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In April, under the epidemic situation, many well-known theaters around the world launched online limited-time free viewing or paid on-demand viewing activities on their official websites or online broadcast platforms, sending high-quality spiritual food to audiences around the world.
When "watching drama on the clouds" has become a new pursuit of audiences who love to watch plays, "commenting on dramas on the clouds" has also become a new posture for young drama critics who are "at home". On the network that gathers the world's best products, they watch plays together, talk about plays together, and provide the audience with the touches, feelings and thoughts that drama brings to themselves.
Following the word-of-mouth work "Jane Eyre", the "new scene" of NT Live's exclusive importer in China has launched a limited-time free Shakespeare work "Twelfth Night". The first day of the exemption is World Book Day on 23 April, which also happens to be Shakespeare's birthday.
This time, we once again invited some young theater critics to talk about Shakespeare at the "Youth Review Roundtable", about love and gender, and about what is special about this gender-reversed comedy "Twelfth Night".
Hu Reading: So many emotional dislocations make up this enduring comedy
Compared to Shakespeare's globe theatre's classic all-male version of Twelfth Night, NT Live's national theatre version this week, the so-called "sexually transfigured version" of Twelfth Night, is more modern and subversive.
As you can see from the promotional posters screened in high definition in two versions, the two different versions highlight the more prominent characters, Olivia, who is dressed as a woman by Mark Rylance, and Malvolia, the housekeeper played by Tamsin Greig.
At the same time, the connection between the two versions is more interesting, back in Shakespeare's time, women were forbidden to appear on stage, so all the characters in the play were played by men. What was perfectly normal in the Renaissance, when today's Globe Theatre was retro staged, the "normal" cass became a laughing point because it was unexpected.
Instead of reversing the string, the British National Theatre reversed the sexual orientation by changing the gender of the characters, creating a new butler image, she did not have any negative impact on the characters or plots because of the gender inversion, but made the delicate interpretation of love letters more realistic and reliable.
Whether it is anti-string or sexual transfer, it is undoubtedly Shakespeare's common trick, in "Twelfth Night" brother Sebastian replaced his sister Viola (Viola) anti-string Cesario married Olivia, the Duke suddenly fell in love with Viola from boy to girl, both anti-string and sexual after the happy ending, in this context, the new version of the butler's adaptation is still very convincing.
In the interpretation of the British National Theatre version, the character of Mavoria becomes more complex, from the gloom and rigidity at the beginning, to the fiery and flying after finding that she is in love with the lady, to the collapse and anger after realizing that she is being manipulated. She is no longer just a mean-faced housekeeper, nor is she just a jumping beam clown who wants to break through the social order, so that when the characters in the play have returned to their places and finally become dependents, and the helpless Mavoria alone silently bears everyone's exclusion and ridicule, the scene is so heart-wrenching.
In contrast, whether it is Malvolio or Mavolria is no longer a subject of debate. Perhaps it is precisely because in contemporary society, class is no longer a social issue, and gender issues are repeatedly raised and emphasized, that a spark has burst out in Tamsin Gregg's excellent performance.
Unlike other versions, this whole drama is shrouded in a dark and low atmosphere, and the accompaniment of the scene, the chanting of the clown, and the design of the lights all set the tone of mourning and sadness. Almost everyone in the play has a sad story that is difficult to open: Olivia and Viola are immersed in the emotions of losing their brother, and at the same time, Olivia and Viola are still struggling with the love they can't ask for. And Mavoria, Duke Osino, Sebastian, Antonio, etc., are in trouble one way or another. It is precisely because of the dislocation of so many emotions that this enduring comedy is constituted.
To Tintin: The adaptation is surprisingly correct, but how does Mavoria prove her passion?
Of course, today's Twelfth Night can hardly be corsets, Elizabethan collars, and whale bone skirts anymore. No director (except for the all-male version of Globe Theatre, which unexpectedly returns with amazing effects) dares to be overly "original".
But even with this presupposition in mind, this version of Twelfth Night—at first glance—was surprisingly adapted to orthodoxy. The twin siblings who wrecked the ship to illyria were of African descent, while the butler Marvorio and the clown Pfister were both women. In a city ruled by a forty-year-old male duke (another bullseye), dark skin is indeed a good symbol of outsiders and a good medium for setting off a world-shaking storm.
