Research performance

Lady Precious Stream is a spoken drama adaptation of a Chinese opera (Wang Baochuan), which was translated into English by Shih. I. Hsiung, a translator, graduate of Beijing University, and close personal friend of the famous Chinese theatre actor Mei Lanfang.

About the play

Lady Precious Stream is a rags-to-riches story of love in the face of adversity. Precious Stream is the daughter of a Prime Minister who marries the Palace Gardener against the wishes of her family. Expelled from the palace and disowned by her father, Precious Stream is forced to live as a pauper in a cave with her new husband, Hsieh Ping Kuei. After only one month of marriage, Hsieh is summoned to fight in Mongolia, leaving Precious Stream alone in the cave.

Precious Stream hears that her husband has been killed in action but, in fact, Hsieh has become a King in Mongolia. On the day of his marriage to a Mongolian Princess, he decides to return home to find his first wife. Pursued by the Mongolian Princess, he returns to China. The play ends with Hsieh reconciling his two wives and their families.

The first British Chinese play?

Hsiung arrived in the UK in the early 1930s, and the play was premiered in London in November 1934 before going on to run for an incredible 733 performances in the same season. The play was even seen by the Queen. Although Chinese plays had been translated into English in the nineteenth century, Lady Precious Stream was the first performance of a "Chinese Opera" in Britain (it was not until 1955 that a troupe from China performed in the UK).

This production - part of a body of research into the performance of Chinese opera in the UK - will investigate some of the politics of the original performances, including the controversial subject of British actors 'yellow facing', as well as questioning to what extent the original production really utilised Chinese opera staging techniques. Archive research on the original production will form an integral part of the performance.

Performance dates:

Bulmershe Theatre, Minghella Building

Whiteknights, University of Reading

Thurs 8^th, Fri 9^th, Sat 10^th December 2011 at 7.30pm

Islington Chinese Association Hall

21 Hatchard Road

London

N19 4NG

Fri 16^th December, 7.30pm

Sat 17^th December, 2.30pm

Tickets: £6, £3 Unwaged