Chinese classic in English bids to wow China

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The English-version opera “A Dream of Red Mansions” – based on one of the four Chinese classics – has come to China after wowing Western audiences in San Francisco in September.

On the first leg of the China tour, the opera was staged at Poly Theater in Beijing September 8-9 before moving on to the capitals of central Hunan and Hubei Provinces.

The production is sure to come under close scrutiny from Chinese audiences who hold the original novel dear to their hearts. Although watching it in English may prove to be a challenge for some.

A still from “A Dream of Red Mansions”. /Xinhua Photo

The novel has been adapted into TV series, movies, stage plays and regional operas, but this is the first time it has been adapted into a Western opera format and sung in English.

Originally produced audiences in the US, the opera avoids sketching an all-inclusive story to represent the novel, which has 120 chapters.

It focuses instead on the ill-fated love of the main characters, Bao Yu and Dai Yu, against the backdrop of the fall of a prominent family during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

"Chinese story, or Western story... we're all humans. So we have something in common. We all want to be loved, all want to love. So from that point of view, there's no difference. It's just a story that happens in China, or in ancient China,” said Bright Shen, composer and librettist.

A still from the opera. /Xinhua Photo‍

The four hundred characters depicted in the novel have been pared down to just seven, which might come as a shock to devoted "Red Mansion" fans, but director Stan Lai says the opera still retains the essence of the novel.

“While making it simple we hope to retain the sophistication of 'A Dream of Red Mansions', particularly the facets of the aristocratic life of China's Qing Dynasty through Tim Yip's very beautiful costumes and scenery and staging that put a lot of details. I think the audience would be able to grasp that,” said Stan Lai.

“Plus, all of the themes, all of the very, very Chinese themes that come from the philosophical themes... Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism. We have kept all these things,” he added.

The male lead, Bao Yu, is played by Shi Yijie, winner of several international vocal competitions.

Despite lending his voice to the works of legendary Italian composers such as Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini previously, Shi still found this role extremely challenging.

“'A Dream of Red Mansions’ is such a classic. The novel has such a special place in the hearts of us Chinese. As an opera singer who toured foreign countries and presented characters of Western opera classics, I find this role very difficult. I've poured in a lot of time and effort into the role,” he said.

A graduate from the International Opera School of the Royal College of Music in the UK and winner of a slew of international vocal competitions, Wu He plays the brilliant but sickly young heroine, Dai Yu, on the China tour.

“I fell in love with that role because all the arias and all the vocal range is very suitable for my voice. I really loved that role. Then I decided to take an audition in Beijing to sing the role of Dai Yu. And now I'm here,” Wu said.

Even though the materials used in designing the costumes and settings are not from China, Tim Yip, the opera's designer, said that it has not reduced the classical and elegant elements which have been presented to the audience in a special Oriental style.

Daniel Knapp, production director said the design wowed everyone involved in the production.

“Everything is translucent, everything is transparent and everything glows,” Knapp said. “It is the sheer cut and the brilliance of Tim’s design that make the production so stellar and so transformable.”

Terry Branstad, US ambassador to China, enjoyed the inaugural performance when the show transferred to China, saying he hoped that there would be more cultural exchanges between China and the US.

The San Francisco Opera House has certainly assembled a "dream team" to create the opera. From the composer and librettist to the director and stage designer, all roles are undertaken by celebrated artists who have both Western and Chinese background.

The opera was a great success in the US when it made its debut last year, and the creative team hopes it will be equally successful with Chinese audiences.

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