Variety the spice of Cantonese opera By June Cheong
Publisher:The Straits Times - Publication Date: 11-03-2008
A Malay performer belts out Chinese opera standards in English and ballroom dancers take over the stage in the middle of a Chinese opera. Adding to the multicultural mix is the sound of famous Western classical music drawn from a violin and gaohu, a high-pitched Chinese two-stringed fiddle.

It's all part of the Chinese Theatre Circle's upcoming production of multiracial Chineseopera, Intrigues In The Qing Imperial Court.

Chinese Theatre Circle (CTC) is known for pushing the boundaries of Chinese opera, having presented opera classics such as Madam White Snake in English, Malay and Tamil and new, original ones like Tragedy Of An Emperor in English.

This time, the home-grown troupe will present a full-length Chinese opera sung in English with non-Chinese actors. Written by CTC chairman Leslie Wong, 68, in 2002, the opera is hailed as the world's first full-length Cantonese opera sung entirely in English and has played to packed theatres in Shanghai, Foshan and Ireland.

The opera's director and the chairman's wife Mrs Joanna Wong, 68, says: "When we first started rehearsing the piece back in 2002, it felt very strange to be singing in English so we kept laughing."

It is being staged in conjunction with Geylang Serai Community Club as part of the ongoing Chinese Cultural Festival, a month-long festival which aims to promote the appreciation of Chinese heritage, arts and culture. The opera will be performed at Victoria Theatre on Thursday.

The opera tells the story of the power struggle between Emperor Guang Xu, the second last Emperor of China, and the Empress Dowager Ci Xi. The two-hour tragedy took Mr Wong a year to research and write.

The 100-strong performance features 10 non-Chinese actors, two of whom have speaking and singing parts. Mohamed Zailani Mohamed Said, 46, plays Rong Lu, a Chinese army commander, while Jeshua S. Judah, 59, plays Count von Waldersee, commander-in-chief of the Foreign Allies.

The pair were drawn from Geylang Serai Community Club. Mohamed Zailani, who is a grassroots leader at the community club, says: "I used to see Chinese opera on television and at roadside theatres. When I was asked to take part, I thought, 'Why not take the opportunity to try something different?' After the rehearsals, I find that when you're immersed in the opera, you experience a deeper side of Chinese culture."

Mr Wong reveals that he had suggested the English-language opera for this year's festival line-up to the People's Association a year back. The association then went one step further and asked him to work on a cross-cultural collaboration, a challenge which he took up immediately.

Mrs Wong says: "Language is no problem for them as the opera's in English. It's only hard for them because they're not familiar with the tunes."

Although the opera lyrics are sung in English, the opera is set to classical Cantonese opera tunes such as The Autumn Moon Over The West Lake.

The non-Chinese actors have also been busy learning how to walk, act and sing in a stylised manner unique to Cantonese opera.

Previous stagings of the opera featured an all-Chinese cast. Asked why CTC decided to stage an opera sung in English and performed by a multiracial cast, Mrs Wong explains: "We hope to grow a younger audience for Chinese opera. The education system here is more attuned to the West and youth attend Western ballets and musicals because they understand the language."

Mr and Mrs Wong reveal that purists have turned their noses up at the opera's liberal mix of East and West but they maintain that the production is "still Chinese opera".

Mrs Wong says: "Purists say you lose a lot of the melodies in a different language. But in this day and age, you can't be stuck in the mud or else Chinese opera will die."

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