Europalia | International Arts Festival

Concept : TIAN Mansha

Chinese musical theatre is one of the oldest theatrical traditions still existing anywhere in the world. The Beijing opera is the best-known form in Europe, but there still exist more than 300 others. At the invitation of the House of World Cultures in Berlin, five famous interpreters of different traditions have conceived the remarkable project Living Memories, a series of one-man shows, where each actor looks for their musical and personal roots. The result is the top of experimental theatre and a magnificent ode to tradition.

TIAN Mansha is a Chinese award-winning actress and director of the southern Sichuan opera. In this show, she intertwines the stories of three female artists. All three engage in a confrontation with their mortality and with the limitations posed upon them by fate, and all three let their bodies speak thanks to the expressive body language and music of the Sichuan opera. The renowned Kun opera actor KE Jun hesitates “between hiding and fleeing, between radical action and compromise”, and finally (through his alter ego LIN Chong, a traditional opera character) realises that everyone has to live in harmony with their destiny. WU Hsing-kuo, Taiwan’s most popular Beijing Opera singer (and a deserving movie actor), explores, in a truly masterly production, the tragedy of King Lear. He performs ten different roles, combining traditional singing and dance from the Beijing opera with contemporary music. The changes of role and costume take place on stage and are beautifully integrated into the show. 
 

Surtitle : NL