Symbolism Musical for the Mind
Chinese Opera is more than just the actors singing.
Jeslyn Koh visits a Chinese Opera theatre and learns about the many details that it consists.
“The show must go on – My elbow got dislocated and I didn’t realise,” Ms Zhang Yiping said.
9.50 AM at a quiet neighbourhood in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China, Hankou District. A sudden high-pitched vocal flows through the morning air. Welcome to Wuhan’s Chu Opera Theatre (武汉楚剧院).
A female lead rehearsing for a suicide scene.
Chancing upon the rehearsal for another opera act was a blessing in disguise as I used to think that operas are very much flexible such that every emotion and the way these emotions are depicted are self-expressed. Just like how an actor would portray his character in a movie.
The rehearsal gave me an insight as to how every character portrayed consists of similar movements and way of speech as long as they are of essentially similar role. For example, both the female lead of The Palace of Eternal Youth and The Injustice To Dou E are of scholars/officials’ daughter statuses and hence they have similar traits and behaviours being presented.
An actress having her stage make up done before the show.
However, it also made me see the hard work and effort that goes into each show. I never realised the pain that is involved in acting out a scene until veteran Opera actress Zhang Yiping shared the difficulty of training when she broke her arm but carried on the act, doing her best to ensure audiences do not notice any mishaps.
I was then given the chance to visit not only their make up studio, but also their wardrobe set up. Seeing the theatre student having their face slathered in pink to symbolize the youth of the character they are playing was fascinating, but what really caught my attention was the bright costume they don.
The Mang costumes really caught me by surprise as in the Chinese dramas I have watched, the costume with the biggest dragon and more intricate designs usually signifies the most superior, which in most cases is the King. In the opera world though, colour is the main factor of deciphering one’s role. So yellow, and only yellow, would be King.
Elderly people enjoying the opera performance in the early afternoon.
Heading back to the theatre to watch the performance, I am awestruck by the number of elderly faces I see. On one hand, I am heartened that these elderly people are willing to fork out time and money to watch opera. On the other, I am disappointed that I did not spot a single young adult in the mix. How is this culture to preserve if not enough young people are invested in it?
Telling his journey of being a student to a lead actor, Mr Chen Xiao Meng says that there will be multiple hardships involved. However, if one is able to see past that, and quieten their hearts and minds just to appreciate the show, they will get an experience like never before and a form of entertainment they never expected. Such is the beauty of Chinese Opera.
Photos courtesy of Reagan Tan Jing Hng, last updated: 4th September 2022