Two Chinese Puppet Shows

I went to two Chinese puppet shows in the last year, which were both interesting but very different.

The first one was by Ge Yi Hokkien Opera & Puppet Troupe at Hong San See Temple. It was free to attend, but for the performance that we went to, my friend Carol and I were the only audience. Although Carol was saying that the performance is mainly intended for the temple gods, so maybe publicising it for and attracting a mortal audience is not high on the temple's agenda.

The dialogue was in (possibly archaic) Hokkien, and although Carol is fluent in Mandarin, she could only understand bits and pieces. But I thought it was cool that they had live music, and we could see "backstage" simply by peeping around. I love the handpainted sets and backdrops too.

In the photo below, you can see one of the puppeteer's hands.

The other show was much more lavish: Journey West: Mount Fiery by Paper Monkey Theatre. It was in the air-conditioned auditorium of the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, and a ticketed performance, although I got a complimentary pass from my friend Redwan who was one of the musicians.

In the photo below you can see two of the puppeteers, clad in outfits that bear an amusing resemblance to beekeeping suits.

The story was mostly enacted through puppets, but for some bits, they also had human figures in costume, which was more like traditional theatre or opera.

Journey West had higher production values, and English surtitles which helped me follow the plot. But as a cultural experience, I have to say it was the temple performance that I enjoyed more.