婺劇：浙中亮麗金名片

王曉明

萬年上山文化的發掘，表明浙江中西部是人類稻作文化最早的發源地，而婺劇就是這一文化成熟發展的一個標志與結晶。如今，它已成為浙江光彩奪目的金色名片和文化印記。

一

婺劇這個名稱，一直到新中國成立之后才正式被叫響，過去長期稱為“金華戲”，是流傳在金衢一帶六種戲曲聲腔（即高腔、昆曲、亂彈、徽調、灘簧、時調）的合稱。

姍姍來遲的名稱后面，有著古老劇種非同尋常的500多年發展歷程和絢爛光焰。

中國最早的戲曲形式“南戲”誕生于溫州，作為溫州通向廣闊內地的關口，這些戲文早早就在金華的土地上回響。戈陽腔從西邊涌進，昆腔從東邊流入，徽調尾隨徽商從北邊南下，加上金華土生土長的表演形式——灘簧、時調，南腔北調在盆地里匯聚交融，一起熱烈地唱響大地。

外來戲曲進入金華方言區，演員們便嘗試著用本土方言演唱，在音樂上也逐漸向本地曲調靠攏。眾多的南腔北調融匯貫通，競爭重組，優勢互補，一種名為“三合班”，“二合半”的獨特表演形式漸漸形成，一種特色獨具的本地唱腔開始咿呀響起。

婺劇就這樣在農耕文明的沃土上扎根萌芽，它很像一株順水漂流的禾苗，乘著南來北往的文化溪流跨過山脈、越過江河。而一旦在丘陵上扎下根須，它就貪婪地汲取豐富的本土養分，匯攏四面八方各具特色的色澤音調，拔節分蘗，揚花吐穗，成長為本土藝術園地里飽滿豐實的水稻。

二

在全國300多種至今仍在演出的戲曲劇種里，婺劇農民化、地域化特點獨特且鮮明，它從來就是魚米之鄉生長的一棵稻穗，而不是庭院樓閣里養植的一株蘭花。

“什么藤結什么瓜，什么人說什么話。”婺劇唱詞里說的，全是本地農民愛聽的話。字字入心、句句入耳，淋漓酣暢、心花怒放。

婺劇大小劇目500多個，不少是連臺本戲。許多戲反映忠奸斗爭，讓愛憎分明的農民們時而看得熱淚盈眶，時而恨得牙關咬碎。而更多的則是反映社會生活，一幅幅、一個個充滿生活情趣的畫面場景，洋溢著忠孝節義、尊老愛幼、扶正祛邪，見義勇為等中華優秀傳統理念。

農民們天性純樸善良、愛憎分明，因此要求情節故事無論如何曲折離奇，人物命運無論怎樣大起大落，都一定要有“大團圓”結局。好人有好報，惡人遭天譴，皆大歡喜。那些歡笑和眼淚化作一粒粒善良種子，播撒進一代代觀眾的心田，成為他們今后評判事非、鑒別真偽、教育子女的自覺準繩。

稻米養育農民的肉體，婺劇培育農民的精神。

婺劇表演地點長期都在農村露天草臺，或是廟宇祠堂。看臺下熙熙攘攘，全是些布衣、農民和手工業者。這樣的演出場合，勢必逼迫演員努力去展現粗獷、夸張、濃烈，去載歌載舞、邊唱邊做、滾打摸爬，處處出戲而入戲。久而久之，形成了婺劇“文戲武做，武戲文做” 的鮮明特色，以及“大花過頭，老生平耳，小生平肩，花旦平乳，小丑平臍”的特殊表演風格。

婺劇“文戲武做”的特點，突出地體現在《斷橋》一折。在京劇和昆、越等劇種同名折子戲里，都是表現優雅細膩的感情戲。偏偏婺劇以強烈表現柔情，以粗獷反襯細膩，以高難度的武功表露人物細致的情感。戲高潮時大鑼大鼓、跌宕起伏，演員滿臺飛舞，雷霆萬鈞里見俠骨柔情，劇烈沖撞中顯情感真誠。因此，它在全國諸多同名戲曲中異軍突起，被周恩來總理譽為“天下第一橋”。

