Master of Chinese Opera

Chapter 118 The Legend of the White Snake
"Thank you to the wonderful performances of the famous artists of the Shenjiang Yueju Opera Troupe. Next, I would like to invite Boss Shen Yuelou, Boss Xu Zhaolin Xu, and Boss Shen's lover Lin Xiaolin to bring you today's big axis "Legend of the White Snake."

As soon as Luo Jinhai finished speaking, the audience applauded immediately.

"Hehe, the tickets are worth the money, and I can listen to Boss Shen's play."

"It's a pity that Boss Lin didn't participate in this show."

"Boss Xu's opera skills are also good, and I look forward to this cooperation between Boss Shen and Boss Xu."

……

Sitting in the front row of the National Center for the Performing Arts with Zhao Bingzhong and Meng Fanzhi, Chai Xun's eyes were filled with anticipation when he heard that Shen Yuelou's main axis was about to be staged.

This was the first time he had listened to Shen Yuelou's play. He had heard Meng Fanzhi and Zhao Bingzhong praise "Snow in June" before. Today, he finally had the opportunity to experience the charm of Liyuan Boss Shen live.

The curtain slowly opened, and the opening sound included not only the Huqin, but also the Sanxian and Qudi commonly used in Kunqu opera, as well as the gongs and drums of the martial arts field.

Amid the melodious sound of the flute, Shen Yuelou, with oily hair and noodles, and a red skirt and white skirt, stepped onto the stage leisurely with small steps.

"Bai Suzhen at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain has been cultivating this body for thousands of years in the cave.

Practice hard to gain the Tao, and become a human being reborn. "

After reading the four lines of the opening poem, Shen Yuelou ran around on the stage, then threw up his sleeves and reported his family to the fans: "My slave, Bai Suzhen, was born from a white snake under Qingcheng Mountain. There are no distracting thoughts in the Tao, and I only hope that the Bodhisattva will enlighten me, take refuge in the Three Jewels and abandon the world of mortals."

It turns out that she is a white snake spirit who has been practicing for thousands of years, and her name is Bai Suzhen.

Hearing Shen Yuelou's crisp chanting, Chai Xun and Zhao Bingzhong looked at each other, both a little surprised.

It reads Kunbai instead of Jingbai. Is Boss Shen going to sing Kunqu opera?
The sound of sanxian and flute was gradually replaced by jinghu. Lin Xiaolin, dressed in a young boy's dress in Tsing Yi, slowly stepped onto the stage.

After reading a few words of Jingbai to show her identity as a male green snake, Lin Xiaolin immediately turned her head to tease the white snake, wanting to pair up with her.

Seeing this, Chai Xun couldn't help but realize in his heart: it was actually the performance of "the wind stirs the snow", which is rarely performed by actors on the Peking Opera stage nowadays.

The so-called "wind and snow" refers to the same scene, the actors use different art forms (Kunqu Opera and Peking Opera) to perform together, just like the wind and snow mixing together.

At first, it was because the troupe had a complicated composition, including not only Peking Opera actors, but also Kunqu Opera, Bangzi, and Han Diao actors. Sometimes, a complete Peking Opera lineup could not be assembled for a play, and Kunqu Opera or Bangzi actors could be used for individual roles. " The wind stirs the snow" and so on.

Later, Peking Opera gradually gained dominance in the battle of hundreds of operas. After the Three Tripod Jia and the Four Great Masters became famous all over the world, Peking Opera classes sprung up like mushrooms after rain, and there was no shortage of actors from all walks of life. The stage of history.

In fact, if you think about it carefully, this kind of acting method that mixes different genres in one play is quite interesting as long as it is handled skillfully.

Nodding slightly, Chai Xun continued to read with interest.

On the stage, the green snake wanted to marry the white snake, but the white snake refused, so the two snakes fought on the stage.

The sound of the gong in the martial field, combined with the huqin pulling and the beating of the drums, Shen Yuelou held two white swords and Lin Xiaolin's two green swords, you come and I go back and forth for three rounds.

After the three swords exchanged, Shen Yuelou flew five spins across the field, landed and had a big fight with Lin Xiaolin.

The drumbeat of the martial arts field was fast and hurried, and the scene of Shen Yuelou and Lin Xiaolin playing swords on the stage was also very beautiful, and the audience applauded continuously.

