"“I want to say a combination of thank you and a little bit of I'm sorry - but we tried,” said Sauter, sounding much shyer than his usual self. The audience of hundreds of loyal opera fans responded with thunderous applause."
"The song, “ Fragrant Sacrifice,” depicts - in Cantonese - a princess and her husband's suicide after the fall of the Ming Dynasty. Each politico was assigned a part alongside an orchestra's accompaniment, while professional actresses took over the rest."
"Sauter, who speaks basic Cantonese, played the princess's husband, lamenting the catastrophe that has destroyed the country and honoring the late emperor's kindness. He performed his three lines surprisingly well, considering that this was a daunting task even native Cantonese speakers might shy away from. During rehearsal, he had been able to sing those lines after the teacher had sung them only twice."
"Wiener played the princess, who sees death as a reunion with her husband. He attempted only one line, seven Chinese characters long: 合歡與君醉夢鄉 Together we grow intoxicated in the land of dreams. Still, Wiener was more courageous than Willie Brown: The 92-year-old former mayor removed his name from the performers' list in the days leading up to the show."
A group of San Francisco politicians, including Sen. Scott Wiener, Board president Rafael Mandelman, and Supervisor Danny Sauter, performed the renowned Cantonese opera song “Fragrant Sacrifice” at the Great Star Theater. The event placed each politician in a specific role with orchestra accompaniment while professional actresses covered the remaining parts. Sauter, who speaks basic Cantonese, played the princess’s husband and delivered his three lines about national catastrophe and the late emperor’s kindness. Wiener played the princess and attempted a single line about reunion in dreams. Willie Brown removed his name before the show due to intimidation. The audience of hundreds responded with thunderous applause.
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