緬甸提線木偶戲是外國旅客到蒲甘必看的項目之一。我个人對此特別感興趣, 可惜不知故事內容, 對木偶人物亦毫無認識, 無法作深度欣賞, 只能看牽線的木偶藝人的操線技巧。據說緬甸提線木偶戲緣起於皇家娛樂, 後來才漸漸普及民間。
緬甸提線木偶戲以細緻和靈活見稱, 因為每一木偶用綫可達18-19根, 全由同一藝師所控制。我從照片上數數提綫的數目, 大約有13根之多。
Wikipedia: Yoke thé (Burmese: ရုပ်သေး; MLCTS: rupse:, IPA: [joʊʔ θé], literally “miniatures”) is the Burmese name for marionette puppetry. Although the term can be used for marionettery in general, its usage usually refers to the local form of string puppetry. Like most of Burmese refined art, yoke thé performances originated from royal patronage and were gradually adapted for the wider populace. Yoke thé are almost always performed in operas.
Burmese marionettes are very intricate and dexterous as they employ 18 or 19 wires for male and female characters respectively, and each puppet is controlled by only one puppeteer.
⇑⇓ Marionettists Wikipedia: A marionette is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette’s puppeteer is called a marionettist. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by using a vertical or horizontal control bar in different forms of theatres or entertainment venues. They have also been used in films and on television. The attachment of the strings varies according to its character or purpose.
Wikipedia: The probable date of the origin of Burmese marionettes is given as around 1780 during the reign of Singu Min, and their introduction is credited to the Minister of Royal Entertainment, U Thaw. From their inception, marionettes grew in popularity in the courts of the Konbaung dynasty. Little has changed since the creation of the art by U Thaw, and the set of characters developed by him is in use today. Until the conquest of Upper Burma by the British in late 1885 during the Third Anglo-Burmese War, yoke thé troupes thrived under royal patronage.