On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, there is a Lantern Festival.
This day is also the day when the lobby party held by Prince Xing's Mansion officially begins. The theater troupes have long been ready to go and have prepared their masterpieces to open the eyes of Nanchang people.
Zhu Hao took his family to the place where his troupe was performing.
This stage is located near Ximachi in the west of the city. It is a famous commercial center in Nanchang City. Every inch of land is valuable. At this moment, the area around the stage is already crowded with people. However, because Zhu Hao is the owner of the theater troupe, he got the theater tickets at the front through his connections. Although it is not
The first row has tables and benches to sit on.
Yu San came over to say hello to Zhu Niang, and Zhu Niang smiled and teased: "I didn't see it, Yu San, you still look like a master."
Yu Sandao: "Third Madam is making fun of you. The younger one is just doing some chores for others... There are several troupes performing on the stage at the same time today. Only the ones who win a lot of praise can go to the big stage of Baihuazhou in East Lake to sing..."
Zhu Niang didn't understand why Yu San said this to her, and she was confused for a moment. She had no idea that the other party was actually speaking to Zhu Hao.
Zhu Hao understood that the performance in front of him was like a singer competition in later generations. He first participated in the auditions held in various places, and only withstood the test of the audience could he get on the final stage.
The other troupe leaders who were also participating in the performance were not in a good mood at this time. They felt that they were only here to serve as foils today, and it was difficult for them to have the opportunity to go to the big stage. After all, the name of the Open Cloud Troupe was too famous, and they had hired several companies in the city.
With a large courtyard, you can participate in performances on several stages at the same time, and in the end, there will be more flowers and the finals will be held.
It is almost impossible for an ordinary troupe to surpass the Changyun Troupe.
In Zhu Hao's view, Changyun Class' move was purely opportunistic.
Since their own troupe has enough manpower, their members will appear on every stage during the selection. Isn't it unfair for small and medium-sized troupes to participate in multiple selections in one competition?
Just as Zhu Hao was pondering the secret, the leading figure of the Open Cloud Class finally arrived amid thousands of calls, and accompanied by the two people sent by Prince Ning's Mansion to act as stage supervisors, sat in the middle of the first row.
However, judging from his words and demeanor, this person should be just one of the many small class leaders, not the boss. He nodded and bowed frequently, which was too humble in front of the people of Prince Ning's mansion.
But these have nothing to do with Zhu Hao.
Zhu Hao just came to watch the show.
If the troupe passes the selection, it will be noticed by jackals, tigers and leopards, which is called unlucky.
…
…
"Isn't this Captain Long?"
The small class leader of Changyun Class sat down with the two supervisors from Prince Ning's Mansion, looked around, and suddenly noticed Class Leader Long in the back row.
The leader of Changyun Class had visited Class Leader Long before, so he naturally knew him and immediately introduced him to the people in Prince Ning's Mansion.
At the same time, the show started on the stage.
Due to limited time, each troupe can only perform one piece of the play, which is the so-called excerpt.
The first person to take the stage was a small theater troupe that was not well-known and was used as the best background. The plays were mediocre and the singing was not good. The audience was not interested. They were all whispering to each other and chatting with each other, and there was a buzzing sound.
into one piece.
Yu San did not go to the backstage to sit in charge. It was still some time before his troupe came on stage. It was not his turn to worry about things backstage for the time being. He poured tea for Zhu Niang in person. He explained with a smile: "That leader Long, who brought us the
A man goes on stage to perform a prominent role, and after five performances he has accumulated some fame. Isn't that... the people from the Changyun class are introducing him to the official."
Speaking of this, Yu San's eyes narrowed a little.
Zhu Hao understood.
Yu San said this to him, and the general idea was that the guy surnamed Long was just singing the play we arranged for him to give him the face to get in touch with the big theater troupe, and he treated himself like a dish... But
Comparing his troupe to ours, it's simply heaven and earth, impossible to watch.
"oh."
Zhu Niang didn’t understand very well and didn’t interrupt.
Zhu Hao smiled and said in Zhu Niang's ear: "Mom, that leader Long is also from Anlu. This time he came to Nanchang to sing with his junior brother."
