Prince Consort Ladygirl 女驸马

£12 General Admission, £8 Concession

Suzhen and Zhaoting are in love, but her parents aren't having it. He's poor, she's rich, and his career as a civil servant doesn't seem too promising either. When Zhaoting is thrown into prison on false charges, Suzhen does what any self-respecting heroine would do: she cuts her hair, borrows a robe, and sits the Imperial Examination in disguise.

But... as these stories always do, not everything goes to plan. Little did she know she would end up as the highest-scoring applicant! The Emperor is delighted. The palace rejoices. And before she can let anyone know, she’s been named the empire’s most brilliant young official… and betrothed to the Emperor’s favourite daughter.

Translated from the beloved Huangmeixi opera, Prince Consort Ladygirl 女驸马 is a tale of gender, ambition, and one woman’s spectacularly ill-timed success. This wacky traditional Chinese music drama is performed in English by a diverse group of talent, retaining all the original music and choreography, with a live orchestra of Chinese and Western instruments.

Produced by Red Threaded Theatre, in association with the the Martin Esslin Society. Based on the adaptation by the Anqing Regional Troupe (2nd Anhui Provincial Opera Festival) and the Anhui Huangmei Opera Theatre, translated by Lily Zhang, Peregrine Neger, and Coltrane Rogers, with additional material by William Want.