COURTESY KENNEDY THEATRE
Kou Zhun (Justin Fragiao) consults with Mu Guiying (Yining Lin) in Kennedy Theatre’s “Lady Mu and the Yang Family Generals.”
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The yearlong celebration of Kennedy Theatre’s 50th anniversary continues Thursday with the opening of an authentically staged production of traditional "jingju," more commonly known as Beijing opera.
English-language dialogue is the only concession made for "Lady Mu and the Yang Family Generals" at the University of Hawaii at Manoa theater. The student actors spent more than six months studying traditional Chinese stage movement, combat, acrobatics and vocal techniques with major Chinese actors. Student musicians underwent similarly rigorous training with veteran jingju musicians. Costuming, makeup and set design are equally dazzling and authentic.
The show also marks the 50th anniversary of jingju at UH. The first production was a staging of "Twice a Bride" in 1963 in Farrington Hall shortly before Kennedy Theatre opened that same year. More shows followed, but since 1985 Kennedy Theatre has been presenting jingju every four years.
"Lady Mu and the Yang Family Generals" is the third show Kennedy Theatre has presented about the legendary Yang family that served the emperors of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) with unflinching loyalty and great personal sacrifice. The first was "Silang Tan Mu: Love and Loyalty" in 1998, followed by "Women Generals of the Yang Family" in 2006. In the latter story, family matriarch She Taijun and her daughter-in-law, Lady Mu Guiying, took command of the Yang forces after the heroic deaths of most of the Yang men and successfully continued the struggle. However, they became disillusioned by the growing corruption of the imperial court and eventually retired to their ancestral home.
"Lady Mu and the Yang Family Generals" picks up the story 20 years later, when the Xi Xia Kingdom is once again threatening the Song empire. Imperial minister Kou Zhun persuades the emperor to hold a martial competition to select a supreme commander for the Song troops. Lady Mu’s teenage children, son Wenguang and daughter Jinhua, win the competition, but the emperor calls on Lady Mu to take command instead and save the nation.
The show runs through March 2.
Kennedy Theatre was designed by the internationally known architect I.M. Pei. "Lady Mu" is being staged in the 620-seat Mainstage theater. The facility includes the 140-seat Earle Ernst Lab Theatre.
