The traditional art of Cantonese opera is coming to the stage in Burnaby.
Vancouver Cantonese Opera is staging Princess Cheung Ping (The Flower Princess) at the Michael J. Fox Theatre on Saturday, April 16.
The production, which will be shown with English and Chinese subtitles, is a masterwork of the late acclaimed composer Tong Dik Sang, which premiered in 1957.
The show has remained a favourite among Cantonese opera audiences with a story set in the late Ming Dynasty, revolving around the love story of Princess Cheung Ping and Jau Saihin from their first meeting to their ultimate wedding night suicide.
“Tong Dik Sang, like his counterparts in the west, was well able to juxtapose the romantic love of the opera against the lofty Confucian ideals of zhong (faithfulness to one’s emperor) and xiao (filial piety to one’s parents), during a critical historical period at the end of the Ming dynasty and the advent of the ‘barbarian’ Manchu dynasty of the Qing,” a press release explains. “This political backdrop provides the critical dramatic tension at the core of the story.”
But viewers don’t need to feel they have a background in Chinese history or Cantonese opera to enjoy the production: the opera company’s mission is to present the traditional art form at its highest level to both Chinese and non-Chinese audiences.
“We are dedicated in the preservation and promotion of our traditional art form to the mainstream and younger population,” the group’s press release notes. “We are the only Cantonese music society that has an explicit and active intention of reaching beyond the Chinese community to engage the broader community.”
Tickets range from $40 to $60. Call 604-764-8181 or see www.vancanopera.com for more information.
The Michael J. Fox Theatre is at 7373 MacPherson Ave.
