Variations on a theme

Shanghai Yueju Opera House will stage its version of Dream of the Red Chamber on Jan 26, during the Spring Festival holiday. The version was produced based on the vocal styles of two Yueju Opera masters, Yin Guifang (1919-2000) and Yuan Xuefen (1922-2011), and was premiered by the company in 1999.

According to Sun Xu, director of the performance and marketing department of the company, Dream of the Red Chamber is one of the opera troupe's most performed productions.

In 1958, the company produced its first Yueju Opera production of Dream of the Red Chamber, which achieved huge success. In 1959, the production made its debut in Beijing for the 10th anniversary celebrations of the founding of New China. In 1962, the production was made into a two-episode film featuring the same cast. Since then, different versions of Dream of the Red Chamber have been made and performed by the company.

Yueju Opera is the second-most popular Chinese opera type in the country. The art form, which combines singing, dancing and acting, originated in Zhejiang province and later became a popular art form there and in Shanghai.

"Dream of the Red Chamber is a work that has had a profound influence. Like the 1987 TV series, the Yueju Opera piece is still popular," says Sun, adding that both the company's top performers and younger artists will join in the Xi'an performances.

Besides Yueju Opera, other theatrical productions and adaptations of the classic novel will be staged in Xi'an, including a Chinese play by Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre, a dance drama by Jiangsu Centre for the Performing Arts and a new ballet piece by the National Ballet of China.

According to Cao Jiwen, during the past five years, Shaanxi Opera House has staged over 900 theatrical productions featuring artists from over 40 countries. More than 560,000 audience members have visited the opera house to watch shows and attend public events.

As part of its fifth birthday celebration, it will premiere its production of La Traviata, a three-act opera by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, in November, by working with the National Centre for the Performing Arts.