The Mad Phoenix

Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe

10/5
Saturday
19:30
Grand Auditorium, Macao Cultural Centre

Approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, without interval
Performed in Cantonese, with surtitles in Chinese and English
Recommended for aged 13 and above

Please switch off all sound and light-emitting devices. Unauthorised photography or recording of any kind is strictly prohibited. Thank you for cooperating.

Creative and Production Team

Executive Producers: Li Shuqin and Zhang Weili
Producer: Yang Yan
Playwright: To Kwok-Wai
Director: Clifton Ko
Cantonese Opera Adaptation: Tse Hue Ying
Vocal Direction: Fu Xiaojian
Percussion Design: Lu Jingzhuang
Scenography: Ruan Guanding
Lighting Design: Zhang Gaobo
Costume Design: Zhang Ying
Makeup Design: Chen Lianbiao
Prop Design: Liu Xingyi
Sound Design: Zhu Fuliang
Associate Director: Ji Huasheng
Director’s Assistant: Pei Xiaoming
Directing Team: Li Jianglin, Wei Guo, Zhong Jianyong and Chen Zhichao
Stage Manager: Zhang Xinhua
Script Supervisors: Zhang Na and Chen Siyi
Production Assistant: Chen Zhichao
Performed by: Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe and Foshan Art Theatre Co., Ltd.
Operations: Foshan Performance Co., Ltd.

Characters and Cast

Kong Yu-Kau (Master Sup-Sam of Nam Hoi): Li Jianglin
Sit Kok-Sin: Wei Guo
Mei-Sin: Yang Yan
Lily: Li Qiuhong
Tong Tik-Sang: Dai Mingen
Sir Kong: Zhong Jianyong
Fook-Loi: Cao Xingyu

Synopsis

Master Sup-Sam of Nam Hoi, whose real name was Kong Yu-Kau, was a renowned playwright and composer in the Cantonese opera scene during the 1920s and 1930s. A man of remarkable talent and an unconventional character, he was often described as either a genius or a madman due to his eccentric behaviour and extraordinary literary flair.

He was deeply emotional and devoted – especially loyal to friends and family. His relationships with Sit Kok-Sin and his disciple Tong Tik-Sang were both fraternal and collegial, characterised by an unspoken bond. Throughout his life, he loved only one woman – a woman who never returned his love – and pined for her for decades. He refused to conform to society, lived by his own rules, and though he experienced highs and lows, his later years were marked by hardship, obscurity, and misunderstood brilliance. Ultimately, he was left destitute, wandering the streets, his genius unrecognised.

Prologue　　White Phoenix on Snow Mountain
Scene I　　Three Taels for a Glimpse of Opera
Scene II　　Butterflies Bewitched by Blossoms
Scene III　　A Brief Sojourn to Shanghai
Scene IV　　Fishing on a Snowy River
Scene V　　Scattered Shadows of Bygone Days
Scene VI　　Mist and Smoke, a Courtesan’s Sigh
Scene VII　　A Script Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold
Scene VIII　　Off to Hunt Baboons Together
Scene IX　　The Fallen Star, the Maddened Soul
Scene X　　Men Reek, Women Blossom
Scene XI　　Riding Clouds Borrowed from Smoke
Scene XII　　Songs Echo in the Po Lin Monastery
Epilogue　　Who Else Holds Such Passion as I?

Biographical Notes

Li Shuqin, Executive Producer

Li is a Representative Inheritor of Representative Items of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage (Cantonese Opera), First-class Performer, National Model of Artistic Virtue, State Council Special Allowance Expert, Outstanding Expert of the Ministry of Culture, Advanced Worker in the National Culture and Tourism System, and member of the All-China Youth Federation. She has won the Plum Blossom Award for Chinese Theatre, the Shanghai Magnolia Stage Performance Award for Leading Role, Best Actress at the Asian International Film Festival, and Best Actress at the Hong Kong Bauhinia International Film Festival. She has starred in over 100 stage productions and has recorded and published nearly 200 film, television, and audio-visual works.

To Kwok-Wai, Playwright

To is a renowned Hong Kong screenwriter and stage director, with nearly 90 productions to his name. In 1999, he was awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, and in 2005, was conferred the title of Honorary University Fellow by The University of Hong Kong. He has received the Hong Kong Arts Development Award for Playwriting, the Hong Kong Drama Awards for Best Playwright thrice, the Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Screenplay twice, the Golden Horse Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, the Louis Cartier Award of Excellence, the Hong Kong Drama Association’s Person of the Year Award, and the Hong Kong Drama Awards for Outstanding Lyricist.

Clifton Ko, Director

Screenwriter, planner, director, and producer of over 80 films, Ko has served as the producer of The Spring-Time Group’s productions since 1995. In 2006, he was awarded the Medal of Honour by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, and in 2013, was conferred the title of University Fellow by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He has received the Gold Award in the Individual Category of the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards for Arts Promotion, the Hong Kong Drama Awards for Outstanding Arts Administration, the Best Director Award at the Chinese American Film Festival, and the Best Producer Award at the China-Canada International Film Festival.

