A Dream Under the Southern Bough is a dramatic revelation of the illusions of worldly glory created by the Jiangsu Performing Arts Group Kun Opera Theatre. It is a masterfully adapted version of The Dream of Nanke written by Tang Xianzu, executed as a full-scale production in two parts. The story tells of a scholar Chunyu Fen’s sojourn in a dream to the kingdom of ants, where he experiences the rise and fall of power, love won and lost, and the fleeting nature of wealth and prosperity, only to awaken to life’s ultimate emptiness. Plum Blossom Award winner Shi Xiaming will lead 4ᵗʰ and 5ᵗʰ generation performers of the theatre in a reinterpretation that blends classical elegance with contemporary theatrical concepts, featuring lyrical poetry, mellifluous melodies, and ethereal staging through lighting. The audience will travel through a dreamlike world of poetic beauty and philosophical reflection in this highly imaginative dramatisation.
The Dream of Nanke is one of the four legendary plays collectively known as ‘Four Dreams of Linchuan’ by the Ming dynasty playwright Tang Xianzu. The original script comprises 44 scenes, including arias and set tunes, but modern staging usually presents only two scenes — The Flower Vendor Reports and The Celestial Palace. In 2012, the Jiangsu Performing Arts Group Kun Opera Theatre condensed it into 17 scenes in two parts, under a title of A Dream Under the Southern Bough. After more than a decade of fine-tuning, meticulous crafting in strict adherence to the conventions of Kunqu and the stylistic elegance of Southern Kunqu, this modern version has become a signature production of the company, notable for its full range of role types, intact with both civil and martial elements.
This performance features Kunqu actors led by Plum Blossom Award winner and company president Shi Xiaming, together with 4th generation artists including Zhao Yutao, Xu Sijia, and Sun Jing, and 5th generation talent He Xinyue, etc. Mentors and disciples share the stage, carrying forward the fine legacy of this operatic legend.
Programme Details
31/7 7:30pm
A Dream Under the Southern Bough – Part One
The plot unfolds in two parts. The first tells of how Chunyu Fen, a down-and-out military officer, gets drunk and falls asleep beneath a pagoda tree during the Ghost Festival. In his dream, he is guided by a purple-robed official to enter the Ant Kingdom – Huai’ an, an idyllic land of harmony and peace, where people lead a flourishing life under the sagacious government of the king. He marries Princess Yaofang, is appointed governor of Nanke Prefecture, and rises to the pinnacle of success. Everyone enjoys the glamourous and serene existence in this illusory world. It is not until Chunyu and the princess need to gear up with armour and weapons that euphoria is shattered, foretelling a stormy disaster that is to emerge in the second part.
1/8 7:30pm
A Dream Under the Southern Bough – Part Two
Part Two emphasises psychological depth, a great challenge on the performers’ artistry. Gravely ill and aware that she won’t live long, Princess Yaofang expresses her sorrow in the aria Ji-Xian-Bin, a plaintive, deeply moving tune. The scene Swinging Parties pushes the whole piece into an emotional climax forcing Chunyu Fen on a path of no return. In the final scene, a torrential storm destroys the Ant Kingdom. Chunyu asks the Monk Qixuan to deliver the souls of the departed. From reluctance to letting go, Chunyu finally awakens to realise that 20 years of rise and fall are no more than a fleeting dream. He attains spiritual enlightenment as he reaches the end of a journey of love, ambition, and self-realisation, and becomes a monk himself.
