薛丁山与樊梨花 by 陈楚蕙,曾珊凤 and 陈楚蕙,陈碧霞

Spent almost 4 hours this afternoon watching Part 1 and Part 2 of the black and white Teochew opera movies 薛丁山与樊梨花 by 陈楚蕙 and 曾珊凤. I like the story very much. I had watched 陈楚蕙 performed 薛丁山与樊梨花 in Singapore many years ago. 陈碧霞 played the role as 樊梨花. I prefer 陈楚蕙's stage performance because she did all the stunts personally. Here are some of the photos taken when 楚蕙 and 碧霞 performed 薛丁山与樊梨花 in Singapore.

趙少卿 (Teo Seow Keng) by Local and China Troupes

Top Left - 黄映伟 as 陈广才, Top Centre - 林初发 as 趙俊强 and Top Right - 吴奕敏 as 林素月

Missed the opportunity to watch Guangdong Teochew Opera Troupe 1 performed 趙少卿 when they were in Singapore. I have watched this show by the then local teochew street opera troupes, 老三正顺潮剧团, 新一天彩潮剧团 and 新荣和兴潮剧团 many years ago. Of the 3 troupes, I am of the opinion that 老三正顺潮剧团 had put up the best performance. When 老三正顺潮剧团 staged this performance in Toa Payoh, it was called 铁面巡按。At that time, the troupe had many actors and actresses to play the different key roles of the show. The show lasted about 4 to 4.5 hours. It was stagged as a one night performance unlike 趙少卿 by 广东潮剧院一团 which was performed in two parts over two sessions.

Managed to get 黄映伟 and 吴奕敏 to sign on the magazine.

Teochew Opera - 广东潮剧院一团
More photos from 《白高梁》下集 Featuring 黄映伟

These are some of the photos taken on the last day of Troupe 1's performance in Singapore. The photos show 黄映伟 in the various scenes.

During the break, I went to the backstage and asked 黄映伟 not to put on his beard so that I could capture his handsome face. He was very delighted to do so.

金玉良缘红楼梦
by 林青霞 (Brigette Lin),张艾嘉

Time flies. Recalled watching 金玉良缘红楼梦 by superstars Brigette Lin many years ago. Think that was the first time she played 'male' lead as 贾宝玉 in the movie. Of course, there were many commendations and criticisms about her her acting skills and the role she played. If you have watched her movies like 新龙门客栈, 东方不败, 刀马旦etc, I leave it to you to make your own judgment.

I also watched 越剧红楼梦 'Dream of Red Chamber' by 徐玉兰 and 王文娟 many years ago. It was a repeat but thousands flocked to see. I managed to get a ticket in the first row. I was touched by the songs, beautiful scenes and polished acting skills. I did not mind straining my neck throughout the entire show. The movie started at closed to 10 pm, (supposed to be a 9.15 or 9.30 pm show) and ended past midnight. Strange, it was one of those shows which my intuitive thoughts told me I should not miss it. Great movie indeed.

The 7th Youth Opera Showcase - Victoria Theatre
红楼 梦 and 三岔口

Just returned from Victoria Theatre. This evening, several schools and the Singapore Opera Institute put up a remarkable 2-hour performance. My whole family was there to give Chinese opera our fullest support.

The first part of the show was put up by :
- Nan Chiau High School : Phoenix Egg
- Balestier Hill Secondary, Balestier Hill Primary and Chong Boon Secondary School : Subduing the Pirates.

After the 10-min break, Raffles Girls' School put up a 30-min show 红楼梦 'Dream of Red Chamber' and 林嘉 and 秦占宝 of the Singapore Opera Institute performed 三岔口 'Crossroad Inn'.

The performance by RGS was excellent. The standard was very high and the students could sing and peform very well in 越剧 (A type of Chinese opera.) . The two students who played the role as 贾宝玉 and 林黛玉 received the top honours, Gold award, for their outstanding performance. Personally, I felt the show by RGS was of a high standard. The students and teachers-in-charge must have put in a lot of hardwork during these few months. The excellent performance was not possible without the enthusiasm and commitment of both the students and teachers. Congratulations to RGS. I was told that the successful performance by RGS could not be possible without the close guidance and mentoring by 蔡碧霞老师 and 林嘉老师 of the Singapore Opera Institute. Good job 碧霞 and 林嘉.

I was also there to support 林嘉 as this is his first time performing Peking Opera. He did impress me with the display of his martial arts skills. 林嘉, the man dressed in black, performed the role as 刘利华 in 'Crossroad Inn'. Well done, 林嘉.

Another Young Man Who Loves to Watch Teochew Opera

Is the heading correct? Yes, absolutely. A few months, I came to know A.C., a young man in his 20's who loves to watch and perform Chinese Opera.

Just a few weeks ago, I got to know another young man, Q.L., who loves to watch Teochew Opera. To be specific, just like my whole family, he likes to watch 陈楚蕙 movies and stage performances. He is really young, less than 20 years old. I am too glad to know such a fan of 陈楚蕙 as we can share common topic about Teochew Opera and 陈楚蕙. We shared our collections and VCDs too. He has a wide range of collections (photos, cassettes, videos, VCDs). This afternoon, my mother, sister and I enjoyed watching 穆桂英招亲. We have not seen this movie before and I must really thank Q.L for lending me that VCD.

广东潮剧院一团 Guangdong Teochew Oepra troupe 1
白高梁下集 : 主要演员有黄映伟、吴奕敏、陈秦梦、刘任冰.

On Sunday, 16 Jul 2006, my wife and I went to watch the final performance of 广东潮剧院一团,白高梁. The show ended at about half-past 10 pm. The theatre was about 80% to 90% packed. I bought front row tickets and was able to take quite a few pictures of different segments of the show.

