Hangzhou Yue Opera Performs "Hedda"

The Hangzhou Yueju Opera Company (杭州越剧院）will present "Hedda" (《海达》), also called "Aspiration Sky High" (《心比天高》).

This production is based on Henrik Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler", a recognized classic of Western drama featuring one of the greatest female dramatic characters in the repertoire.

Yue opera (越剧） is one of the most popular opera genres in China. Originating in the ancient state of Yue, today’s Zhejiang province, the form has roots in the local story-telling and ballad-singing traditions of the Yangzi River basin region.  In the early years of the 20th century it evolved into a staged theatrical genre which became very popular in the Shanghai area.  Over the past century other forms of Chinese opera, as well as Western art forms, exerted influence on Yue opera. Originally performed by male actors, the music and characters presented in Yue opera plays appealed to young female artists who by the 1930s had helped transform the tradition into China's only female opera form. Yue opera is also famous for its gentle melodies, romantic repertoire, and stunning costuming and makeup styles.

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