This was the first time they had seen Boss Shen's fighting drama on the stage. Unexpectedly, Boss Shen not only sang literary opera very well, but also played martial arts with style.

"It's great. I didn't expect Boss Shen to be able to walk so gracefully."

"It's so light and wonderful, it looks effortless, but in private, I don't know how much hard work it took to develop such skills."

"That little girl is not bad either. Although her skills are not yet perfect, she plays every move very seriously. She is a good young girl."

……

Not long after, with two sounds of "kuang kuang", the green snake's double swords were knocked to the ground, and the white snake put the two swords across the green snake's neck, but did not kill him.

After failing in the fight, Green Snake willingly changed her gender and turned into a maid, commensurate with Bai Suzhen's sister.

Since the two demons had been in the mountains for a long time, the green snake proposed to go down the mountain to the world for a while, and the white snake nodded in agreement.

Shen Yuelou and Lin Xiaolin left the stage hand in hand, and the first play "Double Snake Fight" was over.

The staff came to the stage to replace the bricks, and Shen Yuelou and Lin Xiaolin stepped onto the stage together again.

The two cooperated on the stage to make an exquisite combination. Shen Yuelou sang first: "Leaving Emei and going to the south of the Yangtze River, there are such beautiful lakes and mountains in the world. The Baochu Pagoda is reflected in the waves. On the other side, the good building is close to the Three Pools; the willow silk on the Su Causeway pulls the boat lightly, and the peach and plum blossoms in the breeze are like spring chills."

After listening to Shen Yuelou's aria, Lin Xiaolin said playfully, "Sister, we're here, it's really interesting here. Look, the men and women swimming in the lake are all in pairs."

While talking, the simulated thunder exploded, Shen Yuelou and Lin Xiaolin shook their sleeves to cover their foreheads together, and looked up to the sky.

As the sky darkened and raindrops fell, Lin Xiaolin said softly, "Sister, look, there is a young man with an umbrella coming over there, what a handsome character!"

He raised his eyes and looked in the direction Lin Xiaolin was pointing at, only to see Li Yuexin, who was dressed in a niche outfit, slowly walking out from the gate.

As soon as Xu Xian played by Li Yuexin appeared on the stage, Shen Yuelou immediately showed a shy expression, and sang a piece of Xipi sanban softly: "This heart has not been rippling for thousands of years, but why is it suddenly surging today?"

After careful inspection, he realized that this man's previous life was the shepherd boy who had saved him.

It was Qingming at this time, and Xu Xian came back from sweeping the tomb and was about to call the boat home.

"Piercing through the pile of white apples, seeing off the plum blossoms in the lonely mountain. I bought a pot of wine by the lake, and I was intoxicated by the wind and rain lake."

Hearing the clown Geng Changgeng's libretto at the next gate, Li Yuexin couldn't help shouting into the inner curtain: "Hello, boatman!"

"Do you want a boat?"

Responding to Li Yuexin's call, Geng Changgeng walked onto the stage with a paddle in his hands and a short jacket.

"Exactly, go to Shibamen."

After Xu Xian, played by Li Yuexin, boarded the boat, Green Snake and White Snake, played by Shen Yuelou and Lin Xiaolin, also walked to the river and stopped the boatman.

But Bai Suzhen wanted to make friends with Xu Xianxing in the name of taking a boat, and she planned to repay her kindness!
Hearing the shouts of the two delicate ladies on the shore, the old boatman turned his head and looked at Mr. Xu.

"Where are the two ladies going?"

"My family is going to Qiantang Gate, is it convenient for the little official to give us a ride?"

"Come on, it's okay."

Inviting Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing to the boat, Xu Xian said to the boatman, "Send the two ladies to Qiantang Gate first, and then send me to Qingbo Gate. I'll give you more boat money."

Hearing Xu Xian's words, the boatman nodded and started rowing the boat.

During the boat trip, Geng Changgeng couldn't help singing: "I love the West Lake in February, and the slanting wind and drizzle send the cruise ship. The tenth Xiu came to cross the boat, and the hundredth Xiu came to sleep together."

Hearing the boatman's ballad, Bai Suzhen trembled all over, as if she had been enlightened by a Bodhisattva.

It turned out that Xu Xian was her chance.

(End of this chapter)