Growing Up With Teochew Opera - 8
New Local Teochew Opera Troupes In 1970s/1980s
七八十年代成立的职业潮剧班 - 潮起潮落

I recalled that Teochew street opera was at its peak in the late 1970s to early 1980s. If I were to use 潮起潮落 or 'The Rise and Fall of Teochew Opera Troupes in Singapore, that was the period of 潮起 or the golden age of Teochew opera troupes in Singapore.

In the late 1970s, new local Teochew street opera troupes like 中源和兴潮剧团 and 老玉梨春潮剧团 were formed. The actresses who played the male in each of the two troupes were from 织云潮剧团. I could tell because I watched their performance before. During that time, 织云潮剧团 had too many 小生 or male leads. Some of the common names are 月燕, 明琴, 莫尼, 钟喜坤, 珠华,淑真, 淑兰 etc. For a typical 4.5 hours perfomance, they took turn to perform. And at that time demand for Teochew opera was fantastic. I recalled there were plenty of opportunities to watch Teochew street opera. 中源和兴潮剧团 put up a very respectful maiden appearance, 刘璋下山 and 老玉梨春潮剧团 performed 绿牡丹.

In the early 80’s, another new opera troupe called 金鹰潮剧团 was formed. The main leads were from 新荣和兴潮剧团. They were 邓道兰 and 陈珍珠. They performed 斩十八翰林 and 屠夫状元 as part of their maiden appearance at Hong Lim Park where the opera festival was held. 织云潮剧团 also staged a 2 episodes performance called 仁义公主. I traveled from Toa Payoh to Hong Lim Park by bus just to watch the performances.

After the formation of 金鹰潮剧团, 新荣和兴潮剧团 was at the verge of folding up. Not only the key leads were gone, the shows they put up were very limited. If I recalled correctly, they invited one of the former lead actresses 陈巧娇 to perform a few months. That did not not create any significant impact as the shows like 女状元 and 渔女鸣冤 (I hope I remembered the titles correctly) did not excite the audience much.

In the early 80’s, another opera troupe 新一天彩潮剧团 got some financial backings and strengthen their pool of actors and actresses including inviting 细妹 who had quitted from 新荣和兴潮剧团 to come back on stage. They put up two performances, 借剑 and 秦原闯道. At that time, 细妹 had the habit of forgetting the lyrics and had to depend on the co-actors to help her with the singing. Some audience said they would not mind as Soy Muay had not been performing for many years. Later, she joined 金鹰潮剧团 as one of the many 小生. I saw her pefroemd in 柴房会 and 一门三进士 at Whompoa market and 刘明珠 in Ang Mo Kio.

陈楚蕙 and 张应炎 has also paired many times for the show 借剑. Besides the LP recording, 新天彩潮剧团 also performed this show in Thailand in the 1980's and staged the same performance in year 2004.

In the 90’s, there were two sub-standards opera troupes that were invited to perform mostly during the lunar 7th month hungry ghost festival. 正天香潮剧团 would perform 碧玉簪 (The Jade Hairpin) every now and then. That 小生 was actually the one who played the role as 花旦 in 新荣艺潮剧团 previously. She was called 庄玉花. My mum said she was trained as a child-artiste in the 60’s by 新荣和兴 and later became one of the 4 beauties. Another troupe, 老富贵春潮剧团 only emerged in the 90’s I had little patience to watch their performance. Many of the actors and actresses were either too matured or overweight.

I shifted to Yishun in 1988. I traveled to a few places to watch Teochew opera as there were fewer Teochew street opera performances in Yishun. I traveled to temples in Ang Mo Kio, the Tua Peh Kong temple at Balestier and Whompoa market quite often in 1994/5. That was the time 细妹performed male lead at 金鹰潮剧团. The two popular shows, 柴房会 and 一门三进士 attracted a lots of people. I must confess that the standards at that time were on par with 织云潮剧团. 细妹had also made significant improvements in her acting skills. I also watched 老赛桃源潮剧团 performed 柴房会 at 粤海清庙 at Raffels Place in 1996. 柴房会 is also a popular 折子戏 amongst China Troupes. See picture below.

