Taiwanese opera troupe Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Cultural Group, commissioned by Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC), gave its first performance in Los Angeles on Saturday to an audience of over 1,000.
Ming Hwa Yuan, one of Taiwan's most highly regarded opera troupes, performed two pieces -- "Lovebirds Spears" (鴛鴦槍) and "General of the Empire" (護國將軍) -- during its show at the East Los Angeles College.
"Lovebirds Spears" is about a teahouse owner's daughter who is trained in martial arts and only agree to marry someone who is capable of defeating her using spears.
"General of the Empire" combines traditional opera with Chinese martial arts. The action sequences in the piece were inspired by ancient warfare in China, which involved the use of scaling ladders to climb fortress walls.
Established in 1929, Ming Hwa Yuan revives the traditional opera art form through modern technology and sophisticated storytelling skills.
Los Angeles is the first leg of the troupe's tour to 11 North American cities, including Houston, Chicago and Boston.
Chen Chao-ting (陳昭婷), who plays a male role as the lead character in one of the pieces, said her troupe would bring to its audiences exciting performances that featuring the combination of romance and martial arts. (Courtesy of CNA)
創團86年，臺灣歌仔戲天團明華園首度赴洛杉磯演出，今天在東洛杉磯學院演出「鴛鴦槍」以及「護國將軍」兩部戲碼，吸引千餘名觀眾，展現東方歌劇的精華。
被喻為「東方歌劇」的明華園，首度以慶祝中華民國104年國慶文化訪問團名義，巡迴北美11座城市演出，首站就在擁有最多僑胞的洛杉磯，這是明華園首度到洛杉磯演出，吸引不少僑胞的注意。
當家臺柱孫翠鳳指出，這次帶來了三段式的表演，但她恢復女兒身，而且穿上時裝，負責與現場觀眾互動，並對觀眾做歌仔戲講解；孫翠鳳強調，歌仔戲是非常可愛的戲曲，透過講解與表演，讓很久沒看到歌仔戲的僑胞或國外友人能夠很快了解。
這次負責主演的小生陳昭婷則說，她擔任男主角，第一次與洛杉磯的觀眾見面，壓力很大，但相信大家會看到很精彩的愛情文戲與武打戲。
明華園這次帶來「鴛鴦槍」以及「護國將軍」兩部戲碼，總團長陳勝福說，明華園有86年歷史，第一次到洛杉磯表演，這80多年來，明華園走遍大江南北與世界各個角落，很高興今年可以以國慶文化訪問團的名義，來到洛杉磯。
陳勝福指出，洛杉磯有很多僑胞以及主流的觀眾，都對中華文化非常支持，明華園也會以最好的演出，讓觀眾享受一場最好的文化藝術饗宴。
明華園這次的北美巡迴演出，一共將在洛杉磯、聖地牙哥、西雅圖、溫哥華等11個城市演出，為了做好這次的演出，明華園派出了41名團員，帶來了近3000公斤的裝備，要讓北美地區的民眾享受歌仔戲的美好。(中央社提供)
