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Welcome to the jungle
(2007-10-07)
Li has made some bold changes to soften the tension in the play and to enhance
its humane side. For instance, in the scene when Chou Hu intends to stab Daxing,
he hesitates after guilt overcomes him. And at that moment, Daxing understands
Chou Hu's contradiction and kills himself instead.
"Chou Hu appears less aggressive, and Daxing becomes more of an individual,"
Li says.
Li comes from a family of Peking Opera masters in Beijing, including his
grandfather Li Guichun, his father Li Shaochun and mother Hou Yulan. He follows
in his father's footsteps by specializing in "lao sheng" (the old male role) and
"wu sheng" (the male martial arts expert). Sponsored by the Taipei-based Koo
Foundation, Li founded the Li-yuan Theater in 1997, which has thrilled audiences
with its "Readapted Opera Classics" (Xin Lao Xi) over the past decade. It has
given an annual performance in Beijing since 2005. The upcoming show of modern
Peking Opera is a great challenge for Li and his cast, who will face sharper
critics and audiences than those in Taiwan.
The theater will tour Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces and perform on the
Shanghai International Art Festival in the following weeks.
Editor: Cindy
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