Peony Pavilion — Young Lovers’ Edition is adapted by Taiwan literary master PAI Hsien-yung and produced by Suzhou Kunqu Opera Theatre of Jiangsu Province. Directed by WANG Shiyu with artistic direction and costume design by WANG Toon, this period drama kunqu opera features SHEN Fengying (as DU Liniang) and YU Jiulin (as LIU Mengmei) as two star-struck lovers.
The Peony Pavilion, a 16th-century Chinese musical drama about love, death, and resurrection, and arguably the most famous of all Kunqu operas, is a poetic musical about undying love. Passion is its currency, and when expressed through kun—a sophisticated art form that fuses poetry, dance, and refined woodwind ensemble, not to mention fabulous costumes and makeup—and with a story line rivaling Romeo and Juliet, its performances literally stopped a few attendants’ hearts in the audience during the late Ming Dynasty.