On March 31, 2022, the sharing and release of Yanghua's 2022 masterpiece "Les Misérables" sponsored by Yanghua Drama was held at the "Cai Guanshen Cultural Exchange Center" in Beijing. The event announced the launch of the latest creative plan of Yanghua Drama - the Chinese version of the drama "Les Misérables", which is jointly invested and produced by Yanghua Theater and the French Actors' Spring Theatre Festival, bringing together the strong creative teams and outstanding artists of China and France, which will premiere in Beijing in January 2023 and start a national tour, with the unique charm of the integration of Chinese and French arts, to jointly welcome the important moment of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France in 2024.
China and France work together to create
A Classic of French Literature on the Chinese Stage
In the picturesque Cai Guanshen Cultural Exchange Center, a new cultural venue, many guests from the cultural and artistic circles of China and France gathered together to witness the important moment when France's time-honored literary classic "Les Misérables" is about to bloom on the Chinese contemporary stage.
Before the official start of the release action, the emerging singer Liu Fanqing sang the interlude of "Les Misérables", which immediately mobilized the atmosphere of the scene
French Ambassador to China Laurent Bili, Deputy Director of the International Exchange and Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Zheng Hao, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Vice President of the Beijing Film Academy Hu Zhifeng, Vice Chairman of the China Literary and Art Critics Association Wang Yichuan, Director of the Drama Research Institute of the China Academy of Arts Song Baozhen and other guests attended the sharing and release action, the event was hosted by the famous host Zhang Yue, and more than 30 live broadcast platforms simultaneously broadcast live.
Zheng Hao, Deputy Director general of the Bureau of International Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, delivered a speech
The French ambassador to China, Laurent Bili, delivered a speech
The literary giant Victor Hugo's well-known novel "Les Misérables" is a landmark work in the history of French literature, known as "the encyclopedia of human suffering, the spiritual epic of human nature towards goodness", Hugo poured his compassion for human suffering, the expectation of human progress, and the confidence in the glory of human nature into this work. The novel has been translated into 17 languages to date, the film has been remade in countless versions, and the musical on the subject has been performed in 21 languages in 35 countries and has more than 50 million viewers to date. In China, the work "Les Misérables" has influenced many outstanding figures in the fields of politics, business, literature and so on, and has a far-reaching impact. It is precisely based on this important significance that Yanghua Drama, when making artistic creations at the special moment of welcoming the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France in 2024, has set its sights on "Les Misérables", a world classic, hoping to pass on its timeless universal value to today's theater audiences through the reinterpretation of contemporary artists.
Hu Zhifeng, deputy secretary of the party committee and vice president of the Beijing Film Academy, delivered a speech
Breaking through the previous model of "Chinese drama going out", the Chinese version of the drama jointly produced by China and France has created a new Chinese and foreign drama production model with an equal attitude and dialogue with world theater. It is reported that "Les Misérables" is jointly invested and produced by Yanghua Drama and the Spring Drama Festival of Actors in Montpellier, France, and the Chinese Dramatists Association is also the main support unit of the play. This is also the first time that the Montpellier Actors' Spring Theatre Festival in France has invested in Chinese theatrical productions. After the production of the play is completed, a world tour will also begin. The collision and fusion of Chinese actors, Chinese performances, Chinese production teams and French directors, French stage designs, and French production teams will also create a new spark. On the day of the event, the organizers announced that the Chinese version of the drama "Les Misérables" will hold its world premiere at the Beijing Poly Theater from January 10 to 15, 2023, and plans to launch a nationwide tour from February to May 2023.
Wang Chunmei, Director of the Activity Management Department of the Chinese Dramatists Association
Since its inception, Yanghua Drama has a deep relationship with French artists and artists, and its works such as "Jewish Town", "Thunderstorm" and "After Thunderstorm" produced by yanghua theater have attracted wide attention and praise, and after many years of deep cultivation of the cooperation model in the field of Sino-French theater, with profound cultural heritage and rich experience accumulation, Yanghua has stepped into the creation of this tome with profound historical significance with a confident industry attitude. The significance of this Sino-French joint production is not only a dialogue between Chinese and French cultures, but also a deeper development of the exchange of first-class stage technology standards and artistic aesthetics on behalf of China and Europe, representing the equal integration of Chinese drama on the world cultural and artistic stage and its contribution to world art, and showing the model and example that Chinese contemporary drama should be on the international stage.