I am not a typical fan who monitored the schedules of troupes’ performance closely. So long as I was informed of the location, I would proceed if I had the time and pocket allowance to travel. One such source came from my eldest sister who worked in a factory and she had many friends who stayed in Toa Payoh. I personally think 织云潮剧团 and 金鹰潮剧团 were the better troupes as they have good looking 小生 and 花旦, and 老生 with good voice like 张应炎, 老丑 as good as 陈文昌 of 新天彩潮剧团, a lot of supporting actors/actresses to play the role as soldiers and maids, etc.

新荣和兴潮剧团 at one time was on the verge of being closed down after the key lead actresses left for 金鹰潮剧团. Gone are the days where we could see 九妹, 细妹 and 细细 performing 辞郎州. Then, 陈巧鸾, the manager of the troupe came to inject new life into 新荣和兴潮剧团. She was a very talented actress but think people commented that she was a bit proud. She played the role as 杨令婆 in 杨令婆辩十本 very well. The original performance was put up by 洪妙, a male actor from China, who disguised himself as 杨令婆.

I also watched her performed in 赵少卿, 张春郎, 春草闯堂, 南北双英 etc. Unfortunately, the troupe had folded up in 2001 as she claimed that the income was not enough to defray the expenses. It performed the last show in Yishun after a solid 174 years of history in Teochew opera. The troupe performed 万古流芳 [An Everlasting Legacy] as their final performance in Yishun.

See some newspaper collections on the last performance staged by新荣和兴潮剧团.

Actually, prior to 2001, many Teochew troupes were folded quietly. May be they were not as popoluar as 新荣和兴潮剧团 and it did not capture the attention of the media. Some of the troupes were 中原和兴潮剧团, 老三正顺潮剧团, 老中正顺潮剧团, 驼江潮剧团, 新荣艺潮剧团, 老玉梨春潮剧团, 老正天香潮剧团, 老一枝香潮剧团 etc. I think 潮落 or the fall of Tecohew opera troupes took place in the late 1990s.

Growing Up With Teochew Opera - 3
Teochew Opera Serial On TV Singapura
潮剧连续剧在新加坡电视台首播

In the late 1960s or early 1970s, TV Singapura produced a few Teochew opera series in black and white. They were screened on TV which coincided with the school holidays. As I was studying in Singapore, my parents would bring me back to Johore during the school holidays. I would then follow my mum or eldest sister to one of the supervisor’s house to watch the serial. I remembered some segments of the very well scripted opera including 包公探荫山 by 老三正顺潮剧团 and 乘龙快婿 (also known as 春草闯堂) by 织云潮剧团. That was the time I believed I began to understand a bit of wayang.

In the past, a typical Teochew opera performance would normally last 4 hours. The producer would edit the script and cut the performance into four parts each lasting an hour with commercials incorporated. Subsequently, there were several productions by Singapore amateur troupes but each episode lasted an hour or so. As the amateur troupes were less established, they could only play some simple plots. At that time, I could already tell the difference in standards in performances put up by street operas and amateur troupes.

乘龙快婿 was later performed by many different local and China troupes. The show was named as 春草闯堂. Here, I need to make a specific mention about 姚璇秋. She surprised me when she performed this show in 1980s when she was already past 50 years old. Her make up was solid and her acting and singing skills were very polished. I was very impressed with her performance.

In 2007, China Teochew Opera Troupe 1 put up 春草闯堂 again in mainland China and in Thailand.

In the 1980s/90s, 新荣和兴潮剧团 also recorded an audio version of 春草闯堂 by 陈珍珠,邓道兰,陈巧鸾,李美贞and 江秀莲. Of the 5 key lead artistes, 陈珍珠,邓道兰,李美贞 and 江秀莲 joined 金鹰潮剧团 which was formed in the 1980s. Now, 李美贞 is performing in Malaysia while 江秀莲 is still active in 新新荣和潮剧团.