不僅“文戲踏破臺”，婺劇還 “武戲慢慢來”“一戲一招”，充滿理性地處理“動與靜”“粗與細”等藝術關系，不時在舞臺上展現一幅幅極具雕塑感的畫面，美感形式獨特。

婺劇的許多動作直接來自生活，同時還保留許多古老儺戲、百戲、目蓮戲的表演動作和程式，也因此被梅蘭芳先生視為“京劇祖宗”，是許多專家學者眼里的戲曲 “活化石”。

婺劇最華美的部分，其實在于它的音樂，其中最為人稱道的是從金華民歌中移植繼承的那部分，如“小桃紅”“三五七”，許多曲牌已是現代樂隊在重大場合演出的保留曲目。

三

“三耕一閑”，當冬季雪花開始緩緩飄落，農家一年四季最閑適的時節隨之來臨。“咚咚鏘鏘”的婺劇鑼鼓聲這時格外響亮。

家傳耕讀，乘閑時扮作生旦凈丑;

戲為君相，結局后仍是士農工商。

許多鄉間戲迷自發聚集，你演花旦，我扮小生，你敲鑼鼓，我拉二胡，一個個農民業余劇團鑼鼓喧天地登場。劇本是現成的，曲調是固定的，演得好不好是一回事，但那份認真快樂全都寫在一張張質樸的臉上。演得好的漸漸搭起固定班子，取個好聽的名號叫 “品玉班”“文錦社”，或者“大連升班”“大榮華班”……從此踏上職業化道路，許多婺劇班社就這樣自發聚集，逐漸成熟、走紅。

四

“三熟豐收創歷史，十月農閑戲一場”。

在幾百年的漫長歲月里，看戲是鄉間難得的社交良機，也是鄉村又一個盛大的節日。雖然那些舞臺簡陋，不過是村口臨時搭起的木臺，或者宗族祠堂狹小的戲臺，但只要消息傳開，頓時舉村歡騰，眼睛一眨，大小板凳已黑壓壓地擁成一片擠滿場院。

演戲照例不舍晝夜;正午紅日當空，“咚咚鏘”鑼鼓聲照樣響起。老人們一個個正襟危坐，抽著煙、喝著茶全神貫注，有的還搖頭晃腦，一字不落地跟著臺上哼唱。小伙子、大姑娘一邊看戲，一邊眉來眼去傳遞情愫。最忙亂的是那些半大的孩子，要么擁擠在臺前，要么爬進后臺，去偷看演員化妝、樂隊彈弦。當夜色漸漸淹沒村莊，鑼鼓聲便催波激浪，將歡樂推向高潮。

碰上“斗臺”就更加熱鬧了。實力雄厚的村子會一次請來幾個、乃至十幾個劇團，同時搭起多個舞臺遙遙相對，讓眾多劇團班社面對面一決高下。斗臺開始，各劇團都排出最強陣容、演出最拿手劇目。演員們斗志昂揚，唱念做打一樣也不馬虎。

午夜十二點時，一聲銃響宣告斗臺結局，臺下觀眾最多的劇團獲勝，演員們披紅掛彩、喜氣洋洋。

有時，戲演到半途常常天降大雨，或者飄起雪花。但演員們唱得更加賣勁，觀眾們則看得更加著迷，在風雪雷電中堅持到宣告收場的鑼鼓響起………

“農民看，農民演，演農民。”婺劇就這樣像水稻一般生長了500年，是一個純屬鄉間、純屬農民的“草根”劇種，在金衢稻作文化的沃土上郁郁蔥蔥。

五

新中國的成立不僅給了婺劇正式的名號，更讓這株已似干涸的禾苗枯木逢春，再次顯露非同異常的生命活力。1955年，省文化廳下文成立浙江婺劇團，一大批省藝校婺劇班科班出身的文化青年來到金華，和部分有志于戲劇改革的本地藝人一起，開啟婺劇史上嶄新的篇章。

一批文化人首次加入婺劇隊伍，對許多傳統劇目進行整理改編，創作出《僧尼會》《牡丹對課》等一批全新的劇本、曲譜，成為當代婺劇常演不衰的經典佳作。

新生的婺劇在人們眼前鋪開一幅幅絢麗多彩的藝術畫頁。它在血火硝煙的歷史中提煉出寶貴的紅色基因，在成敗得失的朝代更迭里探究歲月的灼見真理。它以全新的視角詮釋人情人性，帶給觀眾更多真善美之馨香而長久的回味。

