A day in the life of a Chinese opera performer in Singapore

Harsh bright lights, thick colourful makeup, elaborate costumes and a sea of people watching your every move. That’s what it’s like for Benjamin Lau, 60, who is a director in an engineering firm by day and a Chinese opera performer by night.

Chinese opera performances, which typically depict stories of Chinese classics and myths through music and acting, are a common sight during the Hungry Ghost Festival and Chinese New Year seasons. However, some performances still take place throughout the rest of the year.

According to the Singapore Chinese Opera Institute website, there are at least 70 different opera groups across the various dialects such as Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew and Hainanese. Lau is one of 12 founders of the amateur Cantonese opera group called Yue Yun Xuan.

While the group has only been around for three years, Lau was already exposed to Chinese opera while growing up in Hong Kong. The engineer of 33 years began to pursue his passion 15 years ago, when he moved from the United States to Singapore and took up Chinese theatre classes.

“Going to KTVs to sing pop songs was one of my favourite pastimes when I lived in the States. It was a way to relieve stress. But after a while, I realised that the pop songs weren’t challenging enough, so I decided to try singing Cantonese opera songs. I would learn how to sing opera songs by watching people do it,” said Lau, who began singing for leisure while residing in America in the early nineties.

From 2004, Lau became a natural on stage. His performances are typically centred around themes of patriotism, war and love, and his most recent one took place on 8 April at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts’ Lee Foundation Theatre.

Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore spent the whole second day of the show – which Lau spent at least five months preparing for – with him to get a glimpse behind the scenes.

Getting ready for showtime

Lau arrived at the NAFA Lee Foundation Theatre early at 9.30am to see his crew already setting up the stage backdrop and performers testing out their microphones ahead of the show, which was scheduled for 2pm.

Lau joined his performers on stage to rehearse with his duet partner Amy Chen. Their duet was entitled “Farewell my Concubine”, which told a story of an emperor overcoming his fear to battle with another kingdom.

“I was attracted to the emperor character because he is a hero, and his concubine is so brave and willing to sacrifice herself in order to allow the emperor to focus on the war and to strike back. I find the story, the song and lyrics very touching,” said Lau. This is his second time performing the duet on stage.

When asked why he wouldn’t leave his day job to pursue Chinese theatre full-time, Lau said, “I’m not quite up to the professional level in Chinese opera yet. For now, it remains a hobby that is more fun and less stressful.”

Nevertheless, Lau admitted that juggling his job, hobby and family can be challenging at times.

“I am a full-time worker and my workload is pretty heavy, so I have difficulty trying to find time to practise. But it will definitely be much easier when I retire,” said Lau who plans to spend more time performing during his retirement.

After rehearsal, Lau goes backstage to have his lunch. He is careful not to eat too much before his performance, but drinks plenty of water.

After lunch, the performers get ready for makeup. While some are able to apply the makeup themselves, others who are unsure have to wait in line for the makeup artist to attend to them.

Since Lau’s performance takes place only at the end, he was last in line, and used his time waiting to rehearse his movements and lines.

He was still waiting for his turn in the makeup chair when the show started. He turned his attention to a small television set backstage that was screening the live stage performance. His makeup session only started at 3pm.

Makeup used in Chinese opera always serves to show the characteristics of different types of characters. For this show, Lau was made up into an aggressive-looking emperor.

The makeup artist first applied a layer of white foundation before adding a reddish pink hue starting from his eyes to his cheeks.

Using the same reddish pink, the makeup artist created an arrow on his forehead, making for an intimidating look suitable for the emperor character. Black kohl-like makeup was added to his eyebrows and eyes.

When asked what it was like to have such thick makeup applied for the first time, Lau recalled not being able to recognise himself and that he had felt “full of power” and like an “ancient hero”.

Once the makeup was done, it was time for Lau to don his three-layered costume, starting with a thin long-sleeved shirt and red pants. He put on his second layer, which looked like a large padded vest, to create a bulkier silhouette.

In Chinese opera, costumes also signify a character’s social standing – costumes with intricate details are for powerful figures while less-elaborate ones are for characters of low status.

The final layer of the costume was a regal-looking neck-to-toe traditional emperor’s robe. Lau then completed his getup with a crown, and hooked a sword to the side of his costume. All told, his costume cost $120 to rent, which is “reasonably priced”, according to Lau.

While wearing the costume, Lau said he doesn’t feel like an average engineer. Instead, he felt like he had travelled back in time to ancient China and filled with confidence.

It took Lau one hour to get ready. By 4pm, Lau and his duet partner Amy were prepared to go onstage in 30 minutes.

These days, Lau no longer feels nervous before his performances. Instead, he feels excited to showcase his passion to others.

On stage, the audience saw Lau on stage as an emperor, escaping his military camp to find solace in his concubine, who helped give him the courage to face his enemy.

The tragic duet ended with the concubine committing suicide so that the emperor could forget her and focus solely on the battle.

Heroes and patriots are Lau’s favourite types of characters to play in Chinese opera as he admires characters who are willing to sacrifice everything out of love and devotion, both to their country and people.

At the end of the three-hour show, the team waved and thanked the audience for their support. A total of 300 people were present on that day, among them his supportive wife Crystal.

To celebrate the hard work and efforts in making the performance a successful one, the group, together with family and friends, enjoy a dinner filled with chatter and laughter.

According to Lau, teamwork is critical in ensuring the success of a performance. The teamwork he learned doing Chinese opera has even helped him to build better bonds with his friends and colleagues from work.

Chinese opera has given him a bigger purpose in life and believes that with patience, perseverance, willingness to learn and an appreciation for the traditional art form, anyone can find it an enjoyable hobby.

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