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Audiences sit in the open air to hear Kunqu opera accompanied by the sounds of birds and wind, and watch singers' reflections rippling in the lake at the front of the stage.
The production is held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening at the 100-year-old Kezhi Garden, providing a theatrical experience completely different from traditional theater.
The show was created jointly by Zhang Jun, the most acclaimed Kunqu artist in Shanghai, who plays the hero Liu Mengmei in the play, and Oscar-award winning composer Tan Dun.
Determined to retrieve the original flavor of Kunqu opera, Zhang and Tan decided to move the show out of the theater to an authentic old-style garden.
Written by Tang Xianzu (1550-1616) in 1598, The Peony Pavilion is the most famous Kunqu opera play in China and many artists have brought out new productions of it in the past few years.
"I didn't want a big band or high-tech audio effects - audiences will hear the opera just as they did hundreds of years ago in Tang Xianzu's time," Tan told China Daily. "It's an organic production - no microphone, but the sound of wind and birds join the music.
"Some were worried that the singers' voice may not carry so clearly like in a theater, but you will find that the sound is all the more beautiful and poetic when audiences listen from across the small lake," Tan said.
"Also, you can catch the intricate changes in the sound of the singer as actors move in the natural environment. Voices differ slightly even at a turning of a face." Tan said.
Fascinated with the presentation of sounds from the surrounding environment, Tan composed Water Passion After St Matthew and Paper Concerto, which are performed throughout the world.
The Peony Pavilion tells the story of a young woman, Du Liniang, dreaming about meeting and falling in love with a handsome scholar in the Peony Pavilion. Obsessed with the illusion, Du becomes ill and dies.
Three years later, a young scholar called Liu Mengmei passes by the pavilion, finds the portrait of Du Liniang and falls in love with her. In his dream Liu makes love to Du Liniang, and brings her back to life.
Kezhi Garden is the largest garden house in Zhujiajiao, which is about an hour's drive from downtown Shanghai.
Audiences can inquire about a shuttle bus service to and from the venue when they book tickets for the show.
Audiences can also take a bus from Shanghai Tour Bus Center and visit Zhujiajiao in the morning. For visitors, Kezhi Garden is open from 9 am to
4 pm. Admission is 20 yuan.
6:15 pm, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, until October 31
021-6267-7199
180-880 yuan, 80 yuan for students
