Lee Theatre vs Canto-opera Entering Theatre

At all times and in all countries, many art forms were originated from daily life or street performances. However, when the society gradually developed and the economy prospered, certain things which originally came out from the marketplace began to become more refined, allowing the more well-off and literate classes to enjoy something different.

Can Cantonese Opera develop in the same way?

Walking from the marketplace into the theater is a process of gentrification. Those that are looking for more and beyond can no longer be satisfied with ordinary entertainment.  They have a more refined desire than the general public to satisfy their taste. Compared to the crude arena, the theater can satisfy more technical stage requirements, and the atmosphere of a theater performance is also different from the traditional one.  As a result, the delicate side of the art is delivered.

Satisfying the group who is well cultured in literature, from another perspective, can also keep art alive and raise it to a higher level.

Lee Theatre has become the hall of Cantonese opera. The performance of Xianfengming Opera Troupe has brought Cantonese opera to a more delicate level.  Appreciating their performances became a fashion and trend, making them the only opera troupe of the time.  All these contribute to a flourishing era of Cantonese opera.

The refinement and success of Lee Theatre and Xianfengming are the examples of how Cantonese opera can achieve modernity. It is also a unique case.  What insights can it give to today’s Cantonese opera which seems to be at the evening of its life?


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