Yu San scratched the back of his head in embarrassment: "Little Master, you should call me Yu San."
In front of Zhu Niang, Yu San couldn't bear Zhu Hao's affectionate address.
Zhu Hao doesn't mind the superiority or inferiority, but it's just a relatively polite title. It makes people feel comfortable and can do things for him with peace of mind. He has nothing to lose, so why bother?
Theater troupes continued to perform on stage, and excerpts came one after another.
There were people applauding, but there was no lively scene. Opera troupes recruited from various places were divided into good and bad, and the plays they sang were all the same... How can small theater troupes have the ability to innovate independently? In addition, there are many theaters in the city, and the audience was so excited in the past few days.
It's so dazzling that mediocre dramas are only praised for their politeness.
But for Zhu Niang, Aunt Li, and Zhu Ting, they have never heard any plays and cannot judge whether a play is good or bad. The experience of watching a play is very good.
Zhu Ting kept clapping along with her mother, which made Xiao Nizi very excited.
"Third Madam, the young master, I still have matters with the theater troupe to deal with, so I can't stay with you here. Please excuse me." Yu San saw that it was almost time and it was time to go backstage to make arrangements, so he stood up and left.
Zhu Niang nodded: "Go to work if you have something to do, don't delay the business."
…
…
On the stage, plays came one after another, and more and more people gathered to watch the plays.
At this time, no one from Changyun Class and Long Class Leader came on stage.
Everyone in this selection area knows that the two troupes are very capable and are expected to be selected to sing on the Baihuazhou Grand Stage, so they have to make their final appearance.
If they go on stage first, after the audience has seen a good show, no one will probably watch other shows.
It's like letting someone eat, you can't eat the good food first, otherwise how will you serve the smelly fish, rotten shrimps, etc.?
The big theater troupe did not take the stage, and finally, as the last performance before noon approached, the theater troupe from the third area came on stage. As usual, the leader of the theater troupe came on stage to explain what the opera was about.
Chang Zaiyin, as an old musician of the troupe, is considered to be knowledgeable about opera, so he temporarily takes over as the troupe leader.
After all, he is a member of the music industry, and he feels inferior to others. He can't hold his head up in front of the dark audience. His body is hunched and his voice is not very loud: "The next play is "The Legend of White Snake", which tells the story of a
The tortuous love story between a snake spirit who cultivated human form and a human..."
Many people present had never heard of "The Legend of White Snake". However, when they sang the opening scene before, Master Long's troupe had performed several parts of it. It was arranged with the new troupe. The actors and singing voices were not refined, but still
Cause a sensation.
"Master Long, does the troupe on this stage also belong to you?"
The junior class leader of Changyun Class next to Class Leader Long asked with a smile.
Leader Long was a little embarrassed. In fact, he was the real owner, but Zhu Hao had told him to treat him as half of his boss, so he forced a smile and nodded.
The small troupe leader of Changyun Troupe quickly explained the situation to the supervisor of Prince Ning's Mansion. The people in Prince Ning's Mansion didn't care about this. They just came to watch the theater for free. If the theater troupe came back to show their respect, they might show some filial piety or something.
They don't care too much whether the opera is good or bad.
…
…
At this moment, a sudden change occurred on the field.
The smoke is steaming and the fairy spirit is floating.
The cigarette cakes specially prepared for "The Legend of White Snake" started to smoke. The people present were instantly dumbfounded. What kind of show is this? Before the singing started, they set fire on the stage?
"Old Long, what's going on?"
The head teacher of Changyun class was shocked.
Leader Long had long been accustomed to the strange things, and said with a wry smile: "It doesn't matter if you light up a cigarette, the stage won't be burned down."
When the people around looked carefully, they saw that it was just a piece of lime that was smoking, and no sparks could be seen.
At this moment, Green Snake and White Snake appeared.
"Bai Suzhen at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain..."
This opening, the singing style is completely different from the previous performances on the stage, which makes people a little confused for a while. For people who are not familiar with this play and this kind of singing style, it is very difficult to accept and applaud them immediately.
, there needs to be a process of gradual adaptation.
