Agatha Christie's only comedy "Spider Web" was recently staged:
"Cobweb" poster
The Chinese version of Agatha Christie's comedy "Spider Web", produced by Shanghai Mousetrap Theatre Studio, will be staged at Fancl Arts Center (Yihai Theater) Grand Theater from April 12-21.
Clarissa, a young and beautiful diplomat's wife, often fantasizes that one day she goes downstairs and finds a dead body in the library. Unfortunately, this time she said that the hypothesis turned out to be a reality, and that there was a corpse hidden in the library, and the suspicion was directed at her stepdaughter Pippa. Soon after, the police also received anonymous phone calls uninvited, and her husband, a diplomat, was about to arrive at his home with a mysterious foreign head of state to meet with the foreign secretary. When it comes to her husband's career and future, Clarissa enlists three of her usual social friends: an old knight, a local sheriff, and a businessman, to cover up the scandal together. So a farce of making the fake come true, the false and the real began.
Stills from "Spider Web", the same below
For Agatha Christie, the "queen of mystery novels", "The Web of the Spiders" can be a very "rare" work for her – she hardly writes comedy, the only one of her stage productions, and she hardly writes plays for people, and this one was written at the request of actress Margaret Lockwood. In 1953, Christie created Cobwebs during the last rehearsal of Witness for the Prosecution. Christie named Lockwood's character after his late mother's name, "Clarissa". In this comedy, comedic elements are incorporated and a deliberate parody of typical murders is added as a kind of self-deprecation.
"Spider Web" premiered at the Royal Theatre in Nottingham on 27 September 1954, when "The Mousetrap" and "Witness for the Prosecution" were still being staged, and readers and audiences who knew Christie well saw a special side of her - in her world, not only the thrilling murder, thriller and brilliant mystery of "No One Left Alive", but also the beauty of rural life, the happiness of family and the longing of romantic love.
Produced by Shanghai Mousetrap Theatre Studio, the Chinese version of "Spider Web" was first performed at the end of 2012 and won unanimous praise from the audience for its unique comedy style and compelling plot. The return of the Chinese version after 12 years is a "long-awaited", and the main creative team strives to retain the essence of the original work on the basis of rejuvenating this classic comedy work with new brilliance.
In this regard, director Lin Yi said, "We get strength from comedy. There's a magic to comedy, things happen in the absurd, and they are solved in the absurd, but in the process we gain power. Even in the midst of laughter and scolding, we don't realize that we may have gained a kind of power. This strength comes not only from the pleasure of watching, but also from the efforts of the people in the play - several people who are in deep trouble, for various reasons, do not give up, are full of foreign appearances, and work very hard to save themselves from the predicament. It has to be said that this is the most rewarding part of comedy. "Cobweb" is one such play, and Christie's greatness lies in setting her usual intrigue in an absurdist comedic situation. Complicated family relationships, an unexpected corpse, an impending big man, and a looming murder all turn the lives of this group upside down. And when all was settled, the hostess Clarissa was able to say with grace and gentleness, 'We have just learned to deceive, and we have woven such a chaotic web of silk'. I have to sigh, what a group of brave and happy people this is, if one of them gives up, things will not be so happy. ”
People love the hope and power of comedy, and "Spider Web", which has returned to the stage after 12 years, presents a feast of laughter in front of the audience.
Performance time: 2024.4.12-4.21 19:30 (no performance on Monday, 14:00 afternoon performance on Saturday, 14:00 afternoon performance on Sunday)
Venue: Fancl Art Center (Yihai Theater) Grand Theater
New Media Editor: He Jing
Photo: Wang Li/photo, provided by the organizer
i: iwenxuebao
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