Growing Up With Teochew Opera - 18

Watching Performance by Local Teochew Opera Troupes

近十年观赏本地职业潮剧团的演出

人生有几个十年，这页博客谈谈这十年里观看新加坡职业潮剧团演出的剧目和点点滴滴。

After having written about Tan Chor Hwee and Teochew Opera Troupes from China, I would like to share something about watching Teochew Opera performances by local professional troupes. Actually, I am really worried that one day our professional troupes will simply disappear. For the last 10 years from year 2000 to 2009, it is evident that the troupes are now much inferior in terms of quality, manpower, resources and ability to stage new performances, compared to 40 years ago. Each troupe has a small number of actors and actresses and their age profile is typically in the 45 to 70s age group. The team of musicians is nothing compared to those from any China troupes. Worst still, there are not enough resources for them to stage new performances and year on year, you would see the same show. Sometimes, the troupes would call the show a different name but for die hard fans, it is very easy to tell.

In the initial few years of the new millennium, I hardly watched performances by local Teochew Opera troupes because of lack of information on their performance schedule. Other than 织云潮剧团 which would always have a common 2-day slot on the 26th and 27th day of the lunar 7th month at Toa Payoh Lor 1 wet market, I only watched street opera if I happened to know the schedule by chance.

In Oct 2006, I came across an announcement on a series of temple celebrations by a temple at Bukit Batok. It came as a surprise to me when I discovered that an unknown local troupe would be putting up 4 nights of performance there. This troupe is called 新新荣和潮剧团. Frankly, I have not heard of the existence of this troupe. I travelled all the way from Yishun to watch 新新荣和潮剧团 put up 洛水仙姬 at Bukit Batok. I would rate the standard of performance as mere average. In the dwindling days of Teochew street opera in Singapore, I should not expect too much from this troupe. This troupe has a variety of backdrops and their costumes are very new. Subsequently, I found out that a few temples in Yishun also invited 新新荣和潮剧团 to perform. I watched this troupe performed 洛神 many times. I was thrilled when I watched them performed my favourite 洗马桥 and 红鬃烈马. I also enjoyed watching this troupe扛石记.

金鹰潮剧团 was one of those troupes which I rarely know their schedule. It was until I read about the troupe folding up in Feb 2007, I became more interested to watch their performances and started to check out their schedule. I was fortunate to have watched some of their performances including 刘明珠，皇亲国戚，红楼夜审，假婿盗方, 巧姻缘，刘璋下山，狄青解征衣.

老赛桃源潮剧团 is another troupe which I hardly watch as I am not aware of their performance schedule too. I recalled watching this troupe performed 柴房会 at Raffles Place and Ang Mo Kio in the late 1990s and once at a temple besides Central Mall in early 2000. That year was very special as 4 troupes were performing at the same time. There were 2 Hokkien Opera troupes and 2 Teochew Opera troupes, namely, 新怡梨兴潮剧团 and老赛桃源潮剧团.

I watched 新怡梨兴潮剧团 performed 怒斩杨廷芳 and 老赛桃源潮剧团 stagged 铁面海瑞. It was quite an experience as that was the first time I watched 4 opera troupes performing at the same time. Then, I chanced upon a notice about a temple celebration in 联合早报 and found a performance schedule by老赛桃源潮剧团 in Jun 2006. I watched the troupe performed 罗衫记 and 湖阳公主 or another name for 铁面海瑞.

My interest in watching Teochew Opera troupes perform at temples started in Jun 2007. That year, 青囊中玉楼春潮剧团 from Malaysia came to Singapore to perform at 韭菜巴城隍庙 for 10 days. I found their standard and quality of performance better than most of the local troupes currently surviving in Singapore. The troupe has many male and female leads. It is somewhat like 织云潮剧团 in the 80s. I enjoyed watching 皇姑复国, 杨戬出世, 汉宫惊梦 and 血溅三宝袍.

In Aug 2007, 织云潮剧团 put up a 4-day performance at one Yishun temple. I enjoyed watching their new performance狸猫换太子 and other familiar performances 一门三进士 and 赵氏孤儿. It was also my first time to visit the artistes when they were having their performance at Toa Payoh 修德善堂. I got to know 钟喜坤, 亚达, 温赛真, 碧芳 and亚珍.

In end Jun 2008, I went to 韭菜巴城隍庙 to watch新怡梨兴潮剧团 performed 告亲夫. During the lunar 7th month in 2008, I hit a new record by watching many nights of performance by织云潮剧团. I watched织云潮剧团 performed 包公斩皇亲, 铁面巡按,桃花过渡, 三娘担火, 告亲夫, 井边会, 三哭殿, 六国封相, 狸猫换太子, 霸王别姬 and 潇湘秋雨. I was so fortunate to watch the former female and male lead of 织云潮剧团, namely 李淑真 and 珠华 back in action for that delicate excerpt井边会 at Ang Mo Kio temple.

On the last day of 织云潮剧团 performance in Singapore before they return to Malaysia for the remaining period of the year, I watched李淑真 and 良珠 performed in告亲夫. I also requested for a photo shoot with 李淑真. I developed many photos and produced VCDs of 织云潮剧团 in action and passed them to钟喜坤, 亚达, 温赛真 and亚珍.

Somehow, due to some reasons, the manpower strength of 织云潮剧团 dropped in 2009 when they were in Singapore to perform during the lunar 7th month. 碧芳 emerged as female lead and my Thai friends亚达 and 温赛真 did not come along. Other than the repeat titles like 告亲夫, 织云潮剧团 also put up 借剑 and 齐王求将.

As for 老赛桃源潮剧团, it continues to replay罗衫记 and called it 状元认母, 烈女斩夫 and搜书院. 新新荣和潮剧团 is no exception too, it put up洛神 from Yishun to Ang Mo Kio, and continued to showcase洗马桥. I understand from one actress that they have a new show called 金鸡玉兔 but I have yet to watch this show.

In general, the trend is worrying and I predict that more and more local troupes will fold up soon. May be none will survive when I pen the blog for the final year of the next 10 years of watching local Teochew Opera troupes from 2010 to 2019.