So after the show started, it didn't win a lot of applause, and the audience even cheered less than before.
The most important thing about this novel singing style is that it is full of charm, which makes people remember it in their hearts and can't help but hum a few lines. It is like a local tune, a fresh and refreshing style that is pleasing to the eye.
For the female audience present, such as Zhu Niang and Aunt Li, who have not watched many operas and do not understand the routines of opera, this sound is extremely pleasant to the ears, and they like it from the bottom of their hearts as soon as they hear it.
However, because few of the female audience members came alone to listen to the opera, they would not do such embarrassing things, so the applause was sparse.
…
…
"The Legend of White Snake" continues to be performed, and today we sing the part about borrowing an umbrella from a tent boat.
When Xu Xian came on stage, along with the melodious music, the scene of the first meeting of a handsome man and a beautiful woman on a broken bridge was presented, and the novel and unique singing gradually ignited the enthusiasm of the audience.
The people behind kept pushing forward, including many casual workers who went home to eat at noon, as well as theater fans who passed by on their way home from watching plays at other stages. Seeing the excitement here, no matter whether they could get close to the stage or not, no matter whether they could
I heard clearly what was being sung on the stage, but I just took a look at the performance of the actors on the stage from a distance, and found that it was obviously much better than other troupes, so I wanted to take a closer look.
"Why are there so many people?"
Zhu Niang was concentrating on watching the play, but she found that everyone around her stood up excitedly.
There were still a bunch of people pushing forward behind her, and she was no longer in the mood to watch the show.
Zhu Hao smiled and said: "Maybe this drama is too popular... This is the "White Snake" that caused a sensation in Anlu. It's my first time to watch it. What a pity."
"There are people everywhere, this...what do you think of this? How about we go forward?"
Aunt Li also pulled her daughter to stand up.
Zhu Hao said: "It's too chaotic here, why don't we just stop watching... The crowd keeps pushing forward, let's go straight to the stage, there shouldn't be any problem... If Mom likes to watch, I'll go back and perform it for you alone."
One game.”
Aunt Li rolled her eyes at Zhu Hao: "Master Hao, don't say stupid things."
Zhu Hao smiled and said: "This is Yu Sandai's troupe. What's wrong with letting his people sing for us alone? Auntie, don't make a fuss!"
…
…
There is really no way.
There were too many people and too much enthusiasm. For Zhu Niang, who was born as a chaste woman, such a complicated occasion was really not suitable to stay and watch the show.
So just after half of the show, the family followed the flow of people and walked to the open space in front of the stage. At this time, Leader Long, who was invited to sit in the first row, also noticed that the scene was a bit chaotic. He turned sideways to check the situation and saw at a glance
Zhu Hao, just as he was about to say hello, found a female family member beside Zhu Hao and stopped in surprise.
At this time, the leader of the Changyun class was eagerly asking the leader Long about the play. Even the two supervisors from Prince Ning's Mansion were also asking frequently. They had no time to be distracted. When they remembered it again, Zhu Hao's family had disappeared.
Zhu Hao and his family walked half a street and still heard the thundering cheers coming from the stage.
A large number of people who were not able to make it to the Ximachi Stage to watch the show gathered from all directions, calling for friends. Apparently someone had spread the news. Everyone knew that a good show was going on here, even the people across the street.
Another stage was also affected. At this time, all the audience ran away, and only a few old, weak, women, children or loyal fans stayed to watch the show.
The opera singer on the stage was very depressed.
We are singing well here, but why are all the people running away?
Isn’t this so hard to hear that one would risk one’s life and run wildly?
As if he had discovered a new world, Zhu Hao pointed to the empty place under the stage and said: "Mom, there are few people here, let's go here to listen to the show."
Zhu Niang sighed: "I didn't expect the theater troupe brought by Yu San to be so popular. It's rare that our Anlu theater troupe can also gain a foothold in Nanchang City... It's not early, let's go back for lunch, if we are free in the afternoon
, or you can come and take a look.”
For a woman as indifferent as her, although the play is good to watch, it is just a pastime, not to the point where she forgets to eat and sleep. There is no need to fight over a play.