Tang Xianzu was a 16th-century Chinese dramatist who gained notoriety for his four interconnected plays known as The Four Dreams of Linchuan. He’s now affectionately known as the Shakespeare of the East, and his personal history and public work are being given new life in Tang Xianzu the Playwright in Concert.
More than 100 talented musicians from the Symphony Orchestra and Opera of Shanghai Conservatory of Music (SHCM) will perform in this reimagined Chinese opera exploring different stages of Xianzu’s life, with inspiration from his four great works. The four plays, Zi chai ji (The Purple Hairpin), Nan ke ji (A Dream Under a Southern Bough), Handan Meng (Dream of Handan), and Mu Dan Ting (The Peony Pavilion), were all originally performed as traditional Chinese operas (known as Kunqu) , so this reinterpretation should provide an exciting angle for modern audiences.
The first three plays are often compared to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with their surreal representation of human desires, ambition and motivations delivered through a dream-like narrative. The fourth and most famous play, The Peony Pavilion, is rooted in the reality of tragic romantic comedies and is intricately developed across 55 scenes.
This enthralling story will make its way in operatic form to Melbourne for one night only at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Friday, April 5. The two-hour concert will be performed in Chinese language, with English subtitles.
If you’re ready to get inside the psyche of one of China’s most celebrated theatrical minds, head to the Recital Hall's website for tickets, and enter the promo code Timeout2019 at the checkout for a 25 per cent discount.
Tang Xianzu the Playwright in Concert is presented by Ausfeng.