文／謝平平
宜蘭面迎東北，雨水豐沛，當地俗諺多與水有關，如「春天看山頭，冬天看海口」「豬會上樓拱」「三年沒做大水，豬母就有金耳勾通戴」等，風神寶寶兒童劇團取材諺語「龜山若崁頭，大雨隨時到」，製作兒童歌仔戲作品《噶瑪蘭公主與烏龜將軍》，賦予龜山島、蘭陽平陽美麗故事，除了台語四句聯，還有國語爆笑對白，7月13、14日演出，為2024台中歌劇院「夏日放／FUN時光」系列掀開序幕。
風神寶寶兒童劇團為台灣首個專事演出傳統戲劇與本土文化的兒童劇團，將琅琅上口的歌仔戲曲調重新編曲後，讓孩子們更親近台語。今年推出的「寶寶遊臺趣」系列以台灣各鄉鎮傳說為主，《噶瑪蘭公主與烏龜將軍》即是取材宜蘭諺語「龜山若崁頭，大雨隨時到」，亦即龜山島若烏雲罩頂（台語「崁頭」亦即蓋頭），就會開始下大雨。
故事敘述噶瑪蘭公主（陳昭賢 飾）不喜父親東海龍王（蘇達 飾）高壓管束，爆發親子衝突，被盛怒的龍王關入宮中；烏龜將軍（吳奕萱 飾）不忍公主受苦，偷偷將她救出，又拗不過公主要求，只好帶著公主四處遊山玩水，因而巧遇風神寶寶（朱亮晞 飾）的故事。
故事發展中不忘教導哈姆立克法、關注海廢等知識，在國語、台語對白比例適中，台中三場票房幾乎銷售一空，僅餘週六晚間為數不多的座位，顯見成立12年的風神寶寶兒童劇團已抓住兒童劇口味，也讓台中歌劇院副總監汪虹相當稱讚，她表示，孩子能坐著看戲的時間不長，因此相當考驗製作功力。
該團團長陳昭賢也表示，「做戲要讓小朋友喜歡，比討好大人還要難！」從服裝、道具、舞台佈景等，無一不比明華園總團大型演出更加費心，例如戲服不僅需要精緻、華麗，設計美學還要讓小朋友喜歡。從她飾演的公主戲服紗裙層層，頭冠華麗，而龍王精細蟒袍、蝦兵蟹將頭套服裝立體，並具有相當辨識度，即可看出用心程度，也所費不貲。
《噶瑪蘭公主與烏龜將軍》本週末即將在台中進行首演，有興趣的民眾可上 OpenTix 購票。
Taiwanese Opera “Princess Kavalan & General Turtle” Debuts in Taichung, Sparking Resonance Among Family With Witty Dialogues
Yilan（宜蘭）, the rain is plentiful city, its local sayings often revolve around typhoon, flood and river. FengShen Baobao Troupe（風神寶寶兒童劇團） drew inspiration from the proverb “When Guishan Island is shrouded in dark clouds, it’s about to rain heavily.” to create the children’s Taiwanese Opera “Princess Kavalan & General Turtle”. Princess Kavalan will eventually transform into the Lanyang Plain（蘭陽平原）, and General Turtle will be the Guishan Island（龜山島）. They company each other.
This is not unlike the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet. It was produced for children. Apart from Four-Line Verses（歌仔戲四句聯）, there are also humorous dialogues in Mandarin Chinese. It’s a pity that there are no English subtitles. But you can still listen to the beautiful music of Four-Line Verses.
The story revolves around Princess Princess Kavalan（噶瑪蘭公主）, who dislikes her father, the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea（東海龍王）, exerting strict control over her. This leads to a clash between father and daughter, resulting in the enraged Dragon King imprisoning her in the palace.
General Turtle （烏龜將軍）, unable to bear seeing the princess suffer, secretly rescues her. Unable to resist the princess’s demands, General Turtle reluctantly takes her on adventures and encounter with FengShen Baobao（風神寶寶）, unfolding a tale of unexpected companionship.
Throughout the story’s development, the work also add some plots to teach Heimlich maneuver（哈姆立克急救法）,ocean pollution etc. It’s very entertaining
In Taichung, tickets for all three showings have nearly sold out. This reflects the FengShen Baobao Troupe caught successfully children’s preferences in 12 years. Hong Wang（汪虹）, Deputy Director of the National Taichung Theater（台中歌劇院）, praised their accomplishment, noting that keeping children engaged in theater for extended periods is a testament to their production skills.
FengShen Baobao Troupe is the first children’s theater dedicated to performing Taiwanese Opera（歌仔戲） and traditional legend. They have re-arranged the catchy melodies of Taiwanese opera into child-friendly versions, aiming to familiarize children with Taiwanese Hokkien.
The troupe’s director, Chao-Hsien Chen（陳昭賢）, also expressed that “making children enjoy the play is even harder than pleasing adults!” Every detail, from costumes to props and stage settings, is meticulously crafted, surpassing the efforts seen in major productions like Ming Hwa Yuan（明華園）.
For instance, the costumes not only need to be exquisite and splendid but also aesthetically appealing to children. Chao-Hsien Chen wears portrayal of the princess includes layered chiffon skirts and elaborate headdresses, while the Dragon King’s attire features intricate dragon robes, and the costumes for the soldiers resemble crabs and shrimp, all designed with distinctive characteristics that reflect the dedication and considerable expense involved.
“Princess Kavalan & General Turtle” will premiere this weekend in Taichung. Those interested can purchase tickets on OpenTix.