Why were Teochew street opera so popular starting from the 1930s? In Apr 2006, I came across an e-article written by the Singapore Chinese Opera Institute. See part of the article reproduced below.

梨园忆旧录之五：风雷人物谈织云 －－潘忠玉先生台前幕后七十年
1999年汕头戏曲学校四十周年校庆上，遇到了新加坡潮剧界老前辈潘忠玉先生。1927年出生于新加坡的潘先生，在他11岁的时候，因生活环境困苦，父亲在无奈的情况下，一纸7年的合约书，把他们兄弟俩送入“老玉春香潮剧团” 。
谈起以往的演艺生涯，潘先生长长的叹了一口气，只用一个字来形容：“苦”！当时老玉春香的团长是陈义章，他赏识充满灵气的潘忠玉，根据他的外形条件，让他专攻小生、武生戏。但是，台上的戏好看，后台也管得紧，每个人各就各位，没有人敢马虎。

班主有财力, 出门坐马车
“老玉春香潮剧团”的戏馆在皇家山脚的“马寮巷”，即在“铁笼巷”的隔壁。童伶们就住在戏馆里练功、学戏。他的老板拥有一辆英国旧式马车，每天接送老板上下班，这在当年是一件非常风光的交通工具，也足见当年戏班 的鼎盛时期。
三十年代的戏班规模宏大，一个戏班平均有六十多人，经营者有财力。当时新加坡属英国殖民地，也是戏曲最活跃的时期。知名的潮剧团有“中赛桃源潮剧团”、“老赛永丰潮剧团”、“老玉楼春潮剧团”、“老三正顺潮剧团”；“老赛桃源潮剧团”、“新荣和兴潮剧团”和“老玉春香潮剧团”。

一说起当年戏班演出的盛况，潘先生眼神绽放出光彩，滔滔不绝地向我描述战前时期的戏班情况……当年的戏班主要在新马两地的戏院演出。如：新加坡的大坡“怡园”、新世界、大世界也都有“戏园”。马来西亚的麻坡、槟城、“岜株巴辖”等地。每次逗留演出至少一个月，有时甚至一年。

当时戏班规模最大的数“老赛桃源潮剧团”。戏班拥有很多活景，如：水景、火景、楼景、风灾景等等，这些景需耗费大量的人力物力，在科技不发达的年代，并不是一件简单的事。当时该戏班到马来西亚演出时，仅布景道具就需三、四十辆货车来运载。后因社会的变迁、资金与人源的减少，为了节省开支，这些巨型的道具逐渐被取消，后人也无法一睹风采了。当时在戏院上演的戏票每张卖三至五角，从晚上七点演至午夜十二点，一出戏往往有十几集，最少也有七八集。观众为了追看故事情节，每晚都必定购票观看演出，情形有点类似现今追看电视连续剧一样。

为什么当年的戏班有如此的魅力呢？第一是当时没有其它娱乐竞争，如：电影、电视、卡拉OK、录像带等等。第二是资金、人力充足，有足够的发挥空间。第三是演员根基扎实，严格要求演出质量。

各出奇招, 观众如潮
举些例子来说。戏班之间的竞争非常激烈，各班都纷纷招兵买马、各出奇招，以吸引更多的观众。“老三正顺潮剧团”聘请林喜主演《江小鹤》与《黄天霸》，在本地引起了轰动。林喜是一位多才多艺的演员，他与著名的“乌衫”演员李梨利是师兄弟，李来利当时是在中国“老玉梨春潮剧团”担纲主演。

“老赛桃源潮剧团”邀请中国著名导演洪允霖、洪启声助阵。后期林如烈在快乐世界体育台演出《国魂》，布景规模宏大，连演三晚，场场爆满。“新荣和兴潮剧团”也不甘示弱，从泰国请来了花脸添德、武生永乐等名角莅新演出《董卓与貂婵》、《关丹大侠》等戏。

