by Xinhua writer Zhao Jiasong
LONDON, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- In a London rehearsal hall on Monday, Yu Ji from Peking Opera and Salome from Oscar Wilde's play came together in an original musical blending Chinese and Western theatrical traditions.
Chinese musical theater performer Aimee Yue wrote and directed the musical, "The Silk Road (Kinda)," in which she plays Yu Ji opposite British actress Megan Winstanley as Salome. The 55-minute production was staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August after earlier performances in London.
Yu Ji, also known as Consort Yu, was the companion of Xiang Yu, a prominent military leader during the final years of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC). Their final parting later became the basis of "Farewell My Concubine," one of the best-known stories in Chinese opera. Salome, meanwhile, is closely associated in Western theater with Wilde's play and the Dance of the Seven Veils.
Their different theatrical worlds are clear from the moment they appear. Yue's Yu Ji carries a Chinese folding fan and moves with gestures drawn from Peking Opera, while Winstanley's Salome holds a Victorian-style lace fan and speaks and sings largely in the style of Western musical theater. Masks, long silk, pop songs and Peking Opera percussion also run through the performance.
The story develops through the contrast between the two characters. Salome is outspoken and impulsive, while Yu Ji is quieter, restrained and strongly attached to duty. Their early encounters are marked by misunderstandings over language, behavior and their different cultural and theatrical traditions.
"They do not have to discover that they are the same," Yue said. Instead, their friendship develops as they learn to understand their differences. At one point, the two exchange their fans, each taking up an object associated with the other's theatrical world.
Yue's performance enriches the familiar Chinese character. Historical records leave relatively little detail about Yu Ji herself. In this musical version, Yu Ji is given more space to speak about her own choices and eventually decides to return to her story before setting off on a new journey with Salome.
The production also seeks to introduce Peking Opera to audiences with little previous knowledge of the art form. Yu Ji sometimes speaks English while retaining Peking Opera movements, helping spectators connect gesture with meaning, while long silk, masks and fans are incorporated into physical storytelling.
"I want to lower the threshold for understanding Peking Opera while keeping its theatrical logic intact," Yue said.
She recalled meeting an audience member who told her before the show that he did not enjoy Peking Opera. After the performance, however, he stayed to discuss how the show had helped him better understand some of its movements.
The score takes a similar approach, combining Peking Opera percussion and melodic elements with musical-theater songs, pop and Yue's own compositions. It features guzheng, flute, and Chinese drums.
Yue studied Peking Opera in China before moving to Britain at 14 in 2016 and later trained in British drama and musical theater. She graduated from the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 2024 and recently completed a year-long Britain and Ireland tour of "Miss Saigon."
The Edinburgh run drew positive responses. Edinburgh Reviews critic Andrew Girdwood gave the production four stars, calling it an "inventive cross-cultural Fringe musical" and describing it as "Peking Opera meets Oscar Wilde."
Luis Garcia, a musical theatre expert at Goldsmiths, University of London, called the work "an ambitious and distinctive piece of musical theatre." He said its use of Peking Opera and contemporary musical theater could introduce the theatrical language and cultural traditions of Peking Opera to new international audiences and contribute to wider intercultural discussion.
The production builds on earlier theatrical collaborations between Chinese and British artists. In 2016, Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre and British physical-theater company Gecko created "The Dreamer," drawing on Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu's "The Peony Pavilion" and Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
"We want to keep exploring how Chinese theater, history and cultural traditions can work with Western stage storytelling, and hopefully develop more original productions from that," Wang Yanli, the production's associate producer, said.
