陈楚蕙 - 一门三进士
Teochew Opera - One Family Three Scholars


Have you watched this Teochew opera performance 一门三进士 before? If not, have you listened to the tapes or CD before?

If you are a Teochew Opera fan and have not had any opportunity to do so, you may want to consider spending a few dollars to buy the tapes, CD or VCD. 一门三进士 has an excellent script which emphaises filial piety and ends up with a happy reunion.

There is no movie production for 一门三进士. In the early 1980's, only LPs and cassettes were available. It was produced by 新天彩潮剧团 with 陈楚蕙 and 方巧玉 as the main lead. Subsequently 陈楚蕙 and 方巧玉, 陈楚蕙 and China troupes, and 楚蕙潮剧团 put up 一门三进士 when they peformed in Singapore. The VCD version is currently available.

This is an opera that wring the tears from your eyes with its strange and sad tale of family separation. One thing common though, it ends with a happy re-union.

Here is the story line.

A poor scholar, 张文远, borrows money from two rich squires to go to the capital to sit for the imperial examintions. However, he fails his examinations and is not heard of again. The two squires approach his wife 孙淑林 to settle his debts.

She is forced to give out her two sons to that two men. She leaves her village and heads towards the capital to look for her husband, She ends up as a kicthen maid in her eldest son's house and is ill treated by her daughter-in-law.

Her two sons have a chance to reunite first but as her eldest daughter-in law has a father who is the prime minister, her eldest son does not want to talk about his past. The two brothers have a heated arguement and the case is handled by their father, who has also passed the imperial examinations and changed his name to 张达.

张文远 is happy that his younger son is filial and is also glad that his wife is still alive. A happy re-union for the family.

一门三进士 is also a hot favourite amongst Singapore local Teochew opera troupes. 织云潮剧团 and 金鹰潮剧团 had performed this show many times. I had seen the two troupes performed 一门三进士 at least 3 times each. I will continue to stand and watch the whole performance if they put up 一门三进士 again. It is a pity that there is no movie production for 一门三进士.