“老玉春香潮剧团”最出名的演员是来自泰国，人们俗称他为“老丑倪”的演员，他的拿手戏是《海珠平冤》、《姜通上京》等戏。他有几招绝活，一是在《卖牛开厅》里表演吃冬粉时，冬粉在鼻孔上来回穿动；另一个是在《姜通上京》里姜通边唱边流鼻涕，当唱段结束时，大概有长约半尺的鼻涕倒吸回去。现代人乍听起来似乎有点玄乎其技与不可思议，但在那个年代，人们倒很欣赏这种特技。这是我们当代人无法观赏到的绝技了。拥有另一绝技的是黄贺城，其在《三气周瑜》里，最后被诸葛亮气到吐血时，口含槟榔，槟榔汁从鼻孔喷出去，非常逼真。

体罚童伶,心有余悸
再者，就是旧戏班的规矩严格，对童伶们的要求十分苛刻，在训练上有时不近人情，演出更是不容许有丝毫的差错。当时每个戏班都有一个传统的刑罚，就是“抄公堂”。何谓“抄公堂”？相信很多童伶对这个名称有刻骨铭心的印象。只要当天的演出有一位演员唱错或念错一句台词，哪怕是帮声出现了差错，那么演出结束后，全部的演员都逃不过被打的噩运了。女生受“夹刑”（用竹子夹双手），男生打前后腿。还有另一种刑罚叫“猴仔抱”，即是双手被绑抱住双腿，身体蹲下象一只猴子似的缩成一团，由两个人拿一根棍子，从被刑罚的人手与腿之间的缝隙穿过去，然后把人倒挂起来，头朝地，臀部向上，藤条往臀部上狠狠的打下去。潘先生回想起被体罚的日子，犹有余惧。那段日子几乎天天挨打，他形容如果有一天没有被打，就好象中了马票一样。

话说回来，旧戏班体制对待童伶确实是很不公平的。不过换从另一个角度来看，则是对艺术质量的严格要求。据潘先生的描述，“老玉春香潮剧团”即使在演出日戏《闹开封》时，都会得到台下几次喝彩声。演出中途只要台内发出的声音稍大一点，演老生的七师傅就会很不客气的把惊堂木狠丢进去，由此一点可以见出当时对演出的严肃与认真。戏一开场，子弟们便自动在台侧站着候台、帮声。

潮剧戏班在当时可称鼎盛一时，象一阵龙卷风一般，风靡了东南亚一带。留下了脍炙人口的剧目，也造就了一批名演员。很多观众为它着迷，甚至吸引了不同籍贯的戏迷。可惜好景不常，就在戏班处于生机勃勃的阶段，第二次世界战争爆发了。日本侵略了新加坡后禁止演戏，因生活所逼，大家都纷纷转业，戏班也因此解散。

恢复和平, 雨后春笋
后期联军打败日军，英国殖民地政府恢复统治新加坡后，取消了日军时期的种种约束，戏班又渐渐恢复了活动。当时兴起的戏班有如雨后春笋般，有“老赛桃源潮剧团”、“新荣和兴潮剧团”、“老玉春香潮剧团”、“老一枝香潮剧团”、“老玉梨春潮剧团”、“老赛永丰潮剧团”（后期易名“老赛宝潮剧团”）、“老玉楼春潮剧团”与“老三正顺潮剧团”。战后戏班的剧目繁多，可说创另一高峰。出名的数“老赛桃源潮剧团”的《红鬃烈马》、《背解红罗》；“新荣和兴潮剧团”的《二度梅》与“老玉春香潮剧团”的《孙膑下山》、《墓中生太子》、《赵氏孤儿》等剧目。

有关人们口中所说的“青囊”、“红囊”的来由，潘先生说并不是一件很神秘的事。旧戏班通常把戏箱油漆成红色，因为红色在华族传统中代表吉利的兆头。当时的戏班的戏箱都是红色的，只有“老玉楼春潮剧团”的戏箱是青色的。故有“青囊老玉楼春”之说。后来剧团转卖给一位叫“阿泉”的人，他又把戏箱油漆成红色。

