[The National Centre for the Performing Arts magazine published an interview with the famous Lao Dan famous Zhai Mo in February 2022, entitled "Zhai Mo, Lao Dan who Picks Beams", detailing Zhai Mo's participation in the creation of the platoon and leading the starring role in the new historical Peking Opera "Lady City", which is forwarded in full today for readers. It is reported that "Lady City" will be staged again at 19:30 on April 8 and 9 at the Chang'an Grand Theater in Beijing. 】
Under xiangyang city, the wind stops and the snow is clear, and the moon wheel is bright. Suddenly, the dense drum beat sounded, pouring down from the stage, from slow to urgent, from weak to strong, the sound was tight, the momentum suddenly rose...
In the sound of the drums that shook the three armies, the one with a resolute look and holding a drumstick in his hand stood above the city tower was an old Dan named Zhai Mo.
The old Dan drama that I have seen for 24 years
Mrs. Han is already the first Lao Dan image created by Zhai Mo, but to say that With Lao Dan as the first lead actor standing in the center of the stage, Mrs. Han in "Lady City" is one of the few artistic images. Judging from the history of the development of Peking Opera, Lao Dan has a relatively short formation time compared with other trades. "This profession is indispensable, but it is not an absolute lead actor. In history, lao Dan dramas are small plays, folding plays, opening plays and the like, and medium-sized plays are rare, let alone large plays. Because of the lack of sufficient repertoire support, there has never been a class society established by Lao Dan in history. Zhai Mo said bluntly that it is difficult to create a provocative repertoire for Lao Dan. I still remember the last Lao Dan play created by the Beijing Opera House, or Zhao Baoxiu's "Wind and Rain Tongrentang" in 1997, 24 years after the creation of "Lady City". “
Relatively speaking, although lao dan's attention in this industry is not too high, Zhai Mo has never given himself a reason to slack off and breathe. Xu is by nature, and she has never let loose the string of hard struggle. "I always put pressure on myself and give myself more weight. To be fair, as an old Dan actor, it is actually no problem not to struggle so hard, and no drama is indispensable. So if I'm lazy or not so spontaneous and proactive, I may not really have what I am today. "In fact, there are many Lao Dan artists like this, who have never given up seeking development for this industry, broadening their performances, and accumulating repertoire, and now the status and role of this profession have undergone earth-shaking changes." In the past, it was unimaginable to let Lao Dan pick a play, but now there are many wonderful plays, which are all from the efforts of generations of Lao Dan artists. I believe that I, and then to the future Lao Dan actors, will spare no effort to continue to promote the development of this industry. ”
With the efforts of generations of artists, the emergence of plays such as "The Tale of the Golden Turtle", "Eight Treasures Of Soup", and "Lady City" has gradually put the role of Lao Dan at the core of the drama story, and the female image behind it has also appeared on the surface of history. The old Dans are no longer satisfied with playing a functional role in the major narrative, but completely assume the "beam" on the stage, with a more diversified identity and three-dimensional social role. From this perspective, Zhai Mo's "Lady City" is not only a good-looking play, but also an extension and reflection on industry and art.
Tie up the drum of the old Dan
In the snowy night, Mrs. Han, dressed in a red cloak, carried a lantern and trekked through the mud, going door to door to persuade the women to come and repair the city. At the critical moment, the road is slippery and the cold is forced, all of which is not only integrated into Zhai Mo's physical performance, but also revealed in this quite characteristic Voice Of The Yellow Voice - this voice cavity can be described as rare in the Lao Dan drama, and the bright voice of Zhai Mo echoes in the snow night with Zhai Mo's high-pitched voice, which is a unique and breathtaking power. As a newly written historical drama, the image of Mrs. Han in "Lady City" has a breakthrough in inheritance for Lao Dan. The rich and just right singing style is the basis for the vivid image of Mrs. Han and is impressive.
Traditional Lao Dan opera, limited to the age characteristics of the elderly, is often based on singing, there are few actions, the performance space is very limited, and there are not many performance means. However, Zhai Mo's personal artistic concept and artistic conditions make her not satisfied with just standing on the stage and singing, but hopes to give a character a sufficiently complete interpretation with rich performance means such as singing, reading, doing, and dancing. It is precisely for this reason that the performance method of integrating other trades such as zazo and qiba in "Lady City" is a very natural thing for Zhai Mo.
Qiba was originally common in Wusheng, Dao Ma Dan, etc., and as a hero who did not let her eyebrows be raised, how could Lady Han show the marshal's temperament and heroism at the same time without contradicting her age? While thinking about innovation and change, Zhai Mo also particularly emphasizes that all innovative performances are to better serve the narrative and characters, and cannot seek innovation for the sake of innovation. "For example, he is a cripple himself, and you have to let him run, which first violates the objective law of artistic expression." Therefore, the design of the "drumming", a major highlight of the whole play, came into being - "In the war environment that is ready to go, the design of the drum is the most appropriate, it plays a role in stimulating morale and directing the war, and it is by no means a source of water and wood without roots." ”
The word drum is easy to say, but for lao dan, it is hard to get something from scratch. In the early stage of rehearsal, Zhai Mo's attempt was poured cold water by many experts, who thought that practicing drums at this age was unimaginable. But the more people around her persuaded, the more Zhai Mo's strength to accept defeat became, but it also aroused her ambition to boldly try- "In Peking Opera, Lao Sheng has You Heng's "Drumming and Cursing Cao", Dao Ma Dan has Liang Hongyu's "DrumMing Battle Jinshan", and Lao Dan's stage has not yet had such skills. I put a lot of pressure on myself to be sure to add it as a pioneering and innovative way of acting through this play, this character, this particular environment and plot. For Zhai Mo, this was a problem she had given herself, so much so that she was often disturbed by nightmares of drum failure at night. When the drums sounded on the stage, setting off the surging momentum of "the two armies fighting and drumming", all the pressures and difficulties finally turned into the past, and finally achieved the highlight moment of the role of Mrs. Han.
From "Eight Treasures Soup" to "The Gate of the Great Mansion", from "Life and Death Wish" to "Lady City", Zhai Mo has shuttled between modern and traditional plays, and has also experienced the creative exploration from faithful inheritance to original repertoire, and over the years, she has been standing at the forefront of creation. For the art discipline of Peking Opera, the creation and innovation of new opera is full of hardships and difficulties, but forging ahead is her only choice, because innovation is the ultimate goal of inheritance. "Developing plays and innovative performances for Lao Dan is my life's pursuit."