Below is a picture showing 张怡凰、林初发 and 刘小丽. They did not have any performance that evening but turned up to bid farewell to their supporters and the general audience. Troupe 1 may return to Singapore in 2008.

广东潮剧院一团 黄映伟 Guangdong Teochew Opera Troupe 1

This is a young man who can play various roles from scholar to general and even prime minister. He is Huang Ying Wei, 黄映伟. A friendly actor who welcomes his fans to approach and chat with him.

Teochew Opera - Guangdong Teochew Opera Troupe 1
广东潮剧院一团
7月15日／《苏后复国》（张怡凰、林初发、刘小丽、陈鸿飞)



15 Jul 2006 is the last second day of Guangdong Teochew Opera Troupe 1’s performance in Singapore. As it was a Saturday, I decided to watch the show 苏后复国 tonight and also book two tickets for tomorrow. I rushed to Kreta Ayer immediately after dinner.

The MC announced that that the show is actually the second part of the complete story 苏后复国. Last year, they performed the first part which featured how the parrot was killed and there was no slot for part 2. Many people were expecting Troupe 1 to perform part 2. The MC gave a brief outline of part 1 so that the audience could follow the story. Actually, I thought they simplified the plot as I have the vcd set which has 6 discs. I told my wife I wondered how Troupe 1 could complete the show within 3-hour. Ah ha,the MC cleared my doubt.

During tea break, I went to the backstage to take a few pictures of 黄映伟. At the end of the show, I also took some pictures where the performers gathered with some VIP for a photo shoot. Outside the theatre, I took some pictures of 林武燕, 陈晓丽 and 林燕云. I told 林武燕 that I will be coming back tonight. 陈晓丽 and 林燕云 played the role as 潘文 and 潘武, respectively, very well.

Overall, I would rate the performance as very good.

汉文皇后 广东潮剧院一团

广东潮剧院一团, Guangdong Teochew Opera Troupe 1 performed 汉文皇后 on 13 Jul 2006, Kreta Ayer Theatre, Singapore. This is shot taken at the end of the 3-hour show.

Throughout the 3-hour show, not a single one rushed to the front to take photos. This is very different from watching the performances by Teochew Opera king Tan Chor Hwee. So, I just remained seated and only walked to the front to take a few photographs after the show ended.

Below is a photo of the male lead 林初发 taken when the actors lined up outside the cinema to shake hands with the audience.

First Encounter With Guangdong Teochew Opera Troupe 1
广东潮剧院一团

Just returned from a wedding dinner at Marriot Hotel. Met some of my former and ex-colleagues. The sharing and learning has been quite interesting. Told my former colleagues that I actually wanted very much to watch the Zhe Zi Xi by Teochew Troupe 1 but then friendship is more important mah. So I came for the dinner.

Immediately after my bath, I decided to give it a try, ie to start posting my experience, thoughts and encounters via blog.

On 13 Jul 2006, I wanted to create my own blog but I was so tired after returning from Kreta Ayer Theatre. I went to watch 汉文皇后. In this show, the lead actors and actresses are 刘小丽、张怡凰、陈秦梦、林武燕、林初发. I am aware that 黄映伟 only played a small role in this show but I have no choice because of my tight schedule. If I missed the show on 13 Jul 06, I would have to wait till another day since I have a wedding dinner to attend on Friday.

I arrived very early (at about 7 pm) and went to the backstage to look for 黄映伟. I was quite excited as I would be seeing him in person for the first time. As you may know, the backstage is always busy with actors and actresses painting their faces. Besides, there would be many fans like me busy searching for their idols. After searching for a while, I stopped by one actor and asked him where 黄映伟 was. He pointed to the guy in black T-shirt with his back facing me. I walked towards the room and said hello to him in mandarin. He was busy painting his face but he did say '您好' . I told him I like to watch his performance and then I left the room so that he could concentrate on his make-up. While I was on my way out, guessed who I saw. Mediacorp Nick Shen was there with two other colleagues. Not sure what he was doing there but he was carrying a small notebook. I supposed he was interviewing some actors. I smiled at him while I was making a phone call but I did not ask him for a photo shoot. After that, I left the backstage and loitered outside. Finally, 黄映伟 came out and he waved at me before proceeding to meet a few aunties who were already there when I arrived. He stayed for a while and then returned to the back stage. I decided to enter the backstage again. I managed to shake hands with him and took some photographs. He looks younger, slimmer and definitely more handsome than those VCDs I saw. I also managed to stand outside the room where 刘小丽、张怡凰 and 林初发 were doing their make-up. Then I met my aunt (my late father's youngest sister) who was there with her friends.

I left the backstage and quickly sms my wife as she is also a fan of 黄映伟. The show started at 7.45 pm sharp. The theatre was about 70% to 80% packed with mostly senior citizens. The MC announced that after this series of performance, Troupe 1 will only return in 2008. I told myself I was lucky enough to make a decision to come for the show tonight. This is the first time I watch Troupe 1 because my favourite idol has all along been Tan Chor Hwee. I began to appreciate and love Troupe 1 after I watched 黄映伟 performed in 血溅三宝袍. Besides me, my mother and my wife also agreed that the performance was excellent.

At 9 pm, there was a 15 minutes tea break. I went to the back stage again but 黄 映伟 was busy with a few fans. He was dressed as a warrior.

I managed to take a few shots when 林初发 was changing his costumes. He was extremely friendly. Then, I asked 张怡凰 for a photo shoot and she happily consented. I asked a lady to help me with the photo-taking. After the tea break, I returned to watch 汉文皇后. After the show, the actors and actresses came down and lined up just outside the exit to shake hands and take photos with fans and supporters. I have never seen such an arrangement before. I must applaud Troupe 1 and the organiser for being so considerate.

What a memorable night!