Sellout American audiences are enjoying for the first time the
sounds and spectacle of full-dress Peking
Opera, thanks to the International Monkey King Troupe.
The Beijing-based theatrical company is appearing in 41 public
performances and student workshops in 14 US cities during October
and November.
The tour is an outreach project of the East Asia Program of
Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, with partial funding from
the Freeman Foundation of Stowe, Vermont.
The 17-member International Monkey King Troupe draws on the
talents of students, graduates and senior masters of the Academy of
Chinese Traditional Opera. It is led by the renowned master Zhang
Shaohua and Ghaffar Pourazar, artistic director of Beijing's
Zhengyici Opera House.
Pourazar, a British performer who was the first foreigner to
complete the arduous training at the traditional opera academy, is
conducting the company's student/teacher workshops in English.
The troupe's musicians and actors demonstrate basic moves,
rhythms and acrobatics at pre-performance workshops. Performances
of three legendary Monkey King stories derived from the
16th-century novel, Journey to the West, are preceded by
commentary in English. The Dragon King's Palace, The
Iron Fan Princess and Havoc in Heaven were chosen
because of their excitement, action and easy-to-follow
simplicity.
The performances include full traditional costumes and props,
conventional painted faces, and the unique percussion instruments
of Chinese Opera.
David Patt, director of Outreach for the Cornell East Asia
Program and a Buddhist studies specialist, estimates that more than
10,000 people will experience China's unique theatrical art form
during the tour.
He credits a conference a year ago at the University of Buffalo,
New York, at which Pourazar appeared, plus Cornell-based dance
professor Jumay Chu with providing inspiration for the project.
"Imagine a small army of performers somersaulting across the
stage, twirling spears and tossing swords, executing superb martial
arts moves all the while singing melodiously, costumed in
magnificent silk brocades and multi-colored makeup," said Patt.
"That is the wonder that audiences will find when they go to see
The Adventures of the Monkey King."
Troupe co-director Zhang Shaohua is a Master Teacher at the
International Center for Peking Opera. He is a retired member of
the Beijing City Opera Troupe, where he gained fame as one of the
most talented and respected performers of the wu chou, or
martial clown character.
The International Monkey King American tour began October 1 and
continues at 26 venues until November 18. Public performances,
school performance and workshops are scheduled at arts centers,
museums and universities throughout the northeastern US.
(China Daily October 18, 2004)