In recognition of the 120th anniversary of one of the most outstanding Peking Opera performers of all time Mei Lanfang, the first actor ever to present Peking Opera outside of China, Wu Promotions presents Mei Lanfang’s son Mei Baojiu together with the Jingju Theater Company of Beijing in performances of “Classic Plays of the Mei School” and “Lady Mu Guiying Takes Command” in New York and Washington this August.

“Classic Plays of the Mei School” includes performances of five celebrated operas: The Goddess of Heaven Scatters Flowers, Lian Jinfeng• Pierce the Mussel, Resisting Jin Troops, Farewell My Concubine and Drunken Beauty and will be performed at New York’s Koch Theater on August 20 and 23 at 7:30 pm, and at the Kennedy Center Opera House on August 27, at 7:30 pm. “Lady Mu Guiying Takes Command” explores issues such as personal ethics versus national duty, and the power of youthful exuberance, versus the wisdom of age, and will be performed at the Koch Theater on August 24 at 2 pm and at the Kennedy Center Opera House on August 28 at 7:30 pm.

The quintessence of Chinese culture, the Peking Opera is known for their lavishly embroidered costumes and colorful makeup. Performing on a characteristically sparse stage, the skilled actors rely on their expert physical and vocal techniques, combining music, vocal performance, mime, dance, and acrobatics to tell their story. Layers of meaning within each movement and sound are expressed within the operas, which are based on Chinese history and folklore.

Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), the world-famous master of Peking Opera in China, was a legend for his outstanding artistic achievements and contribution as a cultural ambassador of China and Chinese art. Mei Lanfang became the best-known among the “Four Most Famous Dan Performers” (male artists who represent or impersonate themselves as female characters). Because of his improvements and innovations his unique oriental opera system became known as the “Mei School,” which together with the Russian Stanislavski System and the German Brecht System form the “Three Performing Systems of the World.”

Mei Lanfang led the Peking Opera abroad several times throughout his career to promote the understanding of Chinese culture and art and introduce the Peking Opera to the musical world. His performances were acclaimed world-wide. He brought the Peking Opera to the United States for the first time in 1930 and received praise from the American media, stating that “Mei Lanfang’s art unquestionably surpasses all obstacles existing between East and West.” While in the US he formed lasting relationships with luminaries including Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and NY Mayor James Rolph, Jr. The University of Southern California and Pomona Collage both conferred on him honorary doctorates of literature. With a career that spanned more than 50 years, Mei Lanfang performed more than 100 different roles, winning him international recognition and creating a considerable legacy for the Peking Opera.

Established in the spring of 1979, the Jingju Theater Company of Beijing is one of the largest and most prestigious Peking Opera performance groups in China. It is directly affiliated to the Beijing Municipal Government and enjoys an incomparable status in domestic opera performance. With a large repertoire of traditional and modern productions, the group has made remarkable achievements inheriting and developing the art of Peking Opera. They have staged over 300 classical plays and created more than a dozen new plays since its foundation. Many of these plays have won top national awards, including “Three Fights” with Tao Sanchun and “Last Touch to Dragon Painting.”

The Jingju Theater Company of Beijing’s performances schedule:
David H. Koch Theater, New York: August 20 & 23, 2014 at 7:30 pm, August 24, 2014 at 2pm. Tickets begin at $22 and are available at David H. Koch box office, or by calling 212-496-0600, or at davidhkochtheater.com.

The Kennedy Center Opera House: August 27 & 28, 2014 at 7:30 pm. Tickets begin at $25 and are available at the Kennedy Center box office, charge by phone at 202-467-4600 or toll-free at 1-800-444-1324, or at kennedy-center.org.

“Classic Plays of the Mei School”
(150 minutes including 15 minutes break)
NY David H. Koch Theater August 20 and 23, 2014, at 7:30 pm
DC The Kennedy Center Opera House August 27, 2014, at 7:30 pm

《梅华香韵》Classic Plays of the Mei School
Dou Xiaoxuan as the Goddess
Zhang Xinyue as Lian Jinfeng
Li Hongyan as Liang Hongyu
Shang Wei as Yu Ji
Chen Junjie as Xiang Yu
Hu Wenge as Yang Yuhuan
Classic Plays of the Mei School includes the performance of five operas: The Goddess of Heaven Scatters Flowers, Lian Jinfeng• Pierce the Mussel, Resisting Jin Troops, Farewell My Concubine and Drunken Beauty. The show begins with one of the most historically significant works by Mei Lanfang, The Goddess of Heaven Scatters Flowers, in which a heavenly woman performs a poetically expressive ribbon dance. Described by Mei Lanfang as “a messenger of peace,” the goddess of heaven ascends above the clouds and scatters flower petals onto earth, showering mankind with love and joy. A unique sword dance is another highlight of the show.