Leaving aside these perhaps overly symbolic ones, what really delights me is the jazz-style music that runs through the play and is in harmony with the identity of brother and sister. The Duke, with a frenzy for love that is too full, orders people to repeatedly play "the rhythm of gradual depression", and the minor tune "O Mistress Mine" that prays for the girl to play and not to mention that the elephant hotel has become a underground bar, hamlet's monologue of survival and death is sung by the disguised queen coldly - in the discontinuities and looseness of the bass, the electric piano and the saxophone, in the improvisation, laziness and inflection of the vocals, showing a playful re-gaze of teacup-like love.
Regarding the housekeeper Mavolia (derived from the feminine end of The Mavolio), I have a lot of doubts. This gender transformation is the focus of many positive reviews, saying that "Twelfth Night" adds a tragic dimension to the struggle of a small number of sexual seekers for true love. But if Mavoria is only intoxicated by the birth of a servant to become a "countess", and only the heart is to fight against the relatives of the lady and to put up a shelf for the servant, then how can a small number of sexual orientations prove the purity and inexorability of passion, and how can they naturally obtain sympathy from reason and empathy?
Throughout the play, what fascinates me is still more Shakespeare's miraculous and clever language, almost cheesy but still heartwarming love, misunderstandings and disguises, as well as the beautiful light of music and sets, the willing suspension and a moment of escape.
Wang Xi: The tragedy of Marvolio's wrong love becomes an ideal closed loop in its own right
If you ask, what is the appeal of Shakespeare today? My answer is that, in addition to his philosophical lines, there is also his perspective through time and space. I always think of Einstein's theory of relativity and wonder: Is Shakespeare really more than 400 years away from now, or has time bent over that distance?
Shakespeare's use of twins swapping identities again in Twelfth Night leads to batch misidentification. Of all the insanities, the most unique is Marvolia. The same is wrong love, her difference is done in her own imagination, there is no misunderstanding with the other party, but because of the arrogance of being in an important position, let the wrong love become a closed loop, more and more ideal, close to perfection.
Therefore, In the first half, Mavoria, who has a black and white suit with a smart short hair, transformed herself in the second half and showed her heart and exterior with a bright "Hornet" catwalk walking posture! At that moment, she was liberated and serious, revealing her true emotions. Until the end, she walked up the stairs like the belly of a bumblebee in sad despair, and let the tragedy of this true feeling completely sublimated.
This solid tragic line transcends other comedy lines of wrong love. The happiest person in the audience was only Viola who got the Duke's emotional feedback through hard work, and Olivia, watching Viola run to the Duke, and then look at the Sebaschin who was hit by the pie in the sky, was obviously a difficult expression.
A comedy that laughs and bursts into tears, with colorful costumes and a stage space that opens and closes freely, reminds us to see through the reality behind the chaotic appearances and to have the courage to face our own sincerity, just as the power of wisdom can accompany us through time and space at the speed of light.
Xu Wenyi: Marvolio's pursuit of Olivia has changed from vanity to love, sometimes a little divided
Shifting the background to the modern "Twelfth Night", whether it is from the actor's grasp of the character, or from the director's interpretation and presentation of the original, it is skillful and sophisticated. The modern lights and greenery did not lose the poetic meaning of the original work, and the director did not miss the complex synthesis of the jumps in Shakespeare's plays because of the cumbersomeness, so that I did not feel tired after watching across the screen for three hours.
I especially like the interpretation of the original play "The Tragic Background of Comedy". When I read the script, I was deeply touched by Olivia's honesty in the face of her powerless love, and the design of the gender confusion of the women's costumes of men embodied the idea that "love is the soul, not the appearance", and further highlighted the tragedy of Olivia, who finally obtained only a husband who had a similar skin bag to the person he loved, which also made "Twelfth Night" unique to Shakespeare's other comedies.
This version of the rendition firmly grasps Olivia's tragic undertone, and transforms the housekeeper Marvellio into a female character, by showing The whole process of Marvio's breaking through himself after receiving the prank plot book to finding himself teased, to allude to Olivia's tragic side in this comedy.
