獨角龍“耍牙”絕技

一

浙江寧海有個劇種叫“平調(diào)”，平調(diào)有出傳統(tǒng)戲叫《金蓮斬蛟》，后來改編為神話劇叫《銀瓶仙露》，戲里有個角色叫獨角龍。

獨角龍的表演非常有意思，嘴巴里可含十顆豬獠牙，人們在臺下看到：獨角龍的嘴里先出現(xiàn)兩顆，接著四顆、六顆漸次增多，能上下翻動，左右開放，頗有川劇“變臉”那樣的“特技”和“絕招”，這絕招當(dāng)?shù)亟小蔼毥驱埶Ｑ馈薄?/p>

浙東的觀眾若說起平調(diào)，最愛點看獨角龍的戲了。若在鄉(xiāng)間演出，男女老少便會奔走相告。“獨角龍耍牙”成了平調(diào)的品牌，現(xiàn)在又被國家文化部列入“非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)”。獨角龍這個名字有點怪，它是個什么東西呢?我在家鄉(xiāng)寧?？戳撕芏嗄甑倪@個戲，看到的“獨角龍”造型幾乎都是頭盔上長了一個牛角的家伙，這角既沒有龍角的華貴，又沒有對稱的美學(xué)效果，所以這個獨角龍我猜是個反面角色，它要么是個土匪強盜，要么是個妖精之類。不過藝術(shù)貴在獨特，獨角龍之所以流傳曠久，深入人心，它除了耍牙特技表演之外，還與這個獨特的人物造型分不開。在中國傳統(tǒng)的戲曲人物里沒有聽說有個叫“獨角龍”的，可能僅此一家。由于獨角龍張牙舞爪，所以戲里出現(xiàn)了一個敢于刺殺他的女英雄，構(gòu)成了“姣姣斬獨角龍”的故事，一剛一柔，一張一弛，大鑼大鼓，大開大合，何等豪邁，何等氣派!

浙江寧海這方水土孕育出這樣的戲，浙東人民喜歡這樣的戲，不是沒有緣由的。寧海有許多有關(guān)獨角龍的民間傳說：傳說獨角龍出生在新昌山區(qū)，有著山區(qū)人的粗放與猙獰，此人竟然嗜吃壁虎和四腳蛇，身上長滿瘡痂，而后瘡痂又變成鱗殼，頭上也長出一只角來。由于傳說，一個傳奇式的人物便完成了由人變成非神非妖的轉(zhuǎn)化：他力大如牛，性殘如虎，作惡甚多，成了地方一害，而后他又落草為寇，打家劫舍。

有獨角龍殘害生靈，便有反抗者的奮起斗爭，其任務(wù)落在一個弱女子的身上，這位英雄女子名叫宋金蓮，于是宋金蓮又衍變出許多故事，一說宋金蓮與其妹妹隨父在桶盤上看管山村，后因山村被占，父親被殺，兩姐妹自然要復(fù)仇；另一說則更復(fù)雜，不過故事說法不一，但“金蓮斬蛟”一說卻基本一致。然而到了清代，有位章翰林把這故事編寫成劇本《小金錢》之后，內(nèi)容已與原先的傳說大相徑庭了。

二

1978年我在寧海平調(diào)劇團(tuán)當(dāng)編劇，接受了改編《小金錢》的任務(wù)。

從《小金錢》到后來我改編的《金蓮斬蛟》，我感到最有光彩之處還是獨角龍的“耍牙”表演藝術(shù)。歷經(jīng)數(shù)代藝人的創(chuàng)造發(fā)展，寧?！八Ｑ馈毙g(shù)已有一套完整的表演程式，改編后，為了充分表現(xiàn)“獨角龍”這一角色，我將劇情改成落泊書生劉邦瑞來投奔岳父，岳父(即宋金蓮之父)卻嫌他窮愁潦倒，用抱滑雪瓶之計懲罰劉邦瑞，并借此將劉趕出門外，未成親的宋金蓮感于道義，與劉“一馬雙鞍”雙雙逃走，不想被雞鳴山強盜獨角龍劫住，強迫宋金蓮做壓寨夫人，最后宋金蓮用了不少巧計斬了獨角龍。

但劇本出來后，行家們認(rèn)為構(gòu)思、主題沒有新鮮東西，還得重改。由此，我經(jīng)過更多的思考，將《金蓮斬蛟》改成《銀瓶仙露》。這是一個神話劇，我汲取了浙東各類民間故事，也有原來《金蓮斬蛟》的影子，并讓獨角龍一開始就卷入矛盾之中，這個千年修煉而成的妖精年年要選美成親，殘害生靈，為了拯救百姓，銀瓶仙子不惜犧牲自己，以900年修煉成的仙露與獨角龍的毒火展開了一場殊死的較量。

