The word-of-mouth masterpiece of "laughing and breaking the belly" and the burlesque drama "Hanging Eight Feet" are coming back! From December 7th to 9th, the fourth round of performances of "Eight Feet in the Air" produced by Shangyi Drama Society will kick off at the Daning Theater in Shanghai, which focuses on the practical problems of installing elevators in old public houses and tells the story of people's livelihood in the "elevator room".
There is a saying in Shanghai: "Eight feet in the air", which originates from an interesting Shanghai past. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, some of Shanghai's dignitaries fled to Chongqing for refuge. However, the autumn wind rises, the crab feet itch, and the Hearts of Shanghainese eat hairy crabs together, and they can't hold back. So this group of dignitaries will airlift hairy crabs from Shanghai to Hong Kong, and then from Hong Kong to Chongqing. There is an interesting story of hairy crabs "hanging eight feet" on a plane. This saying was thus preserved. "Eight feet in the air" was later often used to describe things as unresolved and hopeless.
The debate about installing an elevator or continuing to climb stairs has made people living on the top floor "eight feet dangling" and has also made the original neighborhood relationship delicate. On National Day 2020, "Eight Feet in the Air" premiered at the Shanghai Opera Experimental Theater. The ridiculous life of the absurd, about the "elevator room" slowly unfolded, the super dense laughter instantly "exploded" in the theater, but also let the audience see the "warmth" from the "funny".
The late famous burlesque artist Tong Shuangchun said, "'Eight Feet in the Air' spoke my heart. My family also lives on the sixth floor, and I am also eight feet hanging in the air. "Five years ago, when the screenwriter of this play came to interview Tong Shuangchun, he was already 82 years old and it was very inconvenient to go up and down the stairs. At that time, Tong Shuangchun said, "I hope that more old public houses in Shanghai can be installed as soon as possible, so that more elderly people can easily go up and down the stairs, go out for a walk, and come out to see the theater." ”
Burlesque is a native Shanghai comedy that focuses on the daily life of ordinary citizens. "Eight Feet in the Air" excavates the realistic theme of the old house and the ladder, and connects the stories of the residents upstairs and downstairs. In the play, Zhou Laichun, whose hands are shaking non-stop, Chen Xionggang, who is "strict in his wife", Hua Yi, the "premier of the alley" who mediates in big and small matters, and the young new Shanghainese husband and wife, the characters have distinct personalities, like neighbors who go out to see them.
The days of ordinary people hide the great propositions of the times. The whole building wants to install an elevator, only the first floor does not agree, which is a problem faced by many old public housing residents... The main creative team has tracked this theme for more than five years and recorded countless real and interesting side stories. Several story lines go hand in hand and are interspersed with high density. In the play, the choreographer skillfully uses various traditional techniques of burlesque: misunderstanding, repetition, baggage, dialect, insertion of opera singing segments, self-defeating, falsehood, etc., and integrates them into the play without a trace, pushing this Haipai light comedy to a climax.
"'Eight Feet in the Air' is a new civic comedy and a common people's feeling," said Mao Shi'an, a literary critic.
The play gathers outstanding actors from the Shanghai Burlesque Troupe, the Shanghai People's Burlesque Troupe and the former Shanghai Qingyi Burlesque Troupe. For example, Gong Renlong, one of the top ten comedians in Shanghai and playing "David" in "Black Tea House", Wang Wenli, who played "Aunt Wang" in "Old Lady Uncle", Luo Wenlian, who played "Mei Juan", famous comedians Zhou Yilun, Xu Haili, Xue Wenbin, film and television actor Yu Ya, etc.
"Laughter" is the essence of comedy, but where does "laughter" come from? Director Shen Gang said, "We have always firmly believed in our creation that the laughter point of burlesque is not that the actors play treasures on the stage with experience and skills, but come from the real characters themselves, and we must excavate the comedy factors from the characters." "The life of the old man's house on the sixth floor - the bitterness and sorrow of the old man on the top floor, the cruelty and brutality of the aunt on the bottom floor, and the tenacity and wisdom of the neighborhood committee are unfolded one by one.
"Strictly control quality, abandon cheap and funny, and burlesque creation must also strictly follow the laws of artistic creation, go deep into life, and take root in the people." Yuan Dong, president of the Shangyi Drama Society, said. Around the installation of elevators, this people's livelihood project, although there are contradictions and conflicts, but the play is more of a variety of true feelings and warmth. "How do grassroots party members and cadres resolve contradictions and seek benefits for the people? I believe that the audience who has watched "Eight Feet in the Air" will be moved. ”
Stills are provided by Shangyi Drama Club
Author: Tong Weijing
Editor: Zhou Minxian