The highly anticipated Chinese version of the drama "Les Miserables" will premiere at the Poly Theatre in Beijing from January 26 to 28. The play is co-invested and produced by Yanghua Theatre and the Montpellier Actors' Spring Theater Festival in France, directed by French director Jean Belolini, starring actors Liu Ye and Zhang Keying. As a world classic with great cultural influence and commercial value, and at the important moment of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, this rehearsal has attracted great attention from inside and outside the industry since the official announcement. In particular, Zhang Keying, as the first Chinese actress to play "Fantine" and "Cosette" by herself, is looking forward to how she interprets two completely different personalities and destinies on the stage and makes the audience empathize and resonate.
Zhang Keying played two roles to meet the challenge, and the response to the rehearsal was enthusiastic and expected
"Les Misérables" is the work of the French literary giant Victor Hugo, which is called "an encyclopedia of human suffering, a spiritual epic of human nature for good". The novel targets the suffering poor at the bottom of society, painting a picture of a miserable world. The Chinese version of the stage play "Les Miserables", like the original book, tells the story of Paris in the nineteenth century, and the impoverished Jean Agen (played by Liu Ye) is sentenced to nineteen years of hard labor for stealing a piece of bread. After being released from prison, he worked hard to become a successful businessman and became the mayor of the city, and after learning about the tragic fate of the prostitute Fantine (played by Zhang Keying), he took on the responsibility of taking care of his illegitimate daughter Cosette (played by Zhang Keying). The jealous Sheriff Shawe never gave up his quest for Jean Agen, and his pressing steps forced Jean Agen and Cosette to embark on a journey of incognito......
Fang Ting, played by Zhang Keying, was originally a simple and kind country girl, but she was seduced by a ruthless youth. After being abandoned, she discovers that she is pregnant, she suffers a lot, and is ostracized by a cold society. In order to support her children, she did not hesitate to sell her hair and teeth, and even became a prostitute, and her fate was very tragic. And Zhang Keying's other character, Fantine's daughter Cosette, is a poor child who has been abused since childhood, she is lucky to meet Jean Valgent, take her out of a nightmare situation, give her the love of her family, and luckily meet her true love Marius. She is innocent and courageous in her pursuit of love, which is a symbol of romance.
The personalities and fates of these two characters are completely different, and how to interpret their respective characteristics on stage is undoubtedly a huge challenge for the actors. Judging from the audience's feedback after the recent performance of "Les Miserables", all of them praised the whole work and were shocked by the charm of this grand literary masterpiece, especially Coco's performance, many viewers commented that "Fang Ting's story is the most poignant", "Zhang Keying surprised me a lot, and the emotional control is in place", "The line skills are too strong", "The acting skills are really good! I was amazed when I first appeared"...... The enthusiastic response also made the audience look forward to the official opening of the premiere tonight.
Rooted in the stage to absorb nutrients Zhang Keying pays tribute to the classics with strength and hard work
In the script of the Chinese version of "Les Miserables", in addition to the character lines, many narrative lines are added that are completely from the original novel. In addition to playing the role, the actor also acts as a "narrator", vividly explaining the novel "Les Miserables" to the audience. Director Jean Belolini also created a lot of singing and live music content for this version of Les Misérables, and even created musical themes for each of the main characters in the show. With so many new and challenging designs, the leading actors Liu Ye, Zhang Keying and other actors continue to explore in a low-key and humble manner, groping for the most suitable way forward in the fog.
And it just so happens that Zhang Keying, who has been on the stage for many years, has rich experience in drama and musical. Whether it is acting, line skills or singing strength, it is not a problem. As an actor of Beijing Renyi, Coco has successfully portrayed the role of "gold" in the classic Chinese drama and Beijing Renyi's new row "Wilderness". Her tense and wide-open performance on the stage left a deep impression on the audience, and was well received by the industry and beyond, becoming the third generation of gold after Xu Fan and Liu Xiaoqing. Previously, she also starred in the drama "Wanbai", "Zhengyang Bookstore", the musical "Dream and Truth", "Laundry", "When Love Is a Thing of the Past", "Sanxingdui", etc., and also released many singles and personal EPs.
In addition, she has also performed brilliantly in many film and television dramas. The pure school flower Yu Miao Miao in "I Only Like You", the rebellious and arrogant returned girl Tina in "A Trip to Meet Love", the "living beast" little padded jacket in "Old Tavern", the most free and easy "love rival" Chen Chen in "Three Lives Lucky to Meet You", the tenacious and brave He Luck in "Happiness to Ten Thousand Homes", Gu Xiaoman, the "double-faced cousin" in "Warm, Sweet", and Wang Xiaojiao, a gentle and virtuous best friend in "Public Prosecution", ...... Coco has gained a firm foothold step by step with her acting skills and works, and has been recognized and loved by more and more audiences.
In a previous interview, Coco also said frankly that "drama has no borders, and when actors feel it with their hearts, everything is connected". I will let go of the preset and devote myself to the rehearsal of "Les Miserables". Trying to restore and shape the female characters in the novel who shine with love in the unfortunate fate, I hope to stand the test of the audience and time like the novel. It is reported that "Les Miserables" will premiere at Beijing Poly Theater from January 26th to 28th, and we look forward to the wonderful performance that Coco will bring us!