這個戲終于被寧海平調(diào)劇團(tuán)推上舞臺，演出總場數(shù)達(dá)千場以上。全國各地還有廣東粵劇、浙江婺劇、上?；磩〉榷鄠€劇團(tuán)也移植上演。

三

獨角龍的“生命”終于延續(xù)到了21世紀(jì)的今天，由此也延續(xù)了寧海平調(diào)的生命。

獨角龍耍牙的絕技很受農(nóng)民的歡迎，每到一處演出，山村簡直沸騰了。這個戲到城市演出也同樣受到歡迎：記得20世紀(jì)60年代初紹劇名家六齡童看了平調(diào)劇團(tuán)劉興官的獨角龍耍牙，非常欽佩，當(dāng)場端來一碗清水，恭恭敬敬地奉在劉興官的面前，要求拜師。如今平調(diào)的老藝人劉興官雖已作古，而獨角龍的表演卻薪火相傳，到現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)傳到女演員的身上了。我們很難用幾代演員去簡單地劃分，演過獨角龍角色的大約已有數(shù)代演員了。其中葉全民是最為出色的一個，20世紀(jì)80年代他上杭城去參加全省青年演員大賽，以其獨特的藝術(shù)榮獲一等獎，成為寧海平調(diào)史上的一份驕傲。現(xiàn)在“獨角龍”傳到了女演員的身上，這無疑多了一分艱難，說起來很有一點悲壯的味道。其中有成績的有王春盎、薛巧萍等人。

現(xiàn)在，獨角龍耍牙作為非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)得到國家的保護(hù)，使我們感到十分欣慰，獨角龍耍牙能夠代代相傳下去，這實在是件可喜的事!

One-Horn Dragon Plays With Its Teeth

By Yang Dongbiao

Pingdiao Opera is a local theater form popular in Ninghai， a county in East China's coastal province of Zhejiang. More often than not， the most popular character of the play is a one-horn dragon. People like the dragon for a reason. At a certain moment in the play， the one-horn dragon will find a reason to open a toothless mouth. Then two teeth appear as if out of nowhere. Then four do. And more appear. What is more， these teeth can move up and down， right and left as if by magic. The incredible stunt never fails to wow audiences. It is known locally as ne-Horn Dragon Plays with Its Teeth? If a Pingdiao Opera show is to be staged， villagers will lose no time in rushing around and spreading the news with the greatest excitement.

They are excited because they surely will have a tremendous time with the teeth feat， for the one-horn dragon is a hallmark for the arch villain in any Pingdiao play. The villain could be a robber， a bandit， or a monster， but part of the costume is always the same: a headgear with a single bull horn. The villain is ready to show his teeth in an acrobatic way. There is no character quite like this in any other folk play across the country.

The one-horn dragon appeared first in myths in Ninghai. It was originally a man of savageness， born in mountains. The beastly man fed on lizards. Gradually， his body was covered with scars， which turned to scales later. Finally a horn grew out on his head. The man-turned animal did a lot of evil things， in one version. And in another version， he became a brigand and robbed people. According to legends， the ferocious animal was killed by a delicate woman named Golden Lotus by using a clever strategy.

In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)， a scholar of the Imperial Academy adapted the folk story first to a Pingdiao play. The dramatized story differed from the original legend in many parts. In 1978， the folk story was adapted again to a new Pingdiao myth play with input from experts. Later the play was staged successfully by the Ninghai Pingdiao Opera Troupe. So far several thousands of performances have been staged. The play has also been transplanted into Yuju Opera of Guangdong Province， Wuju Opera of Zhejiang Province and Huaiju of Shanghai.

As unique as the face-changing trick in Sichuan Opera， the teeth stunt is kept and guarded as a secret by Pingdiao artists. One of the most famous one-horn dragon artists was Liu Xingguan. In the 1980s， Ye Quanmin was the big star of the one-horn dragon. He won the first prize in a provincial opera competition with the amazing teeth showoff. Nowadays， the art of teeth show has been passed down to actresses. Some insiders and enthusiasts find it a little bit sad to see that such a heroic task of carrying on the brilliant stunt is left to actresses.

Fortunately， the one-horn dragon playing with its teeth has been designated by the central government as an intangible and immaterial cultural heritage. It is gratifying to see that the unique stunt will be preserved and passed down to future generations.

