It was only a few weeks ago that China's Central Opera Theater staged the third act of Giacomo Puccini's spectacular operatic work Turandot in Shenzhen with a team of China's top tenors and sopranos in a New Year's concert. The concert gave locals a chance to have a glimpse of Turandot, a beautiful but cruel Chinese princess who decides to kill her suitors if they fail to answer three riddles.

Shortly, the city will see a different Turandot performed on stage, as the China Beijing Opera Theater will transform the Western opera into a Beijing opera production. The controversial adaptation, premiered in Beijing on Nov. 19, 2003, will be staged at the Shenzhen Auditorium from Jan. 20 to 22.

As a glamorous opera written by the Italian composer Puccini over 75 years ago, Turandot is recognized as a masterpiece he conjured up about China. In the opera, Princess Turandot swears to be possessed by nobody, but is confronted by the exiled prince Calaf, who risks his life to win her heart.

The changes that are made in the Beijing opera version of Turandot are obvious, including the characters' roles and the opera's plot, according to Wu Jiang, composer of this Beijing opera and head of the China Beijing Opera Theater. For example, Liu, the faithful female servant of Prince Calaf is omitted in the play, while Princess Lu Ling, nanny of Princess Turandot, is a new character added to the script. Lu Ling was the old flame of Calaf's father Timur, the exiled king of Tartary, before she marries Turandot's father, the emperor.

The basic storyline is about the clash between Turandot and Calaf, and the play becomes more intense with the love triangle involving Lu Ling, Timur and the emperor. The Beijing opera-based Turandot appears more dramatic and special in Chinese, said Wu. "Actually, Oriental females are usually not as cold-hearted and cruel as Turandot in Puccini's imagination. We've tried to make Turandot a more realistic Chinese woman," Wu said.

Music is central to any opera. Should the original music be retained in the Beijing opera version? Most of the original music has been retained but the composers said they had incorporated None Shall Sleep Tonight and Jasmine Flower to form the major musical theme the Beijing opera version.

Besides, creative dances have made the adaptation more compassionate, as some forms of modern dance, like ballet, complements traditional Beijing opera. The stage-set also adds appeal to the play, especially when the lighting contrasts between scenes.

Excellent Beijing opera singers will play leading roles as Deng Min acts as Princess Turandot and Huang Binqiang as Prince Calaf.

Editor: Catherine