As a member and musician of the China National Peking Opera Company, one may expect to support and publicise productions and adaptations of the company, however Li Zuming has spoken out in criticism of the Peking Opera’s production of ‘Farewell My Concubine.’
Amongst his criticisms are claims that the opera has been transformed into a stage play, one which relies upon 3-D video of a battle from the film ‘House of Flying Daggers’ and a real horse to connect with the audience. The company risks, as a result, insulting the imagination of the audience.
Other differences between this modern production and those of more traditional stock include kung fu, the replacement of a band with simply one jinghu (two-stringed fiddle) on stage, and the red (instead of white) face of the titular concubine herself.
Li states that “traditional Peking Opera, with some 200 years of history, has very simply stage props – usually a table and two chairs – as the art form mainly focuses on the singing and performances of the artists.”
The opera ‘Farewell My Concubine’ was created by Mei Lanfang in 1922, and remains one of the most famous in the repertoire of the China National Peking Opera Company.
Li has suggested that the government ought to place guidelines for certain criteria to be met in order to keep the tradition expected of the Peking Opera. In addition, it has been implied that the Chinese-American director, Chen Shizheng and British, German and Italian foreign nationals who created the set and costume design, may not fully understand or appreciate the traditional elements of Chinese art.
Chen Shizheng has been previously accredited with reviving the flailing Kunqu Opera genre at the The Peony Pavilion by combining innovative techniques to reinstate the original spirit of the opera.
The producer of ‘Farewell My Concubine,’ Wang Xiang, has called the production “innovative”, with the production team trying to “develop a new way to perform” and “break the conventions of Peking Opera.” Wang has also compared the strict eastern traditions to more interpretative western theatre: “Western theatre has thousands of interpretations of Hamlet, so why must we accept just one Yu Ji?”
‘Farewell My Concubine’ will be performed in London as part of the cultural celebration of the Olympic Games 2012.