潘先生又说，二十年代戏班的旦角全部由男性扮演，直到三十年代“青囊老玉楼春”破例从中国邀请陆炎清与孙素娇参加演出，孙素娇是我国著名潮剧活动家杨柳江先生的太太。新加坡戏班舞台上才开始出现女性演员。“青囊老玉楼春”最出名的剧目是《风花雪月》、《撞马头》，当时由杨柳江主弦。

谈到当年戏班的情形，潘先生说一定要提林如烈先生。这个名字我也曾经从潮剧文献上看到过，也从其他老一辈口中得知一点。据潘先生介绍。林如烈是一位有才气有才华的奇才，能编、能导、能演、能拉弦、能打鼓，样样精通。特别是由他掌鼓时，很能激发演员的激情，不会“平流死水”。

改编电影, 推陈出新
林如烈先生是一位有先知之明、不断追求创新、改进的有志之士。曾经不远千里到中国学编剧，虚心向京剧艺术家取经，为他日后在戏曲界奠定了基础。由他改编自越剧电影《云中落绣鞋》、《三看御妹刘金定》、《假婿乘龙》等戏获得了观众的热烈欢迎。

织梦织云, 风起云涌随着时代的变迁,种种复杂的社会问题,为解决戏班人员的出路问题,五十年代中期由杨柳江先生创办的“织云潮剧团”成立了。当时由杨柳江、林如烈带头,潘忠玉帮忙布置。在“织云潮剧团”一呆就是几十年,期间他随戏班历经了种种挫折与困难,看尽了社会百变,也尝尽了各种滋味。目前,织云潮剧团由欧潮发先生担任团长,台前幕后的职员约三十位。这些演员主要来自马来西亚和泰国,及少数新加坡人(共五人)。主要演员有小生郑阿珠、花旦李淑真、乌面阿重、老丑平仔、老生钟喜坤等人。欧潮发团长对剧团的前途不抱乐观态度。他说:“世界在改变,日新月异,娱乐方式千奇百怪,受洋文教育的年轻人不了解戏曲,没有年轻人的参与,戏曲会逐渐没落被淘汰的”。他呼吁政府放宽政策,让剧团吸引外来人才,帮助提高剧团的艺术水平。也希望大家培养年轻人,让传统文化在新加坡开花结果,薪火代代相传!

Blog! Blog! Blog!

From Yahoo Blog - Tudou - Youtube - Sina Blog

It is great to get to know so many fans and friends who like to watch Chinese opera. I must really thank them for surfing my blogs and websites. Many of them even exchanged emails with me. I have many local and overseas friends whom I got to know after I started to blog and upload video clips on youtube, tudou and baidu. My attempts to blog at Yahoo and Sina have also been rewarding.

I am always ready to share my collections of video clips, VCDs and photos with friends. I even cut VCDs for friends and artistes. Most of them are very appreciative of my efforts and time spent. In return, some even bought VCDs for me when they travelled overseas to Swatow. Others would not heistate to share their collections of mp3 with me or even spent precious time to record the cassette tapes into mp3 for me. I really appreciate their kindness and thoughtfullness.

It is important for people to give and take. If one resort to taking advantage and always take but never give, then, it is quite meaningless to share with such people. I did came across someone who persistently emailed for some opera collections but never showed face when it was time to collect the VCDs and sent someone instead. Then, the contact discontinued though you could see the person on line sometimes but your emails would get ignored despite giving the person the VCDs free of charge. Really sad to know such people but a lesson learned.

It is lunar seventh month now and there are many opportunities to watch street opera performance. Although the standard of performance has deteriorated compared to the late 60's and early 70's, some opera to watch is better than none.

Will upload more video clips if I have time to watch street opera performance this month. Due to the double lunar 5th month this year, children are having examinations now and my presence at home to support them takes priority over street operas. Will upload more video clips and photos if I have the time to watch street opera performance later this week.