(Translated by David)

一

浙江寧海有個劇種叫“平調(diào)”，平調(diào)有出傳統(tǒng)戲叫《金蓮斬蛟》，后來改編為神話劇叫《銀瓶仙露》，戲里有個角色叫獨角龍。

獨角龍的表演非常有意思，嘴巴里可含十顆豬獠牙，人們在臺下看到：獨角龍的嘴里先出現(xiàn)兩顆，接著四顆、六顆漸次增多，能上下翻動，左右開放，頗有川劇“變臉”那樣的“特技”和“絕招”，這絕招當(dāng)?shù)亟小蔼毥驱埶Ｑ馈薄?/p>

浙東的觀眾若說起平調(diào)，最愛點看獨角龍的戲了。若在鄉(xiāng)間演出，男女老少便會奔走相告?！蔼毥驱埶Ｑ馈背闪似秸{(diào)的品牌，現(xiàn)在又被國家文化部列入“非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)”。獨角龍這個名字有點怪，它是個什么東西呢?我在家鄉(xiāng)寧?？戳撕芏嗄甑倪@個戲，看到的“獨角龍”造型幾乎都是頭盔上長了一個牛角的家伙，這角既沒有龍角的華貴，又沒有對稱的美學(xué)效果，所以這個獨角龍我猜是個反面角色，它要么是個土匪強盜，要么是個妖精之類。不過藝術(shù)貴在獨特，獨角龍之所以流傳曠久，深入人心，它除了耍牙特技表演之外，還與這個獨特的人物造型分不開。在中國傳統(tǒng)的戲曲人物里沒有聽說有個叫“獨角龍”的，可能僅此一家。由于獨角龍張牙舞爪，所以戲里出現(xiàn)了一個敢于刺殺他的女英雄，構(gòu)成了“姣姣斬獨角龍”的故事，一剛一柔，一張一弛，大鑼大鼓，大開大合，何等豪邁，何等氣派!

浙江寧海這方水土孕育出這樣的戲，浙東人民喜歡這樣的戲，不是沒有緣由的。寧海有許多有關(guān)獨角龍的民間傳說：傳說獨角龍出生在新昌山區(qū)，有著山區(qū)人的粗放與猙獰，此人竟然嗜吃壁虎和四腳蛇，身上長滿瘡痂，而后瘡痂又變成鱗殼，頭上也長出一只角來。由于傳說，一個傳奇式的人物便完成了由人變成非神非妖的轉(zhuǎn)化：他力大如牛，性殘如虎，作惡甚多，成了地方一害，而后他又落草為寇，打家劫舍。

有獨角龍殘害生靈，便有反抗者的奮起斗爭，其任務(wù)落在一個弱女子的身上，這位英雄女子名叫宋金蓮，于是宋金蓮又衍變出許多故事，一說宋金蓮與其妹妹隨父在桶盤上看管山村，后因山村被占，父親被殺，兩姐妹自然要復(fù)仇；另一說則更復(fù)雜，不過故事說法不一，但“金蓮斬蛟”一說卻基本一致。然而到了清代，有位章翰林把這故事編寫成劇本《小金錢》之后，內(nèi)容已與原先的傳說大相徑庭了。

二

1978年我在寧海平調(diào)劇團(tuán)當(dāng)編劇，接受了改編《小金錢》的任務(wù)。

從《小金錢》到后來我改編的《金蓮斬蛟》，我感到最有光彩之處還是獨角龍的“耍牙”表演藝術(shù)。歷經(jīng)數(shù)代藝人的創(chuàng)造發(fā)展，寧海“耍牙”術(shù)已有一套完整的表演程式，改編后，為了充分表現(xiàn)“獨角龍”這一角色，我將劇情改成落泊書生劉邦瑞來投奔岳父，岳父(即宋金蓮之父)卻嫌他窮愁潦倒，用抱滑雪瓶之計懲罰劉邦瑞，并借此將劉趕出門外，未成親的宋金蓮感于道義，與劉“一馬雙鞍”雙雙逃走，不想被雞鳴山強盜獨角龍劫住，強迫宋金蓮做壓寨夫人，最后宋金蓮用了不少巧計斬了獨角龍。

但劇本出來后，行家們認(rèn)為構(gòu)思、主題沒有新鮮東西，還得重改。由此，我經(jīng)過更多的思考，將《金蓮斬蛟》改成《銀瓶仙露》。這是一個神話劇，我汲取了浙東各類民間故事，也有原來《金蓮斬蛟》的影子，并讓獨角龍一開始就卷入矛盾之中，這個千年修煉而成的妖精年年要選美成親，殘害生靈，為了拯救百姓，銀瓶仙子不惜犧牲自己，以900年修煉成的仙露與獨角龍的毒火展開了一場殊死的較量。

