"Love and hate burst the legend of Mapo tofu, spicy and fragrant hot fried life tragic chapter." At the end of the Qing Dynasty, a woman who had suffered from smallpox set up a tofu stall in the northwest city of Chengdu and enthusiastically processed tofu for passing merchants. Since then, a famous Sichuan dish known at home and abroad - "Mapo Tofu" was born. On January 30th and 31st, the Sichuan opera "Legend of Chen Ma po", created by the Chengdu Sichuan Opera Research Institute, written by the well-known playwright Bao Debin, directed by the well-known Sichuan opera director Mao Tingqi, starring Yu Jia, Chen Zuoquan, Kang Yong, Kong Gang, Zhou Haiqin, Peng Ling, Liu Wenli, Wang Huamao, etc., will meet Chengdu opera fans at the Chengdu Southwest Theater.
20 years of preparation and 3 years of polishing
Screenwriter: I write About Chen Ma Po as a goddess
"The vicissitudes of the world, the unforgettable love and hatred, and the dream of a hundred years of life." Tofu dishes have won the reputation of the world, and the little girl has created a great glory in life. On January 29, a reporter from West China Metropolis Daily came to the rehearsal site of "Legend of Chen Ma po" and "sniffed" the "spicy and fresh fragrance" of the play with his eyes in advance. On the stage, the scene restoration of the late Qing Dynasty and the classic costume style of the Sichuan people show the original taste of the old Chengdu style. "Chen Ma Po" Yu Jia, "Chen Fuchun" Chen Zuoquan, etc., the role is appropriately grasped.
"The rehearsal time for this play is very short, and it is not easy for the actors to rehearse this play every day while having other performance tasks." Bao Debin said, "Although from an artistic point of view, they do have some unskilled places, but I have to say that the actors have a good grasp of the singing voice, emotions, emotions, etc., I think they can discharge a big curtain play in less than a month, which is really very good." Especially Yu Jia, it is really good, the characters she portrays, and her singing voice. ”
Bao Debin told the West China Metropolis Daily reporter that since the 1980s, he began to collect information about Chen Mabo and wanted to write a script about Chen Mapo. "On the opera stage, there are more imperial generals, and there are few grassroots stories. In Sichuan, Chen Ma Po is a very remarkable figure, and now the whole world is eating Mapo tofu, which is very admirable, and I am writing about her as a goddess. And she also reflects the smart, spicy personality of our Sichuan girls. ”
At the end of 2011, Bao Debin, who was doing a drip in the hospital, suddenly had inspiration. "It was as if a window had opened, and I pulled out the needle and went home to write the script, and the first draft took just over 40 days to write." This is also The first time that Bao Debin, who is good at writing Kai opera, wrote Sichuan opera and spent three years revising and polishing the script. "In the process of rehearsal, the script is still constantly being revised, and after the premiere, there will definitely be changes, and it will take ten years to grind a play."
"Legend of Chen Ma Po" is also a new attempt by Bao Debin to immerse himself in stage art practice for many years. "I have been engaged in the creation of kai opera and drama scripts for many years, and writing Sichuan opera is the first time. Sichuan opera is generally more lyrical and less narrative in the process of singing, and the boundary between joy and sorrow in Sichuan opera is not particularly clear, and there is joy and sorrow in sorrow. Kai opera pays attention to shaping characters, Sichuan opera pays attention to legend, when I write the two combine, in the legend, but also to shape the character. ”
Sichuan opera incorporates modern elements
In addition to modern dance there is also cello
The reporter saw at the rehearsal site that in addition to "Legend of Chen Ma po", there is also a "new" word, because in the play, many new elements are integrated. For example, modern words such as "money" and "decoration" in the mouths of the characters in the play are hilarious. Xiong Jian, the assistant director of the play, told reporters, "The words that join the modern era are very fresh and fun, and they are more attractive to the audience, but our 'new' is in line with the tradition of Sichuan opera, from ancient times to the present, the roles of Small Flower Face and Shake Dan will say some playful words, including new words." ”
In addition to modern words, the play also has a lot of modern dances. "When Liu Qiaogu was infected with smallpox and struggled with the disease, we designed a 'ghost dance', which adopted the form of modern dance, which fully demonstrated the lightness and fluttering of ghosts and created a strange atmosphere. The 'tea picking dance' in the play is also more modern, similar to the national dance. Xiong Jian said.
In addition, the music of "Legend of Chen Ma Po" is also quite "new". When the percussion is accompanied by a cool 'bronze man' dance, the audience has a feeling of crossing. "This is a newly written modern drama, so I added more new elements to the traditional music of Sichuan opera," said Zhou Yu, the composer of the play, "The band of "Legend of Chen Ma po" can be said to be a small folk orchestra of more than 20 people, while the traditional opera performance band of Sichuan opera has only seven or eight people." In this band compilation, we added more Western instruments, and synthesizers and cellos are almost invisible in traditional Sichuan opera performances. ”
Character styling has characteristics
The hairstyle is the same as that of "The Biography of Zhen Huan"
The reporter saw that the character shape of "Legend of Chen Ma po" is very chic, especially the appearance of "Young Grandmother" and "Mrs. Ding", which seems to have never been seen on the opera stage. Xu Peng, a well-known costume designer and well-known stylist of the play, said that these two styles were specially created for "Legend Chen Ma po" and made his debut in Sichuan opera and even opera.
"The hairstyle of 'Little Grandma' in the play is the most unique, it is the real hairstyle 'Magpie Tail' of China's Qing Dynasty, and the hairstyle of Aunt Qiu in "The Biography of Zhen Huan", this design is very in line with the characteristics of the play's era, and it also contrasts with the pregnant belly of 'Little Grandma', which has a very exaggerated artistic effect, and also shows the character's joyful and spicy personality." Xu Peng said, "There are two innovations in the appearance of 'Mrs. Ding', one is that her hairstyle is 'small flag head', which borrows from the flag hairstyle in Peking Opera, but it is more subtle and elegant, plus a little green hair ornament, which looks very noble." I also designed a 'beauty tip' for her, which looks more dignified and beautiful, which is still original in the opera style. West China Metropolis Daily client reporter Xun Chao photographed Chen Yuxiao