Twenty-six years after its premiere, the Jingju Theater Company of Beijing revives Night Trial, the most-loved central chapter of its classic New Year serial Prime Minister Liu the Hunchback. The story follows Jiangning prefect Liu Yong, who breaks a perilous deadlock and exposes a conspiracy among corrupt officials while observing court protocol and protecting the emperor’s dignity. The revival carries forward the production’s guiding idea of being “good to hear, good to watch, and good fun”: while retaining the opera’s signature flavour, it brings its characters closer to everyday life and compacts the stage rhythm for contemporary audiences. With the efforts from a new generation of performers, including Yang Shaopeng, Ma Botong, and Meng Xianteng, this cherished piece of work is reinvigorated with life.