《天女散花》The Goddess of Heaven Scatters Flowers
Dou Xiaoxuan as the Goddess
Tathagata learns that Vimalakirti is sick when he is preaching in the city of Vaisali, so he asks Manjusri and his followers to visit Vimalakirti. He also sends Apsara, a goddess of heaven, to scatter flowers around Vimalakirti. Carrying a basket full of flowers, Apsara journeys across beautiful lands riding on the wind and clouds. When they arrive at Vaisali, they see Vimalakirti preaching. He explains that his health is connected to the health of all creatures, and that he is sick because all sentient beings are sick. As Apsara sprinkles flowers from her basket, the whole world is covered with colorful petals.

《廉锦枫•刺蚌》 Lian Jinfeng • Pierce the Mussel
Zhang Xinyue as Lian Jinfeng
The Peking opera LianJinfeng is based on the Qing Dynasty cautionary novel The Marriage of Flowers in the Mirror by Li Ruzhen. Lian Jinfeng grows up in Junzi Kingdom during the reign of the Tang Dynasty Empress Wu Zetian. When her mother falls sick and craves sea cucumbers, she dives into the sea to look for sea cucumbers but is captured by a fisherman who decides to sell her. Fortunately, she encounters the scholar Tang Ao, who has been traveling in low spirits after failing his exams. Sympathetic toward the poor girl, Tang Ao buys her freedom. Diving into the sea, Lian Jinfeng captures a mussel and offers its pearl to her savior as a token of her gratitude.

《抗金兵》Resisting Jin Troops
Li Hongyan as Liang Hongyu
During Jin Wushu’s invasion of the Song Dynasty, General Han Shizhong and his wife Liang Hongyu lead their forces in the battle against Jin troops. In the battle on Jin Mountain, Han and Liang engage in fierce battle with the enemy and Liang directs the soldiers with her drums. The Jin invaders retreat and are finally defeated in the Battle of Huangtiandang.

《霸王别姬》Farewell My Concubine
Shang Wei as Yu Ji
Chen Junjie as Xiang Yu
Liu Bang, King of Han, and Xiang Yu, King of Western Chu, contend for dominion over China. A headstrong and arrogant general, Xiang Yu suffers one defeat after another in the war against Liu Bang, and is eventually ambushed by Han forces in Gaixia. When night falls, Liu orders his troops to sing folk songs from the Chu region, creating the impression that the whole Chu has been conquered. Homesick and dispirited, Chu soldiers surrender to their enemy in droves. Aware of his inevitable defeat, Xiang Yu returns to his tent to bid farewell to his beloved concubine, Lady Yu. To avoid being a liability to Xiang Yu, the courageous beauty slits her own throat after treating her man to a feast and an elegant sword dance. Farewell to My Concubineis a classic work by Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang. It was first performed more than 80 years ago in the 1920s. Mei composed a dazzling sword dance inspired by Peking Opera dance movements. The highly moving dance gives full expression to Lady Yu’s sadness and to the tragedy of her eternal departure from Xiang Yu.

《贵妃醉酒》 Drunken Beauty
Hu Wenge as Yang Yuhuan
Yang Yuhuan, or Yang Guifei, is a beloved imperial consort of Emperor Xuanzong in the Tang Dynasty. One night, she prepares a banquet in the Hundred-Flowers Pavilion for the emperor, only to hear that he is staying with another concubine named Mei for the night. Bitter and humiliated, Yang drinks heavily by herself to drown her sorrows and soon becomes drunk. Drunken Beauty is one of the classics in the repertoire of the Mei School. When Mei Lanfang first staged the opera, he reformed it in various aspects, devising elaborate postures and gaits and revising the traditional lyrics, thus endowing it with new meaning. Paying meticulous attention to the many sophisticated dance movements in the opera, Mei portrays a Yang Guifei who is coquettish and enchanting, but also dignified and poised.

“Lady Mu Guiying Takes Command”
(150 minutes including 15 minutes break)
NY David H. Koch Theater August 24, 2014, at 2:00 pm
DC The Kennedy Center Opera House August 28, 2014, at 7:30 pm

穆桂英挂帅 Lady Mu Guiying Takes Command
Hu Wenge as Mu Guiying
Zhu Qiang as Kou Zhun
Zhao Baoxiu as She Taijun
Li Hongtu as Yang Zongbao
Chen Junjie as Wang Qiang
Ni Shengchun as the Emperor
Zhang Jin as Yang Wenguang
Wang Mengting as Yang Jinhua
Wang Bowen as Wang Lun
Huang Boxue as Yang Hong
Drummer Feng Qian
Jinghu Player Shu Jian

When Western Xia invades Northern Song, retired old general She Taijunsends her great grandchildren, Yang Wenguang and Yang Jinhua to the capital city for information. Wenguangdefeats Wang Lun, son of the treacherous official Wang Qiang, in a martial arts competition held to select the marshal who will lead the army against Western Xia forces. Mu Guiying, Yang Wenguang’s mother, has long held a grudge against the emperor. Persuaded by She Taijun and others, the patriotic general Mu Guiying agrees to lead the army in battling invaders.