In 1993, the movie "Farewell to the Overlord" not only interpreted the love and hatred of several protagonists in every detail, but also once again showed the world the charming Chinese business card of Peking Opera. In fact, behind the scenes of this film, the names of Song Xiaochuan, a famous Ye Pai xiaosheng of the National Peking Opera Theater and a disciple of The famous Peking Opera artist Ye Shaolan, are also remembered by many people. He is not only the Peking Opera makeup artist of Zhang Guorong, who plays Cheng Diyi, but also his stage art director. In another classic TV series "The Gate of the Great Mansion", the role of Wan Xiaoju, a famous actor in Peking Opera played by Song Xiaochuan, also left a deep impression on the audience.
Song Xiaochuan stills in "The Gate of the Big House"
In addition to leaving his own mark on the screen, Song Xiaochuan in life is also constantly promoting the inheritance and development of Peking Opera art. On September 24, in the "One Drama of January" sponsored by the Chengdu Peking Opera Research Institute (hereinafter referred to as the Municipal Peking Opera House), Song Xiaochuan will perform the full peking opera "Yutang Spring" together with Cheng Lianqun, chairman of the Chongqing Dramatists Association, Wang Jinsheng, a national first-class actor of the Chongqing Peking Opera Troupe, and Cui Weijie, a popular old student of the Beijing Opera House. At present, the tickets for the show are sold out, and the audience's enthusiasm is undiminished.
Song Xiaochuan at the rehearsal scene
"One Drama in January" has been staged four times so far, what is the motivation for the well-known Peking Opera actors in the country to be willing to come to Rong to perform? Why are the audiences watching Peking Opera getting younger and younger? How exactly is the box office of Chengdu Peking Opera? On September 23, Red Star News reporters came to the Chengdu Xinsheng Theater and interviewed Song Xiaochuan, who was rehearsing, and Wei Jiqiang, vice president of the Chengdu Peking Opera House, and asked them for answers.
"Half a Sichuanese" Song Xiaochuan:
The Chengdu audience was fiery and prepared a surprise for the performance
Entering the New Sound Theater, the Red Star News reporter saw that Song Xiaochuan and Cheng Lianqun were rehearsing on stage, and the actors' positions, band accompaniment, lighting and sound were all presented in the most professional form. Halfway through the rehearsal, Song Xiaochuan suddenly stopped, stepped forward to move the chair closer to the stage, and said: "Make a mark here, when the time comes, the chair should be placed at this point", which shows the care of the details.
Rehearsal site
During the rehearsal break, Song Xiaochuan was interviewed by a Red Star News reporter. "My mother is from Zigong, Sichuan, so I have a natural affinity for Chengdu, and I have returned to my hometown here." Song Xiaochuan said that he had performed in Chengdu more than a decade ago, and compared with other cities, the Chengdu audience was more "hot", and the enthusiasm of the audience was completely beyond his imagination, so he always wanted to perform in Chengdu again. When he learned that the tickets for tomorrow's "Yutang Spring" performance had already been sold out, Song Xiaochuan even said, "Very moved!" He said that no matter which city he went to, many audiences expressed their love and support for Peking Opera, which was a very important encouragement for him.
I believe that many people are not unfamiliar with Tao Zhe's song "Su San Said" in which "Su San left Hongtong County, will come to the street, did not open his heart, the past gentlemen listened to me" this sentence is not unfamiliar, which sings is the Peking Opera "Yutang Spring" excerpt. The play tells the story of a legend during the Ming Dynasty: the famous Beijing prostitute Yutang Chun (real name Su San) and the official eunuch Wang Jinlong fell in love at first sight and swore a white head. Later Wang Jinlong's golden list was inscribed, and when he returned home, the old bustard sold Su San to Shanxi Hongtong Shen as a concubine, and his wife, because she hated Su San, designed to poison her husband to death and marry Su San, just when Su San was wronged, Wang Jinlong was promoted to the governor of Shanxi, exonerated Su San, and finally had the story of lovers finally becoming dependents.
It is understood that "Yutang Spring" is one of the most representative works of Cheng Lianqun's mentor and Peking Opera star Shen Fucun, and su san, played by Cheng Lianqun, who is the true biography of the master, is meticulously performed. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of chengdu Beijing Opera House, Beijing, Chongqing and Chengdu have joined forces to launch good plays, which is a rare opportunity to "watch good plays".
Cheng Lianqun
Song Xiaochuan, who plays Wang Jinlong, said that when he received the invitation, he did not hesitate to agree, "I have always liked Chengdu, which is equivalent to returning to my hometown." Now that work and production are gradually resuming across the country, the audience's enthusiasm for watching the show has been held back at home for several months, so I have to meet the audience's expectations. For tomorrow night's performance, Song Xiaochuan not only made full preparations on the stage, but also prepared surprises for the audience, "After the performance, the audience may ask to return, then I am also ready, whatever." ”
Song Xiaochuan told Red Star News that Chengdu's theater industry is recovering well, and 75% of the attendance rate has been allowed, and Beijing has resumed offline theater performances since late September, with a attendance rate of 50%. Comparing the opera atmosphere between Chengdu and Beijing, Song Xiaochuan said that as the capital of Beijing, especially the birthplace of Peking Opera, there are of course more well-known Peking Opera actors, "I also hope that more famous artists and famous characters can come to Chengdu, so that Chengdu audiences can feel the charm of Peking Opera more." ”
In January, the theater is full
Young and middle-aged people have become the main force of the audience
Since December last year, the "One Month Drama" launched by Chengdu Peking Opera House has launched a total of 4 stages, and the ticket price of up to 180 yuan per show is very close to the people, and the venue is full and full. Vice President Wei Jiqiang told the Red Star News reporter that according to his observation, among the audiences who came to see the play, the elderly are actually not many, and the proportion of middle-aged and young audiences has reached about 80%, "In addition to the plays we launched are classic famous dramas, I think the influence of well-known actors is also very important, so that citizens can see the wonderful performances of well-known Peking Opera actors in Beijing, Shanghai and other places at their doorstep, which is an important reason for attracting them." ”
Wei Jiqiang
Wei Jiqiang believes that there are two reasons why the audience of Peking Opera is getting younger and younger: One is to promote Peking Opera on different platforms through famous artists and celebrities, so that more people understand and are familiar with this traditional form of performance; in addition, the implementation of activities to let Peking Opera enter the campus throughout the country has achieved initial results, "Many parents around me take the initiative to let their children learn Peking Opera and fall in love with Peking Opera, so young audiences have gradually become the main force." ”
What are the important reasons why well-known actors are willing to perform in Chengdu? Wei Jiqiang told Red Star News that Peking Opera, as the national essence of our country, needs to be continuously inherited and vigorously promoted, "Well-known Peking Opera actors also want to go to different cities to understand whether their art can be loved by audiences in different regions, and hope to have more opportunities for exchanges and meetings with different audience groups." ”
"One Drama in January" has three ticket prices of 80 yuan, 120 yuan and 180 yuan, and each one can be sold out. The tickets performed by young actors in Chengdu have a more beneficial price, up to 30 yuan, and occasionally there are free tickets, and the attendance rate is about 70%. In this regard, Wei Jiqiang is not worried, he believes that well-known Peking Opera actors have their own box office appeal, Chengdu is also actively cultivating local young actors, "a hundred exercises are not as good as a performance", through the price of benefiting the people, while enriching the audience's life, but also exercise the performance experience of young actors on the stage.
Red Star News reporter Qiu Junfeng Zeng Qi photo report Editor Qiao Xueyang
(Download Red Star News, there are prizes for the newspaper!) ）