13 September 2017
In August this year, the 70-year-old Edinburgh International Festival officially ignited Edinburgh's summer. As part of the “Belt and Road theme activity series of the campus culture and education integration initiative of the China Shanghai International Art Festival, the experimental Peking opera "Idiot" produced by the Shanghai Theatre Academy, with a 16-member crew, performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and amazed Edinburgh's theater audience with the Peking opera art.
The experimental Peking opera "Idiot" was a commissioned production of the Young Artists Support Program of the 18th Shanghai International Art Festival, with its premiere held on 16 October 2016 at the Shanghai Theater Academy’s New Space Experimental Theatre. The production was adapted from the one-act play of the same name “Idiot” of the famous Russian novelist and playwright Anton Pavlovich Chekhov's. The author used the comedy way and a preposterous ending to satirize the hypocrisy and brutality of the Russian landowners in the old days.
For the Edinburgh audience who loves the theatre, there is no stranger to this classic one-act play, but it was truly an eye-opening experience for them when they saw it in the form of Peking opera also combining the Chinese shadow puppet.
Presenting Chekhov’s works in the Peking opera way, the theatre was always fully packed when “Idiot” was performed over the three days in Edinburgh, and there were continuous applause from the audience when the curtain fell. The avid audiences went to the back stage and were full of curiosity about the exquisite props and costumes. The member of the crew answered their questions patiently one by one, hoping that taking advantage of this opportunity, more foreign friend would come to and understand Peking Opera, which is the treasure of the Chinese theatrical art with the heritage of century-long charms.
Mr Sun Xudong, Deputy Consul General of the Chinese Consulate-General in Edinburgh, attended the performance. After enjoying the last performance, he spoke highly about this experimental play from the young Chinese artist. He said: “Idiot” is completely different from the traditional Peking opera, it is amusing and innovative. I am very happy to see this young and energetic team at the curtain call. I hope there will be more good productions to bring the traditional Chinese culture to the foreign audience and, at the same time, bring the taste of the motherland to the overseas Chinese.
Remarks from Audience:
Remarkable, truly wonderful to see a performance of such amazing talent, both on the stage and off it. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
I have never seen this kind of adaption before. It is amazing.
