacher is employed. The recruiter and job candidate argue in the interview…The secret is uncovered in the finale of the work. It turns out the recruited male secretary was the secondary school teacher who expelled the chairman from school. Accordingly, the chairman asks the previous teacher to make up missed lessons for him. So, unexpected circumstances do arouse the audiences’ endless thoughts...
