THE ORIGINAL TEA OPERA
Hakka tea opera was created by Hakka and other minority people living in southern China in ancient times and was first originated in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). As the first country in the world to discover tea, China was the cradle of tea and tea culture. Tea gardens spread all over South China, where everything about tea came into being: tea songs, tea music, tea dance and tea opera.
The traditional tea operas always go with stories as well as songs and dances. It used to have three roles: a young male and female, and a clown. A folksay described it as "three-role troupe." Nowadays, many tea opera troupes in northern Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces have more than 100 players. Tea opera still serves to be popular, welcomed by people living in mountainous areas.
The chorus (in this case the voice and music) offers a variety of background and summary information to help the audience follow the performance. It comments on themes, and shows how an ideal audience might react to the drama. It also represents the population in any particular story. In many ancient Greek plays, the chorus expressed to the audience what the main characters could not say, such as their fears or secrets. The chorus usually communicated in song form, but sometimes spoke their lines in unison.
AN AMERICAN TEA OPERA
“Light & Sweet” is the first installment of the American Tea Opera trilogy. This Tea Opera is also a love story with music. The music represents the inner thoughts of the characters and provides the “soundtrack” of their daily lives. That’s why the band is right on the stage with the actors. It is a non-traditional musical in the sense that the actors --- act, and the singers sing (and never the twain shall meet).
Most of the story takes place on stage with one-on-one dialogue in a kitchen, bedroom, hallway or even an office. The stories center around Latishia, Songya and Vanessa---best friends since they met at Montclair State University as freshmen---and their relationships with family, each other, the men in their lives, and music. Their love of music brought them together when they each auditioned for an “all girl band” on campus.
We meet them about 10 years later. By now Pearl (Latishia’s older sister), and Danielle (Vanessa’s baby sister), complete the sisterhood. And, tonight is “the” night: It’s the day of the Industry Release Party for the coincidently named “Light and Sweet”---Songya’s debut CD---but from the time this day begins until the show “hits” at 9:00 pm, there are unforseen personal changes and challenges for every one of the ‘sisterhood’.
**All Songs co-written by Gail Lou and Shawn V. Lucas except for "One Heartbeat Away" co-written by Gail Lou and Démien DeSandies
* Conversation Piece (book) by Gail Lou
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