Jingju is a traditional type of Chinese Theater that uses speech, song, dance, and combat, such as The Contemporary Legend Theatre’s production War and Eternity, an interpretation of Hamlet from 1990. The movements are not realistic, but rather, suggestive, with emphasis on the grace and beauty of the movement. The four main roles of the opera are the sheng, the main male role, the dan, which is any female role, the jing, a painted-face male role, and the chou, a painted-face male clown role. The jing and chou roles are both very difficult because of the painted faces, requiring the actors to have strong voices and to exaggerate their movements.
Sources Cited:
Wikipedia
Productions:
Yanzhi hu yu shizi gou (Rouge Tiger & Lion Dog), Taming of the Shrew, 2002/2003, dir. Chuanxing Zhong
