Under the artistic direction of renowned virtuoso Yuen Siufai, audiences will be brought back to the Three Kingdoms era of fierce rivalry. Zhou Yu Thrice Humiliated gives an indepth look at the battle of wits and strategy between lord Zhou Yu and general Zhuge Liang. The Battle at Changbanpo has a cast that covers the full range of role types. The fierce battles involving Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Lu Bu showcase the solid martial art training of the Southern School and the ingeniously configured group combats characteristic of the Northern School. These powerful battle scenes are definitely a feast for the eyes. These two productions bring together some of the finest Cantonese Opera talents across three generations to showcase the enduring legacy of Cantonese Opera artistry.
Cantonese Opera Zhou Yu Thrice Humiliated and The Battle at Changbanpo
26 – 27/7 (SAT– SUN) 7:30pm
Cantonese Opera Zhou Yu Thrice Humiliated and The Battle at Changbanpo
26/7 (SAT) 7:30pm
Zhou Yu Thrice Humiliated
Main Cast: Yuen Siu-fai, Lee Lung, Wan Fai-yin, Wan Yuk-yu, Ho Wai-ling, Tam Wing-lun, Alan, et al.
The Cantonese Opera Zhou Yu Thrice Humiliated has been on the verge of extinction in the past 20 years. To honour his predecessors and mentors, Yuen Siu-fai has revived this production in recent years. Besides his long-time stage partners, he has also gathered some of the three generations’ local elites to perform in this precious opera gem.
Yuen Siu-fai, artistic director of the piece, plays Zhou Yu, portraying this strategic personality; Lee Lung plays the heroic and loyal general Zhao Zilong; while Wan Fai-yin plays Sun Shangxiang, torn between nation and love.
This traditional Chinese Opera Zhou Yu Thrice Humiliated is adapted from Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The first ‘humiliation’ stemmed from Zhou Yu failing in his attempt to seize Nanjun occupied by Cao Cao, while Zhuge Liang easily defeated Cao’s army. The second ‘humiliation’ was Zhou setting up of a beauty trap to scheme a marriage between Sun Shangxiang and Liu Bei, to force Liu to stay in the Wu region, but this scheme was counterfeited by Zhuge. To avenge these two ‘humiliations’, Zhou devised another scheme to take back Jingzhou, but failed again because of Zhuge. Feeling infuriated, he passed away lamenting on the co-existence of Zhuge and Zhou in this world.
Yuen Siu-fai as Zhou Yu
Lee Lung as Zhao Zilong
Wan Fai-yin as Sun Shangxiang
Wan Yuk-yu as Zhang Fei
Tam Wing-lun, Alan as Liu Bei
Ho Wai-ling as Sun Quan
Cheng Man-yee as Xiao Qiao
Kwong Tsz-wong as Huang Zhong
Cheung Siu-lun as Lu Su
Wan Yiu-sing as Zhuge Liang
Wong Yuk-wah as Qiao Xuan
Ng Kwok-wa as Wei Yan
Lo Lai-see as Wu Guotai
27/7 (SUN) 7:30pm
The Battle at Changbanpo
Main Cast: Lee Lung, Yuen Siu-fai, Wan Fai-yin, Wan Yuk-yu, Ho Wai-ling, Tam Wing-lun, Alan, et al.
The Battle at Changbanpo is a well-known story from the Three Kingdoms period, highlighting the bravery and loyalty of the general Zhao Zilong. It was a popular plot in Peking Opera. The Cantonese operatic version was specially devised by Yuen Siu-fai in celebrating the reopening of Ko Shan Theatre after its refurnishing in 1996. The intricate characters and plots of the story have been refined and revitalised. Zhao Zilong, played by Lee Lung, broke into the enemy camp single-handedly and rescued Liu Bei’s son A Dou, showing his fearless spirit and loyalty; Yuen Siu-fai, who has scripted and performed the piece himself, plays Liu Bei, the leader of Shu, conveying an unwavering determination and devotion; Wan Fai-yin’s gracious presence revenders a very convincing beauty Diao Chan.
Besides the three leading roles, Yuen has engaged more than a dozen actors in this performance, incorporating both the Southern and Northern School in the Xiqu art skills. The collaboration between the three veterans in the Cantonese Opera scene, be they battle scenes or literary dramas, are delicate, natural and smooth. The whole play is complete with proper music arrangements, spiced up by powerful gongs and drums, guiding audience straight into the world of the Three Kingdoms.
Lee Lung as Zhao Zilong
Yuen Siu-fai as Liu Bei
Wan Fai-yin as Diao Chan
Tam Wing-lun, Alan as Lu Bu
Ng Kwok-wa as Zhang Fei
Wan Yuk-yu as Cao Cao
Ho Wai-ling as Chen Gong
King Fa-lui as Lady Yan
Wong Yuk-wah as Jian Yong
Wan Yiu-sing as Zhang Liao
Cheng Man-yee as Lady Mi
Lo Lai-see as Lady Gan
Ng Sin-hang as Mi Zhu
Cheung Siu-lun as Mi Fang
Kwong Tsz-wong as Guan Yu / Eight generals of Cao Cao
Character Portrayal in Staging ‘Three Kingdoms’ Stories: Zhuge Liang and Jiang Wei
Hong Kong Cultural Centre
In Cantonese
Free admission. Limited seats available on a first-come, first-served basis. Online registration is required, please refer to Cultural Presentations Section website.
On the Adaptation of Stories from the ‘Three Kingdoms’ for the Stage – With Examples from Excerpts and Full-length Plays
Hong Kong Cultural Centre
In Cantonese
Free admission. Limited seats available on a first-come, first-served basis. Online registration is required, please refer to Cultural Presentations Section website.
On the Strategic Plots: Invoking the East Wind and Returning to Jingzhou
Hong Kong Cultural Centre
In Cantonese
Free admission. Limited seats available on a first-come, first-served basis. Online registration is required, please refer to Cultural Presentations Section website.
Stories from the ‘Three Kingdoms’: From History and Literature to Traditional Theatre
Hong Kong Cultural Centre
In Cantonese
Free admission. Limited seats available on a first-come, first-served basis. Online registration is required, please refer to Cultural Presentations Section website.
Staging ‘Three Kingdoms’ stories: from Southern Operas of the Song and Yuan Periods to Regional Operas of Today
In Cantonese
Free admission. Limited seats available on a first-come, first-served basis. Online registration is required, please refer to Cultural Presentations Section website.
Stage Heroines Playing Middle-aged Men: the ‘bearded male’ Cross-dressing Roles in Yuediao Opera of Henan and Qinqiang Opera of Shaanxi
In Cantonese
Free admission. Limited seats available on a first-come, first-served basis. Online registration is required, please refer to Cultural Presentations Section website.
Meet-the-Artists: Pre-performance Talk
Moderator: Barbara Tang
AC2, Level 4, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
In Cantonese
Free admission. Limited seats available on a first-come, first-served basis. Online registration is required, please refer to Cultural Presentations Section website.
The performance will run for about 3 hours including a 15-minute intermission.
Programme offerings differ by date. With Chinese and English surtitles.