Tragedy, comedy and Yueju Opera
- Source: Global Times
- [09:03 July 16 2010]
- Comments
A scene from Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land. Photo: Courtesy of Zhang Sheng
By Hu Bei
Since its premiere in 1986, Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land by the Taiwanese playwright and director Stan Lai has high stepped its way into the mainstream with an English version in 1991 and a film in 1992.
This time, the play has been revitalized with a distinctly traditional taste.
At the beginning of the year, Lai organized his second performance workshop in Hangzhou (his first being in Taipei) and decided that he wanted to add something creative but classical, so he chose Yueju Opera, an ancient opera form from neighboring Zhejiang Province, to enhance his Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land.
The new version premiered in Hangzhou in this April, but it will open tonight in Shanghai and run until July 20 at the Majestic Theater.
What's the big secret?
Given two decades of performance history with immense international acclaim, the original play has certainly proved resilient.
It tells of two very different plays, Secret Love, a tragedy, and In Peach Blossom Land, a comedy, that hilariously have to rehearse on the same stage due to a scheduling error.
Arguments, misunderstandings and fights ensue between the directors, actors and even the crew who join in the mayhem.
Ultimately, the two plays divide the stage and are performed at the same time.
Secret Love, is a story about two young lovers, Jiang Binliu and Yun Zhifan, who were separated when communications between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan were cut in 1949.
And the other, In Peach Blossom Land, takes place in ancient China where a fisherman stumbles into the mythical peach blossom land, a pure utopia.
When Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land first performed in the US, a review in the Stanford Review said it "drew a diverse audience that shared in laughter at near-slapstick moments and in tears at the most tragic moment."
