沒有贈票的演出

《The butterly loves》是新版越劇《梁?！吩谛录悠碌挠⑽淖g名，最高票價每張賣到130新元，換算成人民幣是650元。

濱海藝術中心是新加坡最好的劇院，設計者將整個中心設計成巨大的榴蓮造型，在新加坡河畔熠熠生輝，新加坡人以往在這個藝術中心看戲曲演出，最高票價不會超過30元新幣，這次真是破例了。

浙江小百花在這個巨大的“榴蓮”里如訴如泣地演繹了這對“蝴蝶愛人”的生死戀情，藝術中心1800個座位幾乎是全滿的。值得一提的是在新加坡任何一場商業(yè)演出都是不予贈票的，每一張票都通過票房出售。新加坡衛(wèi)生部部長來觀看演出，據藝術中心告知部長的票是她自己花錢買的。我國駐新加坡大使張小康、參贊朱琦也觀看了首演。

“小百花”茅威濤回憶她第一次來到新加坡時的場景，說“那時候，我披著大波浪的長發(fā)，穿著一身黑色連衣裙，戴著大大的白帽子，在總統(tǒng)門前留了個影。”20年后，新加坡依舊美麗和潔凈?；疑镍澴釉诮值郎掀痫w，它們自由穿越，自由降落，然而第一代“小百花”們千嬌百媚的長波浪早已換成利索的短發(fā)。

在新加坡，茅威濤接受當地媒體采訪時說，有太陽的地方就有華人，有華人的地方就要有越劇，這是我們更大的目標?！靶“倩ā泵闇蕠H市場，在海外做最成功的商業(yè)演出，新加坡之行掀開了浙江小百花越劇團新運營策略的一頁。

牙醫(yī)sasa是浙江“小百花”眾多香港戲迷中的一員，她在香港中文大學學了兩年半的普通話是為了更好地和茅威濤她們交流，她還把酒店訂在濱海藝術中心附近，看來她是一個熟門熟路的戲迷。

新加坡濱海藝術中心在兩個月之前就全面鋪開了《梁?！泛汀恫貢摇返拈T票出售，他們在新加坡很多場合擺放了這兩場演出宣傳冊子，甚至在“7-11”這樣的便利店中市民就能買到戲票。

濱海藝術中心還在全新加坡展開調查，了解新加坡人在哪一個時間段愿意觀看“小百花”的演出，這次“小百花”是第一次受邀進藝術中心演出。由于新加坡越來越多的新移民來自中國的江浙地區(qū)，新加坡戲曲學校校長蔡曙鵬博士認為，“在新加坡，向民眾推廣越劇的機會越來越多，市場會越來越大?！?/p>

越劇因她而時尚

由茅威濤、陳曉紅主演的新版《梁?！?，令新加坡十分關注。新加坡《聯合早報》以“茅威濤，越劇因她而時尚”為主題做了整版報道，輿論一致認為，新版《梁?！泛芎玫爻薪恿巳A人對“梁山伯與祝英臺”這個神奇?zhèn)髡f的集體記憶。

茅威濤在受訪時說，現在中國一些地方劇種，開始出現“天下第一團”現象，即一個劇種只剩下一個由國家支持的劇團。她說“‘天下第一團’乍聽很了不起，實際上這個現象表示這個劇種已接近滅亡。我不希望有一天越劇會變成‘天下第一團’，我相信我們能把百年越劇發(fā)揚光大，有下一個百年。”

事實上這次赴新加坡公演的《梁?！贰恫貢摇罚莾刹看碚憬“倩ㄔ絼F革新態(tài)度的作品，其中尤其是《梁祝》，該劇經過反復醞釀與修改，時間長達七年之久。

以寧波天一閣為素材的《藏書之家》，以“抱殘守缺，繼承斯文”為主題，反復強調主人公范容對傳統(tǒng)文化的堅守。主演茅威濤說，她曾經“一度討厭傳統(tǒng)”，想過越劇可以不要水袖、扇子、靴子，“但因為我的反叛，我反而感悟到越劇可以在重新確立美學形態(tài)和風格之后，更好地回歸傳統(tǒng)。”

