Grieving DPRK opera singers rise to the occasion

Beijing (CNS)—Opera singers from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will continue to perform The Butterfly Lovers in China despite their deep grief over the death of their leader Kim Jong-il.

The Phibada Opera Troupe is on a three-month performance tour across China and when news of Kim Jong-ill's sudden death arrived on December 19, all of its members dressed in black. They visited the DPRK embassy in Beijing to mourn their late leader when his funeral was held in Pyongyang on December 28.

Heart-broken, the artists considered putting an end to the tour and going back to the DPRK, said Ju Young-il, executive head of the troupe. "But messages from our motherland told us to convert our sorrow into strength and give finer performances," he said.

"The Butterfly Lovers", an opera adaptation of a traditional Chinese lover tragedy similar to Romeo and Juliet, premiered in Pyongyang Grand Theater on October 24, 2010 and has toured the DPRK nearly 200 times, some of which were attended by Kim Jong-ill himself.

Ju sobbed, "At the command of General Kim, the opera was created to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the entry of the Chinese People's Volunteers' into the Korean front. General Kim had given instructions regarding all aspects of the opera including the script, music, choreography and orchestration, which should all reflect Chinese characteristics he said."

He also expressed his great gratitude to the Chinese Ministry of Culture for its support in stage design, costume, accessories, dancing and plot details.

He said their major artists plan to go to the Chang'an Grand Theater on December 30 to watch the Shaoxing opera version of "The Butterfly Lovers" by Zhejiang Province's Xiaobaihua Troupe who donated to their DPRK colleagues dozens of costumes and stage properties.

"We borrowed ideas from their show," Zhu said.

The 23-year-old DPRK soprano who plays the heroine Zhu Yingtai, said she was not very familiar with the story at first, but she watched various adaptations, including a TV drama, film and Shaoxing opera for interpretations that would help her understand her role. She and her partner who plays the hero Liang Shanbo both said they would "covert their sorrow into strength" to deliver better performances in Beijing.

"The Butterfly Lovers" by the Phibada Opera Troupe has been staged in many parts of China including Jilin and Guangdong Province, and is set to be presented at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing from December 31, 2011 to January 3, 2012. Then the troupe will travel to Qingdao in East China's Shandong Province where the tour comes to an end.