The costumes and headpieces adorned by the puppets are anything but plain, sewn with a multitude of rainbow-coloured sequins and elaborate headpieces. The Hainanese rod puppets are larger in size when compared to the Teochew iron stick puppets or the Henghua string puppets, and are held up by a thick wooden rod which supports the weight of the puppet’s head and body. These shows were so popular that they would be fully booked every night for a whole month leading up to the seventh lunar month. In the years just after the second world war, San Chun Long held many shows as an offering to the gods as a prayer for peace. It is now the second of the only two Hainanese performing troupes left in Singapore. One of the oldest surviving puppetry troupes, the San Chun Long (三春隆) Puppetry Troupe has been active since the 1920s even before it was officially established in 1947. Hainanese Rod Puppetry has traditionally been performed in Singapore as an offering to the gods, with performances sung in the Hainanese dialect. Yet, the Singapore Hymn Rhyme Sing Opera Club remains one of the only two Hainanese troupes in Singapore.Īnother traditional Hainanese performing art that remains in Singapore is Hainanese Rod Puppetry. The troupe included a total of 250 performers between the ages of 20s to 70s. In 2017, the Hainanese opera troupe celebrated Singapore’s 52nd National Day and its 60th anniversary at the Kallang Theatre with a performance of Snow After Snow (雪后艳梅). In Singapore, Qiong Opera remains alive and active at the Singapore Hymn Rhyme Sing Opera Club (新加坡琼联声剧社) which was founded in 1957. These plays tell the stories of the Hainanese people and the life they led, as they incorporated their own personal experiences into the stories told in Qiong Opera. The opera style consists of five roles the “male”, “female”, “the painted face”, “the ancient one” and “the clown”, with many Qiong Opera titles such as Inscribe a Poem on a Red Leaf, Zhang Wenxiu, Searching the Institute, and Gold Hairpin in the Dog’s Mouth reprising these roles. While theatre halls with Qiong Opera performances grew between 1740s to 1790s, it only gained popularity after the appearance of famous Hainan opera singer, Huang Kuang Sheng. In fact, the history of Qiong Opera dates back three hundred years, originating in Hainan Island. Qiong Opera was born out of various influences, both local and imported, including “Zhengzi opera”, “Liyuan opera”, “Gaoja opera” and “Chaozhou opera”. Like most Chinese operas, the lyrics in Qiong Opera are performed in the Hainanese dialect, a language that is fading from Singapore as its young generation becomes less exposed to it. When the Hainanese left Hainan Island to settle in Singapore during the late 20th century, they brought along the Qiong Opera and Hainanese Rod Puppetry. Hainanese art, in the form of performing art and music plays a huge role in Hainanese culture. Yet, food is only one aspect of the Hainanese’s rich culture. Despite being the last of the Chinese dialect groups to migrate to Singapore, the Hainanese have established themselves as being known for their culinary ingenuity such as the creation of the Singapore Sling and kopi. Deeply moving, this heart-warming musical combines a stirring score composed and written by Mandopop luminaries Eric Ng and Xiaohan, with an exciting range of puppetry techniques including traditional Chinese hand puppetry, object puppetry and shadow puppetry.When we think of Hainanese culture, we think of the famous Hainanese chicken rice that has made it as Singapore’s national dish. With his family’s hopes pinned on him, will Lao Jiu follow his heart and become a puppeteer, or respect his family’s wishes and take up the scholarship instead?īased on the late theatre doyen Kuo Pao Kun’s beloved play Lao Jiu, this award-winning musical is one of Practice’s seminal works and stands out as a shining landmark of original Singapore Chinese musical theatre, performing multiple sold-out runs in Singapore.ĭirected by The Theatre Practice’s Artistic Director Kuo Jian Hong, Lao Jiu: The Musical is a universally relevant coming-of-age story about choosing between dreams and responsibilities. An incredibly intelligent boy on track to win a prestigious scholarship, he instead finds his passion in traditional Chinese puppetry. Set in 1980s Singapore, Lao Jiu: The Musical tells the story of Lao Jiu (Ninth Son), the only son in a family of nine, and his family’s hope for a better life.
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