A Night At The Opera

How Come You Do You Like You Do?

At about an hour or so before the curtain rises, the actors from a Chinese opera troupe are in earnest preparation for the evening show under the curious gaze of a child whose parents whom are also members of the opera troupe. Unlike their contemporaries in the West, makeup and putting on of costumes is carried out personally without the need for a makeup artiste or wardrobe assistant.

The Charm Of You

The striped, blue tarpaulin cover seen in the background gives away the nature of the stage; makeshift and outdoor. This particular stage, a temporary structure, was raised on the grounds opposite a Chinese temple. Seen on the right are draperies depicting interior or outdoor scenery, which are then raised or lowered according to the acts enacted on-stage.

I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister (But, Hey, I Got Milk)

These two toddlers accompanying the opera troupe are piqued and perplexed by the presence of a stranger bearing a camera in their midst. This particular opera troupe hails from Phuket, Thailand. Most of the members of the troupe are descendants of Teochew immigrants from China.

We're Gonna Stomp Mr. Giacomo Puccini

The percussion side of the Teochew opera. The musician on the left, pounding on a Chinese drum, reads from a hand-written notebook instead of a musical score. The notebook is inscribed with dialogues of the performers together with description of scenes to be portrayed on-stage. An odd way to read music to be sure, but it works. The other two musicians, seen on the right, will follow the cue of the former.

Hello Dolly

"Louis Armstrong" here happens to be the horn ensemble for the opera troupe. He also does double duty by playing the erhu, a traditional Chinese musical instrument that can be best described as the Western equivalent of a violin. Except that the erhu rests on the thigh rather than the collarbone as the violin does.

I Only Have (My) Eyes On You

Another good reason to watch Chinese opera even if you do not speak the language would be to feast the eyes upon the elaborate costumes worn by the actors. The costumes, which are mainly purchased, are approximate facsimiles of armors and apparel worn by the Chinese centuries past. Aside from being eye catching, the costumes give indication as to the status (or nature) of the character portrayed on-stage.

Too Marvelous For Words

A female troupe member assume a male character role on-stage. Apart from the fact that this is necessitated by the relatively small size of the troupe, consisting of slightly over a dozen persons, it is also indicative of their flexibility and talent. But it also hints at that the troupe may have had difficulties in recruiting men as other more lucrative, and less seasonal work presents a far better alternative.

Struttin' With Some Arkhi*

This particular actor seen here is depicting a Mongolian Khan whilst bearing a replica of a distinctly Chinese melee weapon.

* fermented horse milk with the addition of vodka

Someday (You'll Be Sorry)

It is not all Wagnerian with Chinese operas, despite the clash of drums and cymbals with a martial beat. These two performers are depicting a humorous scene, in which the female character on the right with the clenched fist, is pacified by the male character on the left with a winning smile and cajoling voice.

Jeepers Creepers

The following three sequential photographs, depicts an actor slinking from off-stage to on-stage in deliberate slow motion. With a comical display of various facial expressions bordering upon boredom, incredulity, and skepticism, he will shortly be joined by other performers and engage in a hilarious exchange of words.

That's A Serious Thing

As the end of the show approaches, one of the performers puts on a mask and proceeds to display a message intended for both audiences Heavenly and Mortal. The message, in an approximate English translation, is as follows :

THANKS TO HEAVEN FOR ITS BOON
MAY THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH

(I Got Stars In My Eyes) It's Funny That Way

As their parents and the other performers congregate on-stage for the finale, the children stand by at the sidelines and eye the show from an exclusive viewpoint. Whether they will follow their parents' footstep into the world that is of Chinese opera has yet to be determined. For now, they only have stars in their eyes and the night is still young.