這個戲終于被寧海平調(diào)劇團(tuán)推上舞臺，演出總場數(shù)達(dá)千場以上。全國各地還有廣東粵劇、浙江婺劇、上?；磩〉榷鄠€劇團(tuán)也移植上演。

三

獨角龍的“生命”終于延續(xù)到了21世紀(jì)的今天，由此也延續(xù)了寧海平調(diào)的生命。

獨角龍耍牙的絕技很受農(nóng)民的歡迎，每到一處演出，山村簡直沸騰了。這個戲到城市演出也同樣受到歡迎：記得20世紀(jì)60年代初紹劇名家六齡童看了平調(diào)劇團(tuán)劉興官的獨角龍耍牙，非常欽佩，當(dāng)場端來一碗清水，恭恭敬敬地奉在劉興官的面前，要求拜師。如今平調(diào)的老藝人劉興官雖已作古，而獨角龍的表演卻薪火相傳，到現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)傳到女演員的身上了。我們很難用幾代演員去簡單地劃分，演過獨角龍角色的大約已有數(shù)代演員了。其中葉全民是最為出色的一個，20世紀(jì)80年代他上杭城去參加全省青年演員大賽，以其獨特的藝術(shù)榮獲一等獎，成為寧海平調(diào)史上的一份驕傲?，F(xiàn)在“獨角龍”傳到了女演員的身上，這無疑多了一分艱難，說起來很有一點悲壯的味道。其中有成績的有王春盎、薛巧萍等人。

現(xiàn)在，獨角龍耍牙作為非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)得到國家的保護(hù)，使我們感到十分欣慰，獨角龍耍牙能夠代代相傳下去，這實在是件可喜的事!

One-Horn Dragon Plays With Its Teeth

By Yang Dongbiao

Pingdiao Opera is a local theater form popular in Ninghai， a county in East China's coastal province of Zhejiang. More often than not， the most popular character of the play is a one-horn dragon. People like the dragon for a reason. At a certain moment in the play， the one-horn dragon will find a reason to open a toothless mouth. Then two teeth appear as if out of nowhere. Then four do. And more appear. What is more， these teeth can move up and down， right and left as if by magic. The incredible stunt never fails to wow audiences. It is known locally as ne-Horn Dragon Plays with Its Teeth? If a Pingdiao Opera show is to be staged， villagers will lose no time in rushing around and spreading the news with the greatest excitement.

They are excited because they surely will have a tremendous time with the teeth feat， for the one-horn dragon is a hallmark for the arch villain in any Pingdiao play. The villain could be a robber， a bandit， or a monster， but part of the costume is always the same: a headgear with a single bull horn. The villain is ready to show his teeth in an acrobatic way. There is no character quite like this in any other folk play across the country.

The one-horn dragon appeared first in myths in Ninghai. It was originally a man of savageness， born in mountains. The beastly man fed on lizards. Gradually， his body was covered with scars， which turned to scales later. Finally a horn grew out on his head. The man-turned animal did a lot of evil things， in one version. And in another version， he became a brigand and robbed people. According to legends， the ferocious animal was killed by a delicate woman named Golden Lotus by using a clever strategy.

In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)， a scholar of the Imperial Academy adapted the folk story first to a Pingdiao play. The dramatized story differed from the original legend in many parts. In 1978， the folk story was adapted again to a new Pingdiao myth play with input from experts. Later the play was staged successfully by the Ninghai Pingdiao Opera Troupe. So far several thousands of performances have been staged. The play has also been transplanted into Yuju Opera of Guangdong Province， Wuju Opera of Zhejiang Province and Huaiju of Shanghai.

As unique as the face-changing trick in Sichuan Opera， the teeth stunt is kept and guarded as a secret by Pingdiao artists. One of the most famous one-horn dragon artists was Liu Xingguan. In the 1980s， Ye Quanmin was the big star of the one-horn dragon. He won the first prize in a provincial opera competition with the amazing teeth showoff. Nowadays， the art of teeth show has been passed down to actresses. Some insiders and enthusiasts find it a little bit sad to see that such a heroic task of carrying on the brilliant stunt is left to actresses.

Fortunately， the one-horn dragon playing with its teeth has been designated by the central government as an intangible and immaterial cultural heritage. It is gratifying to see that the unique stunt will be preserved and passed down to future generations.

(Translated by David)