The only unsatisfactory thing is that Shakespeare did not intend to symbolize Marvrio in the original work, he portrayed the character as a vain admirer who abounds in the world, a negative and ridiculous character. As a pedantic housekeeper, his love for the young lady stems from her apparent dignity. Therefore, in the new work, when Marvolio transforms into a woman and assumes such a significant imagery role, the whole character sometimes shows a sense of separation.
This sense of separation is most evident when reading letters in the garden. The audience pities what happened to Marvario, but it is difficult to sympathize with a man who is trying to gain status through love and marriage. If, more boldly, It is possible to make Marvolio's love pure and mundane through the modification of his lines, then the cornerstone of tragedy will be more solid.
Xin Ying: "Strong women and weak men", here are a group of brave, enthusiastic, active "female warriors"
This version of Twelfth Night, produced by the British National Theatre, can be said to be an adaptation of an entertaining Shakespeare play. The most wonderful idea is to change the gender of the housekeeper (Mavolio) to a woman (Mavolia), which makes the whole story have a pleasant new surprise and triggers new thinking from the audience.
The original "Twelfth Night" has always been considered to exude feminist colors, the "addition" of the housekeeper makes the female image on the stage more full and rich, Olivia, Viola, Mavoria, in order to fight for and protect their love, all become brave, warm, active "female warriors", bright and moving.
It should also be deliberately done by the director, the male image in the play is more like the green leaves that set off the red flowers, and the pattern of "strong women and weak men" is also "detailed and appropriate".
The overall stage set floor is a large turntable, on which the pyramid-shaped triangle rotates and switches scenes, which seems to the audience to be like a tightly sewn instrument panel with bearings, constantly fiddling and rotating to find the correct exit for "love" (or story).
Overall, this may not be a very deep or alternative interpretation, nor is it really a modern presentation, but this version of "Twelfth Night" gives the audience a pleasant and fun viewing experience.
Tang Wei: This is not "Female Pony", it is "Twelfth Night", it is another "crazy woman in the attic"
The heroine is forced to dress as a man and gets the love of another woman of high status, and after revealing her identity, she marries her crush, and the woman who admires her marries her brother. It's not "The Steed," it's "Twelfth Night."
So, I always thought that "Twelfth Night" was a relatively simple and traditional drama, focusing on Viola and Olivia's pursuit of love.
But the NT Live version of Twelfth Night shattered my preconceptions, and my eyes involuntarily chased Mavolia. After the original male characters were converted to female characters, the same lines had more room for interpretation.
Women's self-suppression under discipline, the pursuit and control of desires, and the failure of pursuit are regarded as crazy people, which is another "crazy woman in the attic".
In this sense, Mavoria is a symbol of viola and Olivia without the aura of the protagonist, more generally the female dilemma. And the end of the play is frozen in her stumbling alone, climbing the stairs, and the rain pouring down.
Du Zhumin: From Yue opera to drama, I found the sad background in this comedy
The earliest contact with Shakespeare's Twelfth Night was through Yue opera. The differences in the way the plays are presented in the East and the West amplify the comedic elements of Twelfth Night itself. Marvolio, played by the famous Teacher Shi Jihua of Yue opera, is a pure "clown" character, which is hilarious.
After watching the British National Theatre version of "Twelfth Night" for more than ten years, I saw infinite sadness in this comedy. The "Marvolio" who once brought me endless joy became the person I sympathized with most.
This kind of "turning joy into sorrow" is not only because of the change of the background of the story era or the adaptation of the gender of the characters. Whether the story takes place in the classical period or in the present, whether it is the butler who "thinks of wrong" or the housekeeper who "has a crush" on Miss, Marvolio is ultimately a neglected and trampled little person.
When Twelfth Night was defined as "comedy" for its "reunion" ending, no one cared about Marvolio's injury. It seems that she (he) was born with such a fate. At the end of the play, Marvolio gritted his teeth and swore, "You will pay for everything you do." But the curse she had tried her best to issue was drowned out in a song and laughter, and there was no splash.
Even sadder than insulting is the disregard. Past, present; drama, reality, the fate of the little people are bloodied in this edition of Twelfth Night.
New Media Editor: Jin Ying
Pictured: Douban stills
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