據新加坡濱海藝術中心節(jié)目策劃蔡素芳女士介紹，在新加坡，戲曲同樣呈現衰落之勢，但政府有意識引進優(yōu)秀的中國戲曲團體來新加坡演出以挽救頹勢，在此之前著名京劇表演藝術家尚長榮也應邀在濱海藝術中心演出。蔡女士表示，越劇在新加坡的市場較大，這里擁有很多“茅迷”。據悉，濱海藝術中心經過充分的市場摸底，出資約100萬人民幣引進《梁?！放c《藏書之家》，這完全是按照商業(yè)演出模式進行操作的。

與“粉絲”的有趣對話

在濱海藝術中心，浙江小百花的演員們還接受了一次前所未有的挑戰(zhàn)。每次演出結束后，所有主要演員和編劇馮潔還必須留在舞臺上接受觀眾的現場提問，這是國內演出中從來沒有嘗試過的。

茅威濤與她的新加坡“粉絲”對話十分有趣：

有“粉絲”問：“祝英臺‘倒墳’，為什么要穿著小生衣裳呢？她明明已經還原成女孩子了呀。”

茅威濤回答說：“作為新的一代戲曲人，我們是想嘗試一下‘意象’這樣的一種表現方式。我們心目中的梁祝愛情，是從他們耳鬢廝磨的同窗三年開始的，他們愛情始于友情，男孩子模樣的祝英臺，可能是梁山伯最美好的記憶?！?/p>

有“粉絲”問：“你們大量運用了何占豪的小提琴協(xié)奏曲《梁?！?，這樣做符合越劇特點嗎？你們就不怕觀眾認為，這個戲其實成了那首著名小提琴曲的配角了嗎？”

茅威濤回答：“《梁?！返闹餍?，其實就是來自越劇《梁?！贰．斈暌鸱嫉囊痪洹妹谩健?，給了協(xié)奏曲作者何占豪靈感，他是根據尹先生的這句聲腔，寫出了著名小提琴協(xié)奏曲主旋律的，何占豪本人就是一個越劇作曲者。全球音樂劇大腕韋伯講過，哪一天我能夠超越這首小提琴協(xié)奏曲了，我才有勇氣創(chuàng)作音樂劇《梁?！?。我們和韋伯不一樣，我們的《梁?！放c小提琴協(xié)奏曲《梁祝》仿佛水乳交融，難分彼此。”

有“粉絲”問：“我來看戲是準備掉眼淚來的，梁山伯死了我的眼淚在眼眶里打轉，可就是不肯掉下來，為什么？”

茅威濤回答：“在袁雪芬的《祥林嫂》之前，中國越劇也不是像《祥林嫂》那般模樣。當年的越劇十姐妹，在革新中尋找她們新的觀眾，最后她們找到了。今天我們也在尋找，我們希望那些從沒有看過老版《梁?！返?1世紀觀眾，看了我們這個戲以后，能成為他們將來記憶中的一個影像，這是‘小百花’的信仰與對文化的一種忠誠。”

Little Flowers Bring New Yueju Opera to Lion City

By Pan Ning

The recent performances staged in Singapore by Zhejiang 100 Little Flowers Yueju Opera Troupe were a big sensation. The success testifies to the charms of the provincial opera which has been under constant innovation and development since its debut 100 years ago. The ticket prices convincingly indicated the popularity of Little Flowers in the island state. The most expensive ticket at the Singapore Durian Art Center for the Butterfly Lovers cost 130 Singapore dollars. In comparison， a ticket for an ordinary show there sells for 30 dollars. It is worth mentioning that commercial performances in Singapore do not entertain guests free of charge. All people buy tickets. There is no exception. The Chinese ambassador bought tickets out of his own pocket to watch The Butterfly Lovers.

Overseas Promotions

The play was presented at Singapore Durian Conferences Center， the best theaters venue in the island state. The ultramodern shape of the center looks like durians. Local theatergoers flocked to see the famed Chinese romance.

Mao Weitao， now director of the troupe， remembers her first visit to Singapore twenty years ago. In a picture taken during her visit， she looks charming and pretty young: She stands in front of the presidential residence， wearing a wavy long hair， sporting a white cap and a full-length black frock. Twenty years later， the garden city still looks tidy and beautiful， gray pigeons taking wings from streets， soaring and descending， butsome little flowers who had visited Singapore twenty years before wore short hair now. They no longer wear long hair that touches their shoulders in twenty-year-old photographs.

