Music Theatre
The Purple Hairpin
Shanghai Kunqu Opera Company
“The Four Dreams of Linchuan”
Shanghai Kunqu Opera Company: “The Purple Hairpin”. Li An, Shen Yili © Shanghai Kunqu Opera Company
Li Yi, a talented scholar who passed the highest imperial examination, visits the lantern festival and encounters the beautiful Huo Xiaoyu. It’s love at first sight. Li Yi picks up the purple hairpin she has left behind by accident. Using the hairpin as a token of love, Li Yi proposes to her on that same night. But the powerful Grand Marshal Yu wants Li Yi to marry his daughter. Li Yi refuses and is sent away to guard the frontier as a punishment. When he comes back, he is put under house arrest. Huo Xiaoyu doesn’t understand why she doesn’t hear from Li Yi anymore and begins to hate him. She falls ill and plunges into poverty. Eventually, Huangshan Ke appears, a ‘Swordsman in Yellow’, to help the unfortunate couple and to bring them back together.
“The Purple Hairpin” is one of Tang Xianzu’s earlier works and the most ornate and extravagant piece of the cycle. This version was co-directed by Guo Yu and Zhang Mingrong. The production has made some changes to the original version; for instance, the part of the ‘Swordsman in Yellow’ was extended.
Li An as Li Yi
Shen Yili as Huo Xiaoyu
Kunqu Opera Cast List
Xie Chen, Sun Jinghua, Wang Jinyu, Zhao Lei, Zhu Linyan, Zhou Liya, Xue Lu, Tang Popo, Yuan Shan, Tao Siyu, Tan Xiao, Kan Xin, An Xinyu, Sun Xu, Ni Xuhao, Lin Yan, Zhou Yimin, Zhang Yiyan, Lou Yunxiao, Jia Zhe, Zhou Zhe, Lin Zhi, Shi Zonghao
Directed by Guo Yu, Zhang Mingrong
Lighting Design Zhou Zhenping
Costumes Huang Liying, Qing Wenbao
Music Zhou Xuehua
Shanghai Kunqu Opera Company
Director Gu Haohao
Vice Director Zhang Yongliang
Stage Director Ding Xiaochun
PR Director & Suǒnà Player Chen Yingwu
Kun Opera Director Shen Kuang / Ni Guang Jin
Performance Coordination Director Gan Chunwei
Administration Sun Yong
Kun Opera & Cultural Researcher Zhou Danyan
Subeditor Qiu Lihua
Kun Opera Chamber
Drum Gao Jun, Li Qi, Wang Yifan
Bamboo Flute Zhang Siwei, Qian Yin, Yang Ziyin
Sheng Wen Weiwei, Zhen Yueqi
Pipa Yang Shengyi
Sanxian Wang Zhihao
Huqin Zhu Min, Zhang Jin, Shen Xiaojun, Chen Yueting
Yangqin Chen Yufang
Bass Ruan Chen Juanjuan
Zheng Bao Danni
Chinese Gong Meng Qiaogen
Cymbals Yu Tianle
Kun Opera Gong Zhang Guoqiang
Stage
Lighting Li Bingchun, Li Jiani, Wu Yueyue
Stage Set Zhang Meng, Zhang Jianshen, Ji Xianyuan, Chen Yang
Sound Zhou Jiawen, Ma Yidong, Luo Yufen
Props Xu Lei, Zhan Yuzhi
Surtitles Zhang Jiawei
Costumes Meng Fanjun, Xu Hongqin, Chen Yu
Head Dresses Bao Xiao, Yang Zhiwen
Make-up Fu Fenglong, Fan Yili