Raves in Paris for Chinese opera classic 'Peony Pavilion'

"The Peony Pavilion", a classical Chinese opera directed by and starring Japanese kabuki master Tamasaburo Bando, won a standing ovation at its premiere in Paris on Sunday. Many Japanese, including some women dressed in traditional kimonos, were in the audience at the Theatre de Chatelet to see Bando, who was named a "Living National Treasure" last July. It was Bando's first Paris performance in a quarter-century, and the first staging of his version of "The Peony Pavilion" outside of Asia. Around 60 actors and musicians performed in the abbreviated version of the Ming Dynasty masterpiece, which runs to 55 acts in the original. Bando, 62, plays the heroine Du Liniang, the daughter of an important official, in the complex love story. The show runs through to Saturday.