Dressed in a suit and a top hat, the salesman Willie Lohman slowly walked onto the stage carrying two huge boxes, his footsteps were faltering, his expression was tired, there was an unconcealed anxiety in his tone, and his heart was planning a "big" thing...
Last night, at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center Art Theater, "Death of a Salesman" was officially premiered. Completed in 1949, "Death of a Salesman" is the pinnacle of arthur Miller, a well-known American screenwriter, known as one of the best plays of the twentieth century in the United States, and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award, and the New York Drama Critics Award in the same year, and was the first play in the world to win three major theater awards for the first time.
Now, the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center has put it on the stage with great courage and boldness, not only because the entire performance lasts nearly 4 hours, which is a great test for the actors, but also how to map the American story of the last century to the present, which is also a test.
The play was re-translated by Tian Hongyi, directed by Lin Yi, director of Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, composed by Shi Ling, stage designed by Zhou Ling'er, and starring Lü Liang, Song Yining, Han Xiuyi, Gu Xin, Zhang Xin, etc. The strong creative team and the charm of the story itself made the work receive great attention while it was still being rehearsed, and once tickets were issued, all the performances from August 7 to 22 were sold out.
And "Death of a Salesman" captured the hearts of the audience as soon as it was staged. After last night's performance, many audience members wrote down their feelings about watching the play overnight, "The drama that has been waiting for a long time, hearing a lot of low laughter and deep sighs, not only the phantom tragedy of the American dream of the last century, the irony will always have practical significance" "This is a tragedy that is bitter to sweet... Because it shows us in the most vivid way the facts that we have been avoiding, consciously or unconsciously."
The Death of a Salesman tells the story of the 24-hour period before the death of Willie Lohman, an American salesman in the 1930s and 1940s. In his prime, he was well-known throughout New England for his reliable business skills and social skills; his wife Linda ran the housework; and his two sons, Biff and Happi, made him proud. However, as time passes, his good fortune seems to be leaving him, and his life is gradually out of control... The play intersperses the glory of Willie's youth with the loneliness of the present, reflecting the shattering of their generation's "American Dream" with the life dilemma of small people. But screenwriter Arthur Miller said in an interview: "It's a story about love between father and son, who lose love and get it back again." This work contains the United States, the salesman, the economic situation; it is also about family and life, which is difficult to define in one sentence. ”
In the eyes of director Lin Yi, Arthur Miller is a sober observer, "His 'Death of a Salesman' shows us the state of a most ordinary person under the pressure of the wheel of the times, and he knows that not everyone has an equal chance of success." Lin Yi believes that Arthur Miller's Willie is actually an ancient Greek tragic hero, "with a certain incomprehension or dissatisfaction with reality, wanting to break, wanting to fight, to compete with what he is unwilling to compromise." ”
Lin Yi said that this play not only allows us to see the shattering of a dream, but also involves many common problems in modern society, such as social pressure, original family, intimate relationship, parent-child relationship, self-perception, identity, and behavioral disorders. Lin Yi also emphasized "love" when interpreting this work, the love between father and son, between husband and wife, brothers and friends. The most lamentable thing in the play is the love between Willie and his eldest son, Biff, "They obviously try their best to give each other love, but why can't they feel this kind of love for each other?" "These issues still have their practical significance.
Lu Liang, who played the salesman Willie in the play this time, is also one of the important promoters of this drama. His affection and love for this play has run through his entire actor's career, and his understanding of it has changed with the development of the times and his own growth.
"I read this script for the first time 40 years ago as a beginner theatre player with reverence. As I grew older, my thoughts gradually matured, and I paid more and more attention to social issues. I gradually had a stronger and clearer understanding of the psychology of people under the social environment and social form of the United States reflected by Arthur Miller, and I felt that it was close to us. Many details in the play have countless places that can be connected with today, and I believe that this work will gain universal recognition and resonance among today's audiences. ”
And the outstanding performance of Lü Liang in the play also deeply touched the audience, they commented: "The famous works are put on the stage like this is worthy of worship", "Willy Loman let me see another height of Lü Liang's acting skills" "Admire the courage and determination of Teacher Lü Liang, in the current stage, we need such performers."
"Death of a Salesman" will be staged at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center and Art Theatre until August 22.