This opera is an adaptation of the play by Samuel Beckett, an outstanding playwright of the theatre of the absurd and a Nobel laureate. The troupe claims that this opera reflects Wu Xing-guo’s meditations on life once he became a middle-aged man, so the opera is closely related to aspects of modern ...Read more
This opera is an adaptation of the play by Samuel Beckett, an outstanding playwright of the theatre of the absurd and a Nobel laureate. The troupe claims that this opera reflects Wu Xing-guo’s meditations on life once he became a middle-aged man, so the opera is closely related to aspects of modern life. It directly reveals the essence of life, showing how people can find the meaning of life by freeing themselves from the boredom and illusions of life.
Beckett’s play is hailed as “a true description of the human mind.” Since this opera is an adaptation of the play, it adheres to the stipulation of “no background music” in the copyrighted contract for international performances. Wu Xing-guo, as the leading actor and the director, thus presented the theme purely through his acting skills. He and another actor performed as clowns on stage. Though there is no music in the opera, both “yun-bai” and “Jing-bai speeches are delivered on stage in turn. In addition, arias without accompaniment or chanting are turned into dances. The simple stage designed by Lin Ke-hua further demonstrates the lonely and desolate aura of Beckett’s play. Wu xing-guo believes that it is actually to his advantage to break through the restriction on music with innovation. The soundless scream of modern existence that Beckett wants to show through his play can actually be clearly heard through the eloquence of silence.
Category | Xiqu(Traditional Opera) |
Type | Beijing Opera |
Chinese Title | 等待果陀 |
Group | Contemporary Legend Theatre |
Creative staff | Contemporary Legend Theatre |
Subtitle | Mandarin Chinese /English |
Premiere | 2005-10-07 |
Venue | The Metropolitan Hall, Taipei |
Duration | 165min |
Image Source | |
Other Works | The Kingdom of Desire Medea King Lear |