Li Jianglin, Directing Team and Actor (as Kong Yu-Kau)

Li is a First-class Performer, a performer at the Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe specialised in male civil and martial roles and Head of the Artistic Department. He is an inheritor of Foshan’s Intangible Cultural Heritage (Cantonese Opera), Vice-president of the Foshan Theatre Association, and recognised as a Foshan Cultural Talent. A graduate of the Guangdong Cantonese Opera School, he became a disciple of Law Ka-Bo in 2002 and joined the Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe in 2018. He was nominated for Best Leading Actor at the 32^nd Shanghai Magnolia Stage Performance Award, won Gold Prizes at the 9^th and 10^th Guangdong Youth Performing Arts Competitions, and was named one of the Top Ten Emerging Stage Talents at the 15^th Guangdong Arts Festival.

Wei Guo, Directing Team and Actor (as Sit Kok-Sin)

Wei is a Second-class Performer, Deputy Director of the Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe, and Vice-president of the Foshan Theatre Association. Specialises in young male martial roles, male clown roles and older male roles, he has received Silver Prizes at the 4^th, 6^th and 8^th Guangdong Youth Performing Arts Competitions, and a First Prize at the Foshan Youth Performing Arts Competition. With a wide acting range, powerful vocal timbre, and a modern interpretative style, he has played key roles in Queen Zhou the Younger, Lady Balsam, The Soul of Macao, General’s Order, The Mad Phoenix, and The Iron Army.

Yang Yan, Producer and Actress (as Mei-Sin)

Second-class Performer and Deputy Director of the Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe, Yang won Gold Prizes at the 4^th and 6^th Guangdong Theatre Performing Arts Competitions, and First Prizes at the 1^st and 2^nd Foshan Youth Performing Arts Competitions. Specialising in female warrior roles and young female roles, she has played leading roles in Wong Fei Hung of Foshan, A Tale of Passion, and Queen Zhou the Younger. Several Cantonese opera productions she starred in have received accolades such as the Outstanding Repertoire Award at the China Theatre Festival, the Guangdong Province ‘Five-One Project’ Award, and the Guangdong Province Lu Xun Literature Prize.

Li Qiuhong, Actress (as Lily)

Li is a Second-class Performer, Vice-president of the Foshan Theatre Association, and Director of the Operations Department of the Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe. A graduate of the Guangdong Cantonese Opera School and disciple of Cantonese opera artist Li Shuqin, she excels in young female roles. She has won Silver Prizes at the 6^th and 10^th Guangdong Youth Performing Arts Competitions, Gold Prizes at the 8^th and 11^th editions, and Gold Prizes at the 2021 and 2024 Foshan Youth Performing Arts Competitions.

Dai Mingen, Actor (as Tong Tik-Sang)

Dai is an outstanding performer of the Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe. He has won a Silver Prize at the Guangdong Performing Arts Competition and a Gold Prize at the Foshan Youth Performing Arts Competition. He has participated in productions such as General’s Order, The Top Beauty of Jinling, The House of 72 Tenants, The Great Nation’s Lampmaker, Journey to the West – The Spider Demoness, Dream of the Enchanted Fox, Fifteen Strings of Cash, and Xu Ce Running to the Imperial Palace.

Zhong Jianyong, Directing Team and Actor (as Sir Kong)

Zhong is a Second-class Performer and principal actor of the Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe. A graduate of the Guangdong Cantonese Opera School, he possesses solid fundamental skills, clear diction, and a natural vocal style. He is versatile in taking on diverse roles. He has won Gold Prizes at the 4^th and 6^th Guangdong Theatre Performing Arts Competitions and has played leading roles in productions such as Zhao Zilong Escorts His Lord Across the River, The Imperial Matchmaker, and The Soul of Macao.

Cao Xingyu, Actor (as Fook-Loi)

Cao is a principal actor of the Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe. A graduate of the Guangdong Cantonese Opera School, he specialises in older male roles, and was awarded a Silver Prize at the 3^rd Guangdong Youth Performing Arts Competition. He has starred in and taken part in productions such as Zhao Zilong Escorts His Lord Across the River, Forty Years of Cherished Love, and Love Dream by the Luo River.

Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe

Founded in 1957, the troupe is a professional Cantonese opera institution based in the birthplace of Cantonese opera and is a designated National Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Unit. It is dedicated to nurturing talents, preserving and passing down traditional repertoire, and promoting the development of Cantonese opera. The troupe has produced and performed both classical and newly adapted works, including Queen Zhou the Younger, Lady Balsam, and The Iron Army. Its productions have won multiple awards such as the Outstanding Repertoire Award at the China Theatre Festival, the Plum Blossom Award for Chinese Theatre, the Shanghai Magnolia Stage Performance Award for Leading Role and the Guangdong Province ‘Five-One Project’ Award.

Disclaimer
The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government provides liaison and technical support to the project only. Any views/opinions expressed by the project team are those of the project only and do not reflect the views of the Cultural Affairs Bureau.