在保留傳統風格基礎上，某些示范性劇團演出形態漸趨精致，發生了許多與時俱進的深刻變化。大紅轎子里流水一般飄曳出身穿彩衣彩褲、扮相俊美的花旦，風擺楊柳一般移動著婀娜碎步。歲月在微微翹起的蘭花指上輕輕一撥，飄向似桃花梨花紛飛般絢爛而舞如火如荼的華美舞臺。

從徽調曲庫中汲取了豐厚營養，從婉約昆腔上嫁接了淳美意象，從古代歌舞里遴選朝衣出水的艷美，當然更多的還是上山稻浪中蘊育的最初哪些音響……婺劇蘸著婺江清流洗去數百年的粗獷，優雅時尚地登上北京、上海的頂級舞臺。1962年，浙江婺劇團晉京演出轟動京華，其間周恩來、朱德、陳毅等黨和國家領導人多次觀看演出，周總理還在家中親切接見多位演員代表。

近70年來婺劇英才輩出，先后涌現出一大批有成就和影響的名角，從徐東福、周越先、徐汝英、周越桂，到鄭蘭香、吳光煜、嚴宗河、葛素云、朱云香、邵小春、苗嫩、劉智宏等，再到以陳美蘭、張建敏、朱元昊、趙殊珠、周子清、黃維龍、鄭麗芳、范紅霞、吳淑娟、黃慶華等為代表的中年演員。如今，又涌現出了優秀青年演員楊霞云、樓勝、巫文玲、陳麗俐、陳建旭、李烜宇、周宏偉、張瑩……

當改革開放的時代春風吹拂神州大地，婺劇迎難而上銳意改革，以嶄新的姿態邁上中國戲曲最高水平的表演舞臺，實現了自已更加輝煌的存在。一出出令人傾倒的婺劇精品征服著全國觀眾，《昆侖女》《夢斷婺江》《鐵血紅顏》、青春版《穆桂英》、《血路芳華》《宮錦袍》《信仰的味道》《基石》……接二連三摘取著中國戲曲舞臺上最為耀人眼目的獎項。

浙江婺劇藝術研究院組建的“陳美蘭新劇目創作團隊”，受國家委派和演出商邀請赴海外文化交流和商業演出，迄今已出訪全球近50個國家和地區。婺劇六次在國家大劇院參加由中宣部、文化和旅游部主辦的新年戲曲晚會，10次登上中共中央國務院春節團拜會、央視春節聯歡晚會、央視元宵晚會等大舞臺，已成為全國地方戲曲院團中唯一全面參與國家級最高規格演出的院團。

但在最熟悉、養育它的鄉親們眼里，婺劇仍然姓“農”，仍然像秋季成熟的水稻那樣低低垂向大地母親。盡管得獎無數、榮耀滿身，浙江婺劇藝術研究院仍堅持圍繞“農村、校園、社區”，每年公益演出達500余場，多次獲得 “全國送戲下鄉、服務農民先進集體”等榮譽稱號。幾十個婺劇民間職業劇團日夜奔走在鄉間，為觀眾們送去鄉味十足的演出。

2008年，婺劇入選“國家級非物質文化遺產”。

2013年，浙江婺劇藝術研究院入選首批全國地方戲創作演出重點院團。

2019年，浙江婺劇藝術研究院被金華市人民政府授予集體二等功。

時光漸漸老去，但在歲月舞臺上摸爬滾打好幾個世紀的婺劇卻越來越年輕、越來越充滿活力，像一株揚花吐穗500年卻依然蒼翠茁壯的禾苗那樣茁壯生長，成為浙中文化最杰出的代表、最亮麗的名片和最重要的文化印記！

前方等待它的，依然會是一個個流金溢彩的豐收之果！

（作者系中國作家協會會員）

Wuju Opera： Zhejiangs Shining “Golden Card”

By Wang Xiaoming

While the archeological discoveries of the 10，000-year-old Shangshan Culture point to central and western Zhejiang as the earliest place for rice cultivation， Wuju opera was a crucial sign of the cultures maturity and its crystallization. Now it has become one of the most significant cultural symbols of Zhejiang.

Long known as “Jinhua xi” or “Jinhua theater”， the name Wuju wasnt widely circulated until after the founding of the Peoples Republic of China. Wuju opera is a collective name for six shengqiang or vocal tones， namely the high-pitched tune， the Kunqu opera tune， the Luantan （literally “random pluck”） tune， the Huiju opera tune， the Tanhuang （a local folk opera art） tune and the Shidiao （popular local ditties） tune， that have been historically popular in the areas of Jinhua as well as Quzhou.

