The Match Made at the Colourful Tower
Xiqu
Description
Description
Wang Yun, the Prime Minister, organises a match-making contest for her third daughter Wang Baochuan: whoever catches the ball of ribbons, whether he is rich or poor, will become his son-in-law. While the ball falls onto the hands of Xue Pinggui, Wang Yun takes back his words when he notes the poor and humble appearance of Xue. Insisting on marrying Pinggui, Baochuan performs a ritual to get disowned by her father to indicate her determination. Baochuan and Pinggui live frugally in an old cave at Wujiapo. When the emperor seeks a talented person to tame a horse, Pinggui volunteers and accomplishes the task. He is then ordered to go on a military expedition to Xiliang. Although eighteen years has passed and no news of Pinggui is heard, Baochuan has remained faithful to her husband. In Western Liao, Pinggui is recruited as the husband of a princess. He takes over the throne when the king of Western Liao dies. Pinggui returns to the derelict cave and brings Baochuan to Western Liao to become his consort.
It is a famous play in which the leads can perform their best singing, gesturing and stylised movements of traditional Cantonese Opera. Besides the well-known formulaic performance routines of hand-beating, bidding farewell at the cave and arriving at the palace, the essence of the play can also be found in other scenes, such as Wujiapo (return to the cave) and visiting the cold cave (mother-and-daughter reunion). The segment of bidding farewell at the cave does not only feature the traditional stylised movements of a performance routines, it is also sung and played in Guanhua (the official language), which is very rare.
Details of other production units are only available in Chinese
Info
$120
$280
Indoor
Local
