dvds > The Peony Pavilion and A Chinese Cracker £11.99

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The universality and theatrical immediacy of this sixteenth century Chinese masterpiece continues to generate powerful audience appeal. Acting, singing, music, dance, acrobatics, stilt-walking, puppetry, recitation, pageantry and martial arts all find a place in the rich tapestry of Chen Shi-Zheng’s production of The Peony Pavilion.

Poetic episodes alternate with elaborate set pieces and low slapstick, so that the romantic love story of Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei is interrupted by invading Mongol hordes, bungling comic servants and rustics, marauding brigands and a host of colourful characters. There is also the visual enchantment of myriad embroidered costumes, exotic head-dresses and elaborate make-up. The story is told through a flowing sequence of some two hundred enchanting arias that cannot fail to captivate.

Bonus Feature: A Chinese Cracker – The Making of The Peony Pavilion

Director(s): Chen Shi-Zheng
Format: Colour
Discs: 1
Running Time: 180 minutes