VANCOUVER—After a reception for the Chinese Spectacular on Saturday evening, the world-renowned culural show played to a captivated audience at the Bell Performing Arts Center in Surrey.
Among the audience were Hong Keok Merkle, the American Vice-Consul General in Vancouver, and Cheryl Cruise, personal assistant to the American Consul General in Vancouver.
"We're very happy, we're enjoying it so far," said Cruise during the intermission.
"I think for me it was the sea nymphs, the water sleeves and the drummers that were my favorite. And then the other thing we were just talking about is how now with the multimedia it's just so much better performance than it could have been say 20 years ago. There are less props but you get more input."
Merkle, originally from Singapore and now a U.S. citizen, observed how the Buddhist values practiced in ancient China came through in the Spectacular.
"Even the soprano's song, the lyrics were quite universal, the longing, the recovery of the self. And the second song about truth, so it's interesting because I know that in China... there's a need to go back to the roots, to rediscover Confucius, to discover [lost] values."
Merkle commented on the content in the show that depicts the persecution of Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been repressed in China for the past nine years.
"I thought it was interesting that they have the Falun Gong in it. But then of course, knowing the background now, the performers are basically Chinese who have immigrated to North America. I see a more open view...a greater willingness to critique the mainland Chinese government as the oppressors that move against the Falun Gong. I thought that was well done," she said.
"But in addition to that, when the baritone was singing about truth, setting them free…I think it shows that now they have the capability to express themselves in the way they want to…. All these people are lucky to be here in North America where they can give expression to such yearning to go back."
Cruise enjoyed the natural rapport between the MCs of the show, both of whom spoke fluently in English and Chinese. Summing up her interpretation of the show, she said, "it's definitely the search for truth, the search for self — very much that expression."
For information about upcoming Divine Performing Arts shows, please visit:
www.BestChineseShows.com.
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http://en.epochtimes.com/features/dpa2008/