京剧“小冬皇”举办名曲选段演唱会 Female Opera Star Plays Old Men

Female Opera Star WANG Peiyu Plays Old Men

Wang, a handsome 35-year-old with a mellow voice, will stage a casual concert of famous opera excerpts and chat with the audience next Monday in Shanghai Oriental Art Center.

She has been compared to late female Peking Opera master Meng Xiaodong (1907-1977) who specialized in playing laosheng.

The concert will feature excerpts from classics including "Wenzhao Pass," "Orphan of the Zhao Family" and "The Capture and Release of Cao Cao." In each, Wang's style is different.

Wang is a follower of the Yu School of vocal and performing style, founded by Yu Shuyan. Between excerpts, Wang will discuss her career, her creative interpretation of characters and her knowledge of opera in a light-hearted way.

In Peking Opera, lao sheng is among the most difficult roles, especially for a woman. In addition to a deep natural voice, she needs to understand the male characters and their psychology, developing an empathy for them.

Just as male actors playing women need to learn stylized female gestures, women playing lao sheng need to learn movements such as smoothing a beard, lifting a sleeve, holding a fan, opening a door and riding a horse.

Wang used to spend weeks in the countryside to learn horseback riding and other typically male activities.