The Stratagem: An Original Shen Yun Opera
Have you already seen Shen Yun 2023 and want more? Or maybe we’re not coming to a city near you this year or are still a few months out… Either way, if you haven’t yet explored Shen Yun Zuo Pin, we have a few big surprises for you there, starting with Shen Yun’s first-ever historical opera, The Stratagem!
This mini opera, sang in bel canto, is a production based on one of the most beloved chapters from the classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
The Story
Nearly two thousand years ago, the Eastern Han Dynasty is on the brink of collapse. The tyrant Dong Zhuo terrorizes the court along with his formidable general, Lü Bu. The emperor himself can only mutely watch as his power disappears. The tyrant Dong orders brutal executions and all but seizes the throne, but it is here that one loyal Minister decides he must take a stand.
Minister Wang had always been a loyal advisor, serving two Han emperors with distinction. Even as the loyal advisors are at a loss, Wang is determined to find a way to return peace and prosperity to the empire.
An idea finally strikes him when he hears his adopted daughter, Diao Chan, singing sadly in the garden.
The instability at court has taken a toll on the elderly Minister and his entire household is distraught. When the beautiful Diao Chan, learns of the situation, she is deeply troubled. Minister Wang has given her so much and raised her as his own. But what could she possibly do to help?
It is during her sad lament that Minister Wang devises a solution—a stratagem, born of an official’s desperate loyalty and a daughter’s filial piety.
The Minister places the fate of the empire in his daughter’s hands. This is a job only Diao Chan, with her ethereal beauty, can pull off. The plan is to drive a wedge between the tyrant and his protecting general by making them both fall for Diao Chan, and then offering her hand in marriage—to both.
Should the plan succeed, Minister Wang could expel both villains from the palace and restore the empire to peace. Should it fail, Minister Wang and Diao Chan know, it will lead to the slaughter of them all!
The Production
In The Stratagem, Artistic Director D.F. and Shen Yun Performing Arts present this riveting tale on stage. Award-winning vocalists, led by Gao Liang in the role of Minister Wang Yun, Rachael Yu Ming Bastick as Diao Chan, and Gu Yun as Lü Bu, perform in Shen Yun’s distinct bel canto style.
The libretto was written by Zhang Tianliang and is accompanied by English subtitles. Music was composed by Qin Yuan, who draws upon influences from traditional Chinese music and Western tonalities that form the foundations of Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra.
The Stratagem takes this synthesis of styles and adds Shen Yun’s unique stage production including costumes, backdrops, and dance. The result: a new and engaging rendition of a beloved classic tale.
So if you are ready for a riveting story of courage and sacrifice, beauty and desire, selflessness and treachery—head over to Shen Yun Zuo Pin and start watching!
