Text/Tan Fangming (daughter of Cantonese opera celebrity Lang Zhenyu and Liang Shaojia)
One
In the 1950s, Guangdong's mass entertainment options, from quantity to taste, were very different from today's 21st century, and also had a hilarity that is unimaginable to today. Cantonese opera, formed in the early Ming Dynasty, for hundreds of years in the market survival and survival, after generations of Cantonese opera people innovation and adjustment, by October 1949, guangzhou liberation, the official statistics have 20 million fans, late and late drama, famous artists out, thousands of empty alleys.
At the beginning of 1950, as a measure to adapt to the new regime and the new era and establish a new culture, the nationwide opera reform movement (referred to as drama reform) began: changing drama, changing people, and reforming the system. The Preparatory Committee of the South China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (hereinafter referred to as the Preparatory Committee of the South China Federation of Literature and Art) has set up a Cantonese Opera Research Group to specialize in the creation and adaptation of new Cantonese opera. The first shot of the drama reform was to adapt the original opera "White Haired Girl" of Yan'an Lu Xun Art Academy into a new Cantonese opera, and the script was written by the following 9 well-known writers, dramatists, poets, directors and Cantonese opera screenwriters in Guangdong: Ouyang Shan, Hua Jia, Huang Ningnian, Lin Yu, Yi Gong, Yu Xun, Fu Gongwang, Chen Zhuoying, and Yang Zijing.
On September 6, 1950, autumn had passed, and the weather in the southern country was getting cooler. Sheng Shou Nian Theater Company opened its new play and grandly premiered the new Cantonese opera "White Haired Girl" at the Haizhu Grand Theatre. The first white-haired girl and Da Chun in the history of Cantonese opera were played by two famous artists, my mother Lang Junyu (1919-2010) and my father Liang Shaojia (1907-1982). Nanfang Daily commented that the people of New China became the protagonists and masters on the Cantonese opera stage, which was unprecedented. Also known as the emergence of this play, it is a great revolution in the history of Cantonese opera.
The script of the new Cantonese opera "The White-Haired Girl" published in 1950.
At that time, the Haizhu Grand Theater, the king of the Guangzhou Theater, was built in 1902, adjacent to the Pearl River, located on the brightly lit Long Causeway Avenue, the audience hall is three stories high, with nearly 2,000 seats. Whether it is a number of well-known provincial and Hong Kong Cantonese opera masters, or Mei Lanfang, the top celebrity in Beijing, they are proud to have appeared on stage at the Haizhu Grand Theatre.
"The White-Haired Girl" premiered as a blockbuster, and then performed for several months, and the audience was full.
Less than a year after the liberation of Guangzhou, he dared to star in the red classic "White Haired Girl", and his father and mother were really called heroes in the art world! This decision is not trivial, after all, Cantonese opera practitioners who have experienced many vicissitudes generally held a wait-and-see attitude toward the Communist Party and the People's Liberation Army in the early days of liberation.
The "wrench" who connects the two old artists with the new literature and art is Ouyang Shan. Ouyang Shan, a writer who debuted in Guangzhou, joined the Left League in Shanghai in the 1930s and then went to Yan'an, where he participated in the Yan'an Literary and Art Symposium and the Yan'an Rectification. At the end of 1949, Ouyang Shan was ordered to return to Yangcheng to take over the literary and art circles, serving as the director of the Preparatory Committee of the South China Federation of Literature and Art and the deputy secretary of the Literary and Art Work Committee of the Propaganda Department of the South China Branch of the CPC Central Committee.
As a leader in the literary and art circles, Ouyang Shan is familiar with the laws of literature and art; as a writer, he understands human nature; as one of the 20 million audiences who like Cantonese opera, he understands both the art of opera and the psychology of the audience, and also understands the operation of the market: to promote new Cantonese opera with the effect of celebrities is a unique trick.
When she was a Chinese New Year's Eve mother, she became famous for her Qingyi opera in her early years, and there was a saying among fans: "If you want to cry, see Lang Junyu", and the artistic charm can be imagined. The plays he performed were still very popular until after liberation. After Ouyang Shan went to the Leshan Theater to see his mother's "Broken Lingzhi", he personally found her and her father, shook hands for a long time, and welcomed them to perform more in the new era. His father's original surname was Tan, and Ouyang Shan was honored as Mr. Tan, and this title was maintained for decades until they grew old.
Ouyang Shan talked