Behind the medley of various vocal tunes and the late adoption of a more encompassing name lies the development history of the opera over the past 500 years. During the Song dynasty （960 -1279） in the 12th century， Nanxi （literally “southern theater”） was born in the Wenzhou area， the earliest form of Chinese opera. Close to Wenzhou and a gateway for Wenzhou people to reach inland， Jinhua was heavily influenced by Nanxi very early on. From the west， i.e. Jiangxi province， the high-pitched tune later came in， and from the east， i.e. Jiangsu province， Kunqu opera tune arrived. Then Huiju opera tune was introduced to Jinhua via Huishang （Anhui businessmen） from the north， before they were joined by the local Tanhuang and Shidiao tunes.

With so many “foreign” operas coming to Jinhua， performers there started to try singing the lines in local dialect and the opera music was also adapted to absorb more and more local folk melodies. Eventually， a unique local brand of opera emerged and took root in Jinhua.

Of the more than 300 operas that are still being actively performed in China today， Wuju opera is particularly noted for being a local and farmers opera， largely due to its rural origins. “The melons are whatever vines they grow on， and people utter whatever words befitting their upbringing，” a popular local saying goes. In Wuju opera， from script lines to music， from characters to stories， from costumes to body movements…everything has been tailored for the rural taste. Wuju opera has always been the sturdy rice plant growing in the paddy field， rather than the precious orchid nurtured and cultivated in a greenhouse.

In the plays， most of which center on the struggles between the loyal and the treacherous， the morals of the stories are straightforward and unambiguous. Farmers watching the operas love the heroes as much as they hate the villains. Traditional Chinese values， such as filial piety， faithfulness， righteousness， and respect for the elderly and care for the young， are regularly featured.

From the very beginning， the Wuju shows were mostly staged at outdoor venues-makeshift platforms in the open air， temples or ancestral halls， and with little to no help from any acoustic technologies， performers had no other way but to exaggerate their expressions， singing， body movements， costumes and even make-up. Apart from a set of formalized acting accumulated over time， many moves， poses and gestures came directly from real life， for which， Mei Lanfang （1894-1961）， widely regarded as the greatest Peking opera master， called Wuju opera “the father of Peking opera”. To many experts and scholars of Chinese operas， it is the “living fossil of operas”.

The exaggerated performance was also in part the result of “popular demand”： in addition to clear-cut and distinct characters and morals， a happy ending is a must for farmer audiences. The good guys should be rewarded handsomely， and the bad buys should be punished severely. For the farmers， and many others indeed， all is well that only ends well.

In olden days， watching Wuju opera， usually during winter times when farm work was lighter， was a big occasion for rural residents， a festival in and of itself and a golden opportunity to do some socializing. As news of the upcoming shows reached a certain village， the whole village would already crowd around the temporarily propped up stage before you knew it. Once started， the shows would continue for days on end， day and night， rain or shine. In the audience， the elderly were often totally engrossed and even singing along， every single line in their heart; the young took any chances available exchanging love messages secretly; and the children clambered around the stage， trying to get a glimpse of the performers rehearsing or applying makeup.

The atmosphere would be even more boisterous if a “battle” happened to be on. In some richer villages， a few or even a dozen troupes would be invited to perform at the same time. Their stages only a stones throw away from each other， these troupes would field their best teams and plays， “battling” hard to win the audiences hearts. At midnight， the stage with the highest number of spectators won.

In fact， the farmers have been more than just spectators. Enthusiasts often organize themselves into amateur troupes， everyone playing an important part. Putting on a good performance is never the point; the point is to enjoy the process. Over the years， quite a number of those amateur performers and troupes turned into professionals.

For the past 70 years since the establishment of the Peoples Republic of China， ever more Wuju opera talents have been cultivated， traditional plays have been documented， compiled and new plays written， and professional Wuju opera troupes， the Zhejiang Provincial Wuju Opera Troup in particular， have gained national and even international recognition. In 2008， Wuju opera was duly included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of China.

Invigorated by governmental support and peoples renewed interest in traditional culture， Wuju opera is enjoying a renaissance. But to its rural roots it always returns. “For the farmers， by the farmers and into the farmers.” On the road ahead for Wuju opera， more bumper years beckon.