The change of faces

变脸

The change of faces is a stunt in traditional Chinese theatre that is designed to capture the dramatic changes of mood of a character on stage. When a character's heart is going from panic to rage, he changes his face in a split second. The stunt, though somewhat exaggerating, never fails to surprise the audience and enhance the appeal of the show. The change of faces is most often used in Chuanju Opera. In the opera Severing the Bridge, for instance, when the female protagonist Xiao Qing catches sight of the weak-hearted and unfaithful Xu Xian, she burst into a rage, and in her sudden transition of mood from anger to hatred, her fair face experiences a rapid succession of changes from white to red to green and black. The performer is so agile in her movement that each change is made by turning her body. This skill is acquired through special training. In some cases multiple layers of masks are used, to be torn away with each change of facial expression.

       变脸是运用在中国传统戏剧舞台上塑造人物变化的情绪的特技。当一个角色的情绪由恐慌转变为愤怒，他的脸则在瞬间变化。这种绝技尽管有点夸张，但看过的观众无不惊叹，感染力也在不断地增加。
       变脸最常用于川剧里。例如，在戏剧《断桥》里，当女主角小青看到许仙的怯懦与不忠诚时，她的情绪即刻变得尤其愤怒，又瞬间由愤怒转变为憎恨。她白皙的脸蛋经历了极速的连续变化：由白变红，再变绿，最后变成黑色。表演者以敏捷的动作在每一次转身之后完成变脸。这种技术是要经过特殊训练才能学到的。有些变脸手法是通过加用面具，一层一层套在脸上，变时一个个撕扯下来。