Good news for those who have a phobia about Peking opera: there's a remedy for that secret fear at the National Fu Hsing Dramatic Arts Academy. Taiwan's number one opera training school has made this mystifying art form not only understandable, but a whole lot of fun. New performances offered this spring leave visitors wondering why they waited so long to experience this centuries-old dramatic art.
For starters, there is an enlightening tour which includes one excerpt of a famous opera, and the Mandarin dialogue is translated for foreigners. A screen beside the stage displays translations of every song and whisper into reasonably clear English. Knowing what's going on helps a lot.
But why are their faces painted in such an exotic manner, and what is the meaning of those pantomimes? By the time you get to see the opera itself, these questions have already been answered in an English-language slide show. You have also toured the classrooms, where young kids are learning to do triple backflips and fight mock battles.
One of the most interesting stops along the Fu Hsing Academy tour, which takes place at 11 a.m. every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, is the makeup room. For an additional fee of NT$300, the staff will paint a visitor's face as a famous judge, a clever fiend, or even the emperor of China. Each color has meaning, and characters are readily identified by savvy opera goers.
Women are painted as befits their role: a young damsel, a fighting woman, an honorable matron, or an old woman. Their clothing and headdress tell us if they are rich or poor, and we must rely on their gestures and speech to reveal more about their personality. A woman's face may be made up to enhance a particular trait: the electricity of a young coquette's eyes, for instance, or the strength of a martial woman's forehead. The colors and lines used are relatively natural.
Choose a face that suits your mood. You can even climb into the wardrobe and get yourself up as a princess, a ghost, or a cutthroat pirate. This experience promises to yield both an actor's-eye view of the opera--and great photographs.
When the lights go down, don't worry that you'll be subjected to two hours of boring dialogue in Mandarin. First of all, the segment is quite short. You may be disappointed, in spite of previous qualms, that it lasts less than half an hour.
A further treat is the selection of plots. Although literary dramas, called wen hsi (文戲), often contain long arguments invoking classical philosophy, the complementary half of Peking opera is martial dramas, or wu hsi (武戲). These feature acrobatics, fighting, colorful props, and a lot of body movement.
The Fu Hsing Academy's new performance, "Chung Kwei Marries Off His Sister," is of the wu hsi type. The story involves a god of the underworld, who owes a favor to his friend Tu Ping. During his earthly life, Chung Kwei had studied diligently for the imperial exam, but had fallen deeply ill before he could take the test. Tu Ping nursed him back to health, which resulted in Chung Kwei receiving the highest score. Unfortunately, he was so repulsively ugly that the imperial princess, who had been promised him in marriage, refused such an unsightly bridegroom, and Chung Kwei committed suicide.
The ghosts are splendidly dressed, and each is a master acrobat. Chung Kwei is played with humor and strength by a member of the academy's professional company. Marriage in ancient China involved a lot of delicate negotiations, and in this story dialogue is complicated by two facts: Chung Kwei is a ghost, and brings with him a macabre band of ghouls. And he is horribly ugly, even when he is human.
The importance of precise body movements in Chinese opera can be appreciated in the scene involving the marriage negotiations. At first, the participation of ghosts is very difficult for the humans to accept, and there is a lot of mimed pleading and rejecting. The humans are scared, which also frightens the ghosts, and everyone goes through fits trying to bring the event off. In the end, Chung Kwei's plan is brought to fruition by a delightful wedding ceremony.
After the lights go on again, the whole audience blinks and looks around, and the usual reaction is "Wow! That was fun." Many can't believe that Peking opera could be so entertaining. Still dazed, the audience is shown the way to a small museum, where costumes, props, and weapons are displayed, with English explanations. The last stop is a gift shop, where cultural items such as porcelain vases and art prints are on sale. English-language materials explaining more about Chinese music and opera are also available.
When visitors find themselves outside again, many of them are already beginning to consider how they can get to see another opera performance. As with many things, once one overcomes those nagging secret fears, the opera becomes a new treasure to explore and enjoy.
There is one immediate answer for new opera fans: to return to the Academy any Thursday at 9:30 a.m. for a one-hour mini opera. The Thursday programs are free; all are of the wu hsi variety and do not have translations. So you are in for plenty of action and colorful costumes, and possibly a linguistic adventure. Every show is different, and some weeks feature acrobatics displays by the talented students of the Academy. Call first for a schedule.
The Fu Hsing Dramatic Arts Academy is located by the shore of a small lake in Taipei's Neihu District, at 177 Neihu Road Section 2. Buses 247, 278, and 604, among others, go there. Ask for the "Tajen Nu Chung" (達人女中) stop. For directions or schedule information, call 796-2666, ext. 142. Be sure and ask for Vincent Su, who speaks great English and can answer virtually any question.