OP ESE ERA IN T H IC C S N O O C T I E

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Wellington Chinese Operatic Society Inc. C E

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Chinese Cantonese Opera ButterflyButterfly LoversLovers Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai A tale of the Chinese Romeo and Juliet

Zhu Yingtai, the only daughter of a rich provincial Act 1: Yingtai disguised as a man lord disguises herself as a man in order to go into higher education where she meets a fellow student, Act 2: First meeting of Yingtai Liang Shanbo. The two spend three years together and Shanbo as good friends. Yingtai falls in love with Shanbo, but cannot express her feelings without revealing Act 3: Farewell Yingtai her identity as a woman. One day she is ordered to return home. Yingtai invites Shanbo to visit her Act 4: Meeting in Yingtai’s family and to court her sister. He doesn’t know that home Yingtai is really inviting him to marry her.

When Yingtai returns home, her father decides to Act 5: Shanbo dies of a broken marry her into a rich family and forces her to stay heart home to wait for the day of her marriage with the rich man. Act 6: Yingtai cries over Shanbo’s tomb When Shanbo goes to Yingtai’s family, he realizes that she is a woman, and falls in love. Yingtai’s father Act 7: Dance of the butterfly lovers harshly turns down Shanbo’s proposal of marriage because of his poor family background. 2012 10 15 6.30 pm (15th Oct 2012) Shanbo dies of sorrow for his beloved Yingtai. Yingtai is nevertheless stll forced by parents to marr the rich Little Theatre, Lower Hutt man. On the wedding day, her carriage passes by Shanbo’s tomb. She goes down from her carriage to FREE tickets please contact: pay her tribute to Shanbo, a request she made to her (Susan) parents. As she knelt in from of his tomb, the tomb opens and she steps in. (Tony) Yingtai disappears and two butterflies fly out of the (Amanda) tomb. It was said that they were Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, freed from the bounds of tradition. (Sandra)

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