On February 28, the classic Peking Opera Farewell My Concubine will be presented on the stage of the Baroque-style Reignwood Theatre, located on Chang'an Avenue in Beijing. But while this story has been told countless times, this production brings a fresh update to the classic tale with its international creative team: Chinese-American Chen Shizheng directs, and the costume, video and stage lighting groups come from Germany, the UK and the US, respectively. Audiences and critics alike are abuzz with anticipation over what new elements this team will bring to the classic opera.

Farewell My Concubine tells the story of the Conqueror of Chu, Xiang Yu (232 -202 BC), being defeated by his enemy and saying goodbye to his beloved concubine, Yu, who later commits suicide. This moving story is a perennial theme of many Chinese literature works and operas, and the Peking Opera version is especially popular. 

"The audience shouldn't view this opera according to the aesthetic standards of traditional Peking Opera," said Chen, who has already received praise in Europe and the United States for his masterful production of the Kun Opera Peony Pavilion, which made its 1999 debut at New York City's Lincoln Center.

"Why do people come to the theatre to watch Peking Opera in the 21st century? Because the spirit of Peking Opera is still relevant today, and on this basis we try to present it according to the way today's societies appreciate beauty," Chen explained. "We go deep into the inner world of Xiang Yu and Concubine Yu."

Indeed, in this version, breaks from tradition abound. For example, when Xiang Yu and his concubine appear on the stage, audiences may be surprised at the characters' appearances. In traditional opera, Xiang Yu's face is usually made up in mostly black paint. However, in Chen's production, his face looks "redder than dates," a hue that is often associated with the facial color of Guan Yu, a famous character in other operas like Dan Dao Hui. In addition, he wears a suit of armor whose main colors are red and black, a costume theme that has never been used in any portrayals of Xiang Yu before.

As for Concubine Yu, while her headdress retains elements of traditional Peking Opera, her costume is also a departure from that of the original character. In this production, Yu appears in a gorgeous phoenix robe, a formal dress that was exclusively worn by the empress. The robe is decorated with feathers, and looks more like a costume in a Western opera. This brave choice blends the European opera background of the German costume designer with Peking Opera.

And in the last act, Xiang Yu's horse, Wu Zhui, even appears live on the stage and makes a lap around the set after saying farewell to Xiang. This pedigreed horse was sourced from a jockey club and is said to be worth eight million yuan ($1.26 million). Chen's use of a live horse in this production is another break from tradition, as Peking Opera favors representational expression devices. 

The show's producer, Wang Xiang, explained that the creative team made a lot of changes to appeal to different audiences, stressing that the opera can be identified as "a fete of cultural experience catering to high-end business customers at home and abroad."

"Also, it will take place in a Western-style theatre and thus should not be performed in a completely traditional way," Wang told the Beijing Daily. "So we added more creativity in the visual aspects of the production, infusing elements of Western opera and modern musicals."

When asked whether the show's foreign creative staff could understand the essence of Peking Opera, Wang answered, "Of course they can't understand Peking Opera, but they can understand the spirit of the opera. We chose not to invite artists with strong backgrounds in Chinese culture to ensure that the production would be more innovative."

Global Times