A folk theater extraordinaire, this nineteenth-century development born in China's capital gathered together elements designed to appeal to the ordinary more than the elite. Crowd-pleasing spectacle in the form of acrobatics, dance, mime, and lavish costumes is set to the music... [more]

A folk theater extraordinaire, this nineteenth-century development born in China's capital gathered together elements designed to appeal to the ordinary more than the elite. Crowd-pleasing spectacle in the form of acrobatics, dance, mime, and lavish costumes is set to the music of Chinese orchestral instruments and interspersed with lengthy virtuoso arias. Though the repertoire encompasses over 2000 plays, all are thoroughly known and loved by the opera's fanatic audience, whose attention mainly focuses on the artistic skill of the performers in bringing their parts to life. Rigorously trained from childhood, Chinese opera actors (always male) must master the highly stylized movements, makeup, and vocal feats associated with a specialized character type. Setting and action are telegraphed through simple props and symbolic gestures, so that a table may stand for a mountain, and a walk in a circle might indicate a long journey. This playful yet ceremonial use of the stage influenced Western dramatists Bertolt Brecht and Thornton Wilder, among others. Despite its rigidly formalized technique, costumes, and character portrayal, Peking Opera is anything but pretentious. Instead of basing itself on obscure literary sources like much Western opera, Peking Opera draws on a font of folk legend that ensures it remains an art form truly for the people. Like fairy tales told over and over, the performances act as shared rituals that bring to life stories passed down through the centuries. [show less]