In an interview with the local media， Mao Weitao stated the mission of the troupe: \"We want Yueju Opera to be found wherever the sun shines on a Chinese community. The commercial performance for international audiences is now high on the priority of the troupe.The visit to Singapore is part of the troupe's international strategy.\"

These shows aimed at the fast growing Chinese community in Singapore， as the island state has embraced more and more immigrants from Zhejiang province of China.

In order to attract more audiences， the center spent one million Singapore dollars to promote the show. The promotion started two months before the arrival of the troupe. Leaflets could even be found in 7/11 convenience shops around the garden city. The center also conducted surveys to determine the opportune periods of the day for the performances. It was the first time the Little Flowers were invited to stage shows at the center.

Mao Weitao said at the press conference， \"As the domestic market for some local Chinese operas is fast dwindling now， it is not unusual to find that in many places only one government-subsidized troupe exists to represent and carry on an opera tradition.\" Mao is worried about the one-troupe phenomenon. According to her， it means that the opera is on the verge of extinction. For Yueju Opera， she hopes there would be more Yueju Opera troupes so that the opera will survive and flourish long enough to celebrate its 200th anniversary.

New Changes for New Audiences

China is not alone in experiencing a declining interest in local operas. Singapore has run into a similar dilemma. The government is taking active measures to revive the local interest. Inviting troupes from China to stage shows is part of the revival strategy on the part of the government. Shang Changrong， a celebrated Chinese Peking Opera master， staged his shows in the center right before the Little Flowers. Ms. Cai， a producer with the Center， says that Yueju Opera is popular in Singapore and Mao Weitao has a large group of enthusiastic fans there.

After each performance， the lead performers of the Little Flowers and playwright Feng Jie answered questions from audiences. The interaction constituted a challenge， for the Little Flowers had never engaged themselves in such two-way communications at home before.

Mao Weitao found the dialogues about the romance of Chinese Juliet and Romeo interesting.

One question was why Juliet was dressed like a young man when she was about to jump into the grave and join her Romeo. Mao replied that Juliet wanted her sweetheart to see her exactly what she looked like when she masqueraded herself as a boy for three years studying together with Romeo.

Another fan questioned why the opera used so much of the namesake violin concerto. Mao explained that the violin concerto is a sublimation of the original Yueju opera melodies; in fact， the composer was inspired by a melody of the Butterfly Lovers in the first place and wrote the concerto; the concerto is actually westernized Yuejue Opera music and it suits the stage performance very well.

A fan asked why she failed to shed the tears she had thought she was ready to shed when it came to the death of Romeo. Mao commented that the new Yueju artists want to fascinate the 21st-century audiences who had never seen the old Yueju Opera plays with things brand new; old expectations might not work any more. According to Mao， Yueju Opera has been evolving all the time since its debut 100 years ago. The plays in the 1940s were brand new due to the effort， dedication and passion of the stage artists of that time. Now the new-generation stage artists want to keep the innovation momentum up and keep the audiences intrigued with new things. The new version of the Butterfly Lovers is an effort to create a fresh image of Yueju Opera for those whose experience with the performance is their first ever contact with Yueju Opera. By doing this， the artists hope that the first impression will be unforgettable and lasting so that new audiences will fall in love with the opera and come back to see it again and again.

There are large groups of Yueju Opera fans overseas. Sasa is one of them. She is a dentist in Hong Kong and fan of the Little Flowers. She studied Chinese for two and half a year in a Hong Kong university in order to have smooth communications with the artists. In order to watch the Little Flowers shows in Singapore， she flew in from Hong Kong and stayed in a hotel near the opera house.

At the press conference， Mao talked also about the dilemma she had encountered. She once abhorred the old performing formula such as the traditional fan， the boots and the long sleeves a character-type must use on the stage. But her rebel against the tradition was brief. She soon realized that Yueju Opera could flourish better on the strength of its age-old tradition after positioning itself in the new century with reestablished aesthetics and style.

(Translated by David)