Tonight, Houston will host the U.S. debut of the first Western-style interpretation of the classic Chinese opera, Farewell My Concubine. With performances only today and tomorrow at the Wortham, this is a rare opportunity. The original Chinese opera will be performed by a Chinese cast and sung in Mandarin. Chinese opera has come to the United States so very infrequently that if you have any interest in Chinese music, art, opera or culture, you should get over to the Wortham.
The production was brought to the United States with the support of producer Emily Kuo Vong and The Chinese American Inter-Cultural Exchange Foundation (CAICE), a Dallas-based non-profit organization promoting cultural exchange and understanding between China and the U.S. through the arts, internationally-renowned Chinese composer and conductor Xiao Bai and the China National Opera House.
To Westernize the opera, Xiao Bai worked with famed librettist Wang Jian. Together, the two artists developed a new "Western-style" production distinct from traditional "Beijing-style" opera (incorporating instrumental music, vocal performance, pantomime, dance and acrobatics).
Farewell My Concubine is based on real events and characters from over 2,200 years ago in China. Set at the end of the Qin dynasty, the love story revolves around the heroic warrior, Xiang Yu, and his beloved concubine, Yu Ji. The story remains very popular today, and almost everyone in present-day China is familiar with its theme, characters and ill-fated romance.
The well-known Chinese tale is also the inspiration for a play, a novel and a 1993 Oscar-nominated movie.
Date: Wednesday January 30th and Thursday January 31st
Time: 8:00 pm
Location: The Wortham, Cullen Theater
501 Texas Houston, TX 77002, phone: 713-629-3700
Price: $50-$150
Link: Official Site
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