Romance of the Phoenix Chamber - June 28 - 7pm

Presented by Vancouver Cantonese Opera

Michael J. Fox Theatre, 7373 MacPherson Avenue, Burnaby

Ticket price: $60, $50, $40, $30

Info & Tickets: Call 604.764.8181 or 604.594.8189

Romance of the Phoenix Chamber was written in the 1960s and has been a classic of the Cantonese opera repertoire in Hong Kong ever since. Though it lacks the elegance of the operas of the renowned Cantonese dramatist, Tong Dig-seng [1917-1959], it is just as popular as “Princess Ceng-ping”. Its uniqueness lies in some innovations that break the mold of most traditional operas. For instance, the theme song is presented in the first act. Moreover, the whole plot is developed around two female characters, who are pregnant but not married, and their pregnancy is displayed blatantly on stage. This was considered fairly daring at the time it was written as pregnancy was considered a taboo in Cantonese opera – something to be heard about but not seen. The commonness of this opera, for example the lowbrow, vernacular puns, definitely appeals to the general public.