http://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/sanfran/
The NewTang Television, an independent, non-profit Chinese-language TV broadcast company, recently presented Chinese New Year Spectacular at the Orpheum Theatre for only four days. This state of the art show contains captivating dancers, traditional costumes and mini-dance drama with narratives about Chinese legends and historical characters and events. The impressive production covers 5000 years of Chinese history and tradition in two hours with one intermission.
The production is a vision of loveliness, from the very first moment as the audience sees stylized dancers scurrying about the stage dressed as angels that look as if they are floating over a smoke-filled stage. There are projected scenes of Chinese landscapes that change; in many scenes, they look almost three-dimensional. Throughout the whole production is a delightful Chinese narrator named Kelly Wen and her American male counterpart Jared Madsen who is bilingual; they introduce each scene depicting Chinese history and legend.
Chinese classical dancers are trained in technical elements such as jumps, turns, tumbling and challenging acrobatic techniques. They have both form and spirit, using the mind and the body, unifying internal and external.
There are many highly structured scenes which include Chinese legends like "Lady of the Moon" with lovely dancers and amazing animated scenes on a large scrim in back of the stage. A charming scene, "The Ladies of the Manchu Court," utilizes tiny steps in raised shoes that the Manchu women wore at the court. The diverse program also has the robust "Mongolian Bowl Dance" with bowls of "cheese" ever so carefully balanced on the dancers' heads. They look like the Chinese Rockettes in their dance movements. Another Mongolian dance scene is "Chopstick Zest" in which vigorous male dancers perform astounding airborne barrel turns and cartwheels to lively music from the thirty-five member orchestra. "Water Sleeves" is a charming number with dancers costumed with long blue sleeves flowing, looking like water nymphs.
"Descent of the Celestial Kings" is spectacular with male dancers exchanging greetings with immortal beings on a scrim that looks almost real. Winged horses suddenly appear on the projection and they look as if they will fly across the stage. The first act ends with "Drummers of the Tang Court" which has an overabundance of drums that rock the house.
Chinese New Year Spectacular also makes a political statement in two excellent dramatic scenes on behalf of the Falun Gong or Falun Dafa which is a system of mind and body cultivation that was introduced to the public in China in 1992. The movement has been banned by the Communist Chinese government and the Chinese government has denounced this production.
One scene shows male dancers in black outfits with the Communist hammer and sickle on their backs, rounding up three women who are practicing Falun Gong, and beating them mercilessly. The other scene is beautifully accomplished with young male and female dancers with graceful arms and Russian classical toe steps challenging the same Communist dancers and this time winning over their oppressors.
Interspersed with the elaborate dance scenes are tenor Hong Ming, baritone Qu Yue and Pi-ju Huang, a soprano with an astonishing range.
Chinese New Year Spectacular has 65 wonderful dancers, acrobats and singers. The are accompanied by a 35-piece orchestra under the direction of Rutang Chen playing a mixture of classical and Chinese music composers Junyi Tan, Xuan Tong and Yu Deng. The melodies run from delicate to dynamic. The costumes are brilliantly colored authentic dress that delights the eye (the costumer is not listed in the program or in the press release). The projections by Peijong Hsieh and Ying Han are amazingly three dimensional. In one scene we see Chinese castles and forts on fire that are very lifelike and in another, many Buddha type gods do wonderful hand movements. They are the best projections I have seen in a very long time.
Tang Dynasty will be presenting a holiday show in a bid to become more direct competition for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. They have expanded to play 15 performances at Radio City in early February 2008.
Chinese New Year Spectacular played from January 23rd thru 26th at the Orpheum Theatre.
Photo courtesy of NewTang Dynasty TV
- Richard Connema