Wang Keran, executive producer and artistic director of the Yanghua version of "Les Misérables", and Anna Isa Martin, producer of the Yanghua version of "Les Misérables"
Wang Keran, the producer, artistic director and artistic director of Yanghua, said: "'Les Misérables' is a particularly important and profoundly influential work for me, which has illuminated me in dark moments, especially after having a wealth of life experiences, I am so crazy to insist on wanting to do this play! Our whole team will go all out and do our best to show this work to today's audience, so that they can feel its greatness, so that this work does not lose its color in the expression of drama, and hopes to make it more glorious and live up to everyone! ”
The strength of the "golden lineup" between China and France is built
The most powerful Chinese version of Les Misérables
Famous host Zhang Yue
The theatrical version of Les Misérables was born in 1863, the year after the novel was published, and the author's son, Charles Hugo, adapted the novel into a two-act play, which was performed in Brussels, followed by a performance in Bordeaux in 1870 and a partial performance in 1878 at the Porte Saint-Martin Theatre in Paris. At the premiere of the retelling in Paris in 1899, Paul Morris made changes to the play, so that he is now listed as a co-author. This version was played by Beno t-Constant Coquelin as Jean Valjean and composed by André Wormser. The script of the Chinese version of "Les Misérables" produced by Yanghua was translated based on the version published in 1900 after the performance in Paris in 1899, which can be described as an original artistic creation.
(From left to right) Host Zhang Yue, Artistic Director Wang Keran, Producer Zhang Chaohui, Anna Ish Tian and Li Xiong
In order to achieve the consistent judgment ability and production level of Yanghua Drama, the creative team gathered the world's top artistic forces, bringing together the artistic strength of China and France, with Wang Keran, artistic director of Yanghua, as artistic director and producer, and Jean Varela, artistic director of the Montpellier Actors' Spring Theatre Festival in France as the supervising producer; the director is Eric La Cascaard from France; the production team is also from China and France, led by Zhang Chaohui, Anna Isis Tian and Li Xiong took office. The cast of the play will be composed of Chinese powerful actors, Yanghua will take the classic works as the core, condense the strength of all parties, and strive to create a masterpiece that can have a legendary style.
The director of the Chinese version of "Les Misérables" is Eric Lacascade, a well-known french and even European theater expert, director, theater educator and theater leader, this hall-of-the-road artist in the history of French theater, the pioneer of French experimental drama is an old friend of Yanghua Theater, who directed the 2020 production of Yanghua Theater "Thunderstorm" and "After Thunderstorm", what he is best at is the deconstruction and expression of classic realist writers' works, for this "Les Misérables" He has long been eager to try.
Yao Rui, General Manager of the Party Committee of Beijing Poly Theater Management Co., Ltd., delivered a speech
According to reports, the stage design, costume design, music and lighting team of this drama are all led by well-known French artists, who will work together with the strongest production team and actors in the Chinese theater industry to create this artistic creation, and under the collision of different cultural backgrounds, create a new drama version of "Les Misérables" that belongs to China and the world. It is the fusion and crystallization of Chinese culture and world culture, and it is also the embodiment of the quality and height of Chinese production.
Liu Ye re-acted in dramas 12 years later
Shaping the "Jean Valjean" that belongs to the Chinese stage today
The Yanghua version of "Les Misérables" is not only directed by first-class French directors, but also starring first-class Actors in China. On the day of the event, Yanghua announced that the famous actor Liu Ye would play the role of the male protagonist Jean Valjean in the play, and he would rely on his profound performance skills and extraordinary stage charm to profoundly interpret Jean Valjean, a legendary figure with ups and downs in the tide of the times, and add another classic version of Jean Valjean to the world theater stage. It has been 12 years since he last portrayed the role on the drama stage, full of an actor's deep attachment to the stage, so he pushed off most of the work of nearly half a year early, just to devote himself to the shaping of this classic role.
