This was not a performance by a rising pop group, but rather the closing night of the Kun opera, “The Jade Hairpin,” at the National Theater in Taipei May 24. The performance, a romantic comedy, played to a sold-out house for four consecutive nights.
"The Jade Hairpin” tour marked the second time producer and art director Kenneth Pai has led a successful metamorphosis of traditional theater. In 2004, his refreshing take on the classic Kun opera “The Peony Pavilion” received excellent reviews. During the show’s tour through Taiwan, mainland China and the United States, local artists and the media commented that Pai’s revolutionary rendition had brought down the average age of theatergoers by 30 years.
Having shown the most profound faith in the art, the actors and the audience, Pai has resurrected this ancient form of entertainment. Speaking about the performance, Pai shared, “I can feel the audience’s passion, and I am thrilled that more young people now appreciate Kun opera.”
One of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera at 600 years of age, Kun opera was listed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001.
Well before this triumph, Kenneth Pai was already a legend in the art world. In the early 1960s, he won fame as one of the earliest Taiwanese novelists to touch upon controversial issues such as homosexuality. Having co-founded the magazine “Modern Literature,” he had his first novel, “Taipei People,” published in 1971. The work was acclaimed as the first Chinese-language narrative to employ stream-of-consciousness.
Though feted for his modern writing style, Pai has been a huge fan of traditional Chinese theater, and especially Kun opera, since childhood. “Kun opera is at the apogee of Chinese theater, as it combines literature, music and dance,” Pai said. “It is the form that most closely recounts the life of Chinese intellectuals in years past.”
For some, however, the passage of time had left a feeling that the genre was tired and worn. Viewing with distress the slow decline of the art he loved, Pai felt compelled to try to inspire a revival. In 2002, he decided to produce a new version of the most beloved Kun opera romance, “The Peony Pavilion.”
Pai’s first pitch to attract a younger audience was in dubbing his production a “youthful” version. He then defied convention, casting young performers in the top spots. Pai named Shen Fengying and Yu Jiulin, both actors in their 20s from the Suzhou Kun Opera Company, as the leads.
“Respect for tradition does not equate to inflexibility. To remain a living art, Kun opera must maintain its energy level; otherwise, it will ossify,” Pai offered as his reason for the bold move, adding, “Young actors naturally convey the romantic sentiment of the love story.”
The innovative style of the set and costume design proved a feast for the eyes of audience members young and old. “We respected traditions but did not follow them blindly. We employed modern techniques but were not slavish to them,” Pai revealed as his guiding philosophy.
As a cultural icon, Pai had the wherewithal to recruit the most accomplished individuals as his production team. Calligrapher Tung Yang-tze and painter Xi Song both tailor-made pieces for the set. Wang Tung, a renowned director of more than 100 films who has turned his focus to art direction, and his wife Chen Yung-ni created costumes featuring light, elegant watercolors and minimalist appliqué. Dancer and choreographer Wu Su-chun from Cloud Gate Dance Theater led a reinterpretation of the opera’s group dance, while celebrated light and set designer Lin Keh-hua also joined in to round out the team.
The result of this star-studded team’s collaboration was a stunning presentation demonstrating how tradition can be altered without losing its charm. “Innovation does not have to mean outright revolution. The core of Kun opera is solid; what we wanted to do was to retain the spirit as we expunged the arcane,” Pai said. “We polished tradition with a modern varnish; the result was remarkable.”
The success Pai’s productions have consistently enjoyed in Taiwan is an achievement particularly dear to the team. While appreciation for Kun opera has waned in mainland China, the place of its birth, the genre has retained an enthusiastic following in Taiwan. These fans are known for their unforgiving attention to detail and high expectations of performers. “Mainland China may provide the best actors, but Taiwan has the best audiences. They have a full understanding and appreciation of Kun opera,” Pai said.
Confident that Kun opera can appeal to people of all ages and nations, Pai holds out particular hope that ethnic Chinese worldwide will come to appreciate this treasure, as it springs from their own culture. “In the past, we only paid attention to those flowers grown by other people. Yet all this time, the most beautiful blossoms have been flourishing in our own backyard.”
Write to Amber Wu at amber0207@mail.gio.gov.tw