"Thunderstorm" re-enters the Cao Yu Theater and finds the poetry and compassion of the original 1934 classic
On July 7, Beijing Renyi's new typesetting "Thunderstorm" once again appeared on the stage of the Cao Yu Theater to open the second round of performances. This round of performances will last until July 21.
New edition of "Thunderstorm" poster
As an enduring stage classic, Cao Yu's "Thunderstorm" has been repeatedly put on the stage. In 2021, Pu Cunxin and Tang Ye interpreted this classic masterpiece from a new perspective, "We are not unconventional, most of the currently staged is the deleted version of Mr. Cao Yu in 1954, and we are digging up the original script published by Mr. Cao Yu in 1934 and finding many clues from it." Director Pu Cunxin said, "It's like opening the door with questions, and in this interpretation, the audience can find the answer by themselves." ”
"Thunderstorm" stills, family portrait
"We dug up the treasure from the 1934 version of the script, and after re-studying it, we found out Mr. Cao Yu's original meaning." Director Tang Ye said, "Where did the gun that Zhou Ping used to commit suicide come from in the play? In fact, it is not that everyone usually thinks that it is Zhou Puyuan's, but Lu Dahai picked it up from the mine. There is also a heart-to-heart conversation between Lu Dahai and Zhou Ping's 'brothers', although they don't know their relationship on stage, but the audience under the stage knows. Tang Ye said that through such a dialogue, it just proved the relationship between characters that blood is thicker than water. In this interpretation, Zhou Puyuan's knowledge of "family ugly" is also different from the treatment of many previous versions, in this interpretation, Zhou Puyuan's knowledge has been hinted many times in the play, and the audience can follow such clues to solve the "mystery" of the play.
Pu Cunxin starred in Zhou Puyuan
Tang Ye told The Paper that "the script staged in 1954 has undergone Mr. Cao Yu's own adjustment, and it emphasizes class antagonism. Black and white, Zhou Puyuan and Lu Gui are classified as villains. But in the 1934 script, as Mr. himself said, he devoted compassion to all eight of the main characters in the play. In fact, when writing Lu Gui, he referred to the housekeeper in his extended family, and he did not hate this person. ”
"Let's just say that Sifeng is such a big girl, Lu Gongping dares to let her stay by her father Lu Gui for two years, and she has basic recognition of Lu Gui's character, at least I believe that he is still a qualified father; Lu Dahai can become a foreman, he must be literate, which also shows that Lu Gui still let this child who is not his own read back then. In fact, Mr. Cao Yu wrote a passage in the preface to "Thunderstorm" that year: I wrote a poem, a lyrical narrative poem. Poetry doesn't have to be beautiful, but it's not a drama of social issues. The new version of "Thunderstorm" is looking for this 'poetry' with this purpose. Tang Ye said.
Li Hongtao as Lu Gui (right), Chen Hongxu as Sifeng (left)
The cast of the combination of old, middle-aged and young people is also a major attraction of the play. The combination of actors such as Pu Cunxin, Shi Lanya, Bai Hui, Li Hongtao, Wang Junqi, Chen Hongxu, Li Jingxu, Xie Tian and other actors also has their own distinctive style for the shaping of characters in performance. Zhou Puyuan, played by Pu Cunxin, has changed the image of a feudal parent in the past, and he has an enlightened side with a Western study abroad background; Lu's mother, played by Shi Langya, has a strong personality, decisive strength and rich emotions; Su Yi, played by Bai Hui, has a bolder personality, and her despair and cry are more distinct; Lu Gui, played by Li Hongtao, is not a negative character, although he has shortcomings, he is essentially a father who loves his daughter. "Respect reality and reveal internal logic, not conceptualization." Pu Cunxin believes that this is a reinterpretation of the artistic attitude of the characters.
Shi Langya replaced Gong Lijun as Lu Gongping (front left) this time
Actor Li Hongtao, who plays Lu Gui, told The Paper that the new version of "Thunderstorm" reflects human nature more and highlights what people are in their bones. "Lu Gui shows his concern and affection for his family and children in this edition." Compared with the first round of performances in 2021, Li Hongtao said that he would be more restrained from the "irritable" side of Lu Gui's listed concubine, "I will 'receive' the performance more this time." ”
"Every book will have a new solution the next day, so a new round of rehearsals still has to solve some new problems." In the second round of performances, Pu Cunxin hopes that the actors will have new topics and new adjustments for themselves, and be more calm in the interpretation of characters. "After the first round, I went to find new possibilities, and this time the performance found the contrast between reality and reality, before and after, light and dark, light and heavy. Before each artistic creation, there must be a freshness of the first face, and it cannot be repeated. "The poetic set on stage, the intertwined music of classical and modern, in a romantic and beautiful atmosphere, highlight a new expression of a classic work.
A still from "Thunderstorm"