Yanghua version of "Les Misérables" starred Liu Ye
He said: "After the age of 40, I have always wanted to do a special thing, and in recent years I have been engaged in Sino-French cultural exchanges, when I heard that Yanghua was going to rehearse 'Les Misérables', I immediately felt that this was what I wanted to do! I'm a drama actor, and drama has an extraordinary meaning for me, and just deciding to participate in Les Misérables instantly brought back the passion I had at school more than 20 years ago! When I was eight or nine years old, I fell in love with the story of "Les Misérables" through comic strips, and then I saw novels, movies, musicals, etc., and it had too much influence on me! Being able to portray a character like Jean Valjean is a career pride for any actor! I hope that through my interpretation, I can create a Jean Valjean that is very acceptable to Chinese audiences. ”
It is worth mentioning that Mr. Wang Keran, the artistic director of the Yanghua version of "Les Misérables", and Mr. Liu Ye, the male lead actor, have both won one of the highest honors in France, the "Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts and Literatures", for their special achievements in the field of art and outstanding contributions to world culture, and both of them have also attended the 11th National Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Literary Circles in 2021 as representatives, which adds a special significance to the holding of this event.
Yanghua version of "Les Misérables" producer Anna Is Tian, starring Liu Ye
"Civilization is enriched by exchanges, and civilizations are enriched by mutual learning." The Sino-French cooperation "Les Misérables" has promoted cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries and enhanced exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. Literary and artistic workers in the theater circles of China and France seek wisdom and nourishment from different theatrical civilizations, learn from each other's strong points and complement each other's weaknesses, promote the diversified development of world drama, and enrich the people of all countries to enjoy a more connotative spiritual life.
Yanghua Drama is committed to creating the best of the times
At the sharing and release of the day, many professionals from the cultural and theater circles also expressed their support and expectations for the Chinese version of "Les Misérables" created by Yanghua Theater. Song Baozhen, director of the Drama Research Institute of the China Academy of Arts, said: "'Les Misérables' is a very great work of Mr. Hugo of France, today the Chinese version of "Les Misérables" will set sail here, Mr. Wang Keran of Yanghua Theater is very remarkable, he not only has a cultural stance, artistic vision, but also aesthetic ideals, we are all full of expectations for this work, I believe it will become a bridge for Sino-French friendship and cooperation, but also become the artistic dream that we are looking forward to. The spiritual embarrassment of the human ego may never be eliminated, but as long as there is such a great repertoire as "Les Misérables", there will be the warm light of mankind. ”
Song Baozhen, director of the Drama Research Institute of the China Academy of Arts, delivered a speech
Since its establishment in 2008, after more than ten years of continuous development and creation, Yanghua Drama, the producer of the Chinese version of "Les Misérables", has become a well-known golden signboard in the field of Chinese theater stage, representing superior artistic quality and lofty theatrical ideals. For a long time, Yanghua Drama has been committed to providing mainstream audiences with an important choice for understanding drama, contacting drama and consumer culture through theatrical means. Yanghua is committed to closely integrating drama with people's spiritual life and the development of China's times, and opening up a wider range of people to enter the consumption action of theater culture. Classic plays such as "Thunderstorm", "After Thunderstorm", "Jewish Town", "Dream like a Dream", "New Wilderness", "Ponzi Scheme" and so on have been successively launched, which have been recognized and affirmed by the industry and the public under the efforts of the growing and improving professional team. After continuous climbing on the road of art, Yanghua Drama, which is now standing on a new height, will achieve a more ambitious artistic ideal in future creation with a broader artistic vision, a more responsible responsibility for the times and a more global artistic concept.
Someone once said that in this era full of fast food reading and traffic fragments, although the voice of deep thinking is weak, it still has a thousand jun power, and Yang Hua believes that rich theatrical works also have such power!
![The light of humanity shines in Les Misérables, and hope will come tomorrow[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)