TO celebrate its 60th anniversary, the Shanghai Peking Opera Company is presenting a series of performances throughout the year.

Celebrations will start this month with performances of themed concerts, operatic excerpts and new interpretations of classic plays.

Concerts will feature celebrated performers of a wide range of ages. Among them are Shang Changrong, Xia Huihua, Chen Shaoyun, Wang Peiyu, Shi Yihong and An Ping.

They will perform from the company’s best-known productions over the past decades. These excerpts from both experimental and traditional titles will be presented in different vocal schools and styles.

“Wu Zetian,” a remake of a 1961 production, is a highlight. It centers on the life of Wu Zetian, the first and only female emperor in Chinese history. Wu was a talented and tough governor who ruled the whole country for almost half a century during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).

The original 1961 version, in which veteran performer Tong Zhiqin took the lead role, was hailed for her natural and vivid depiction of the female emperor.

This time Wu is portrayed by Shi Yihong — who is often called the “first lady of Chinese opera.”

Shi, 41, is one of few Peking Opera performers also skilled in Kunqu Opera and a versatile artist with all-round ability in acting, singing, dancing and martial arts.

She previously cooperated with veteran Kunqu Opera artist Cai Zhengren in the comic Peking Opera “Tale of the Horse Peddler” and the Kungqu Opera classic “The Peony Pavilion.”

The Shanghai-born artist is renowned for her innovation in the vocal and performing styles of traditional theater.

In 1994, she received the Plum Blossom Prize, the highest theatrical award in China.

Enthusiasts will also be treated to a new version of the modern Peking Opera “Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy,” adapted from Qu Bo’s novel “Tracks In the Snowy Forest.”

The original was hugely popular when it was debuted in 1958 and the stage production has also been the subject of Peking Opera movies.

The new version features a young cast and promises visually stunning sets.

A performance of operatic excerpts will include a rare staging of an excerpt from action-packed opera “An Iron Rooster.”

The title is seldom staged because it features real swords and spears in breathtaking fight scenes.

Celebrations will last until the end of the year, according to Shan Yuejin, director of Shanghai Peking Opera Company.

“The distinctive culture and strong creativity of Shanghai have nurtured all these brilliant plays and Peking opera artists,” Shan says. “We will spare no effort to provide a platform for inheriting the tradition and for innovation.”

 

• Peking Opera concerts

Date: March 21, 25, 7:15pm

• “Wu Zetian”

Date: March 22, 7:15pm

• Performance of operatic excerpts

Date: March 23, 7:15pm

• “Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy”

Date: March 24, 7:15pm

 

Venue: Yifu Theater, 701 Fuzhou Rd

Tickets: 50-580 yuan

Tel: 6322-5294, 6217-2426