PREVIEW: The Covetousness – Brighton Fringe
The Covetousness from Jingkun Chinese Arts is a rare Kunqu work, adapted from a rarely performed scene in Tang Xianzu’s Ming Dynasty masterpiece The Nanke Dream, one of the most celebrated plays of the Ming dynasty (A.D. 1600).
Nearly lost to time, the piece survived only in fragmentary manuscripts and scattered oral accounts. Over several months, the Jinkun creative team undertook detailed research into surviving scripts, scores, and historical materials, including classical libretti and musical notation, to reconstruct the work with scholarly care and both artistic integrity and theatrical imagination.
The result is a work returning to the stage after centuries of absence, and a reawakening of a forgotten cultural dream. Set within a dreamlike world where loyalty, ambition, and destiny collide, the performance unfolds through precise physical language, expressive gesture, and rich musicality. The pairing of contrasting role types creates a visually striking and emotionally layered stage dynamic rarely encountered in contemporary presentations of Chinese opera.
Performed by a huadan (female warrior) and hualian (painted-face male role), the piece has broken conventional casting, blending intense physicality with emotional depth, a rare portrayal in the world of Kunqu Opera. Delivered in a traditional Chinese operatic vocal style, with Chinese and English subtitles, The Covetousness offers audiences a rare opportunity to witness a piece of repertoire, a nearly lost gem of Chinese theatre that has almost vanished from performance history.
The performance offers something seldom found on UK stages; Chinese opera not as a distant heritage form, but as a living physical, and immediate theatrical experience. Jinkun are also presenting Brighton Fringe with gentle and engaging hands on participation workshops (Kunqu) a form of massage and one of the world’s oldest performance traditions. (Same venue, same Sundays – see Brighton Fringe workshop listings.) A rare chance to experience the art form and living tradition integral to a Brighton Fringe Show.
The Company is dedicated to preserving and promoting traditional Chinese opera, performing arts, and cross-cultural theatre, both in the UK and internationally. Their work spans theatre performances and productions, education, and cultural exchange, with shows that have appeared at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and other major international stages.
Details
The Covetousness – Brighton Fringe
Dates: Fri 8th May 5pm, Sun 10th May 3.30pm, Fri 15th May 5pm, Sun 17th May 3.30pm (60 mins)
Venue: The Rotunda Theatre: Bubble, Regency Square, Brighton BN1 2FG
Tickets: £12/ £10 (concs). The first show date has a Brighton Fringe 241 offer.
Accessible: Assistance Dogs Welcome. Wheelchair Accessible. Accessible Toilet.
Age suitability: 0+ (Guideline) (Babes in Arms policy: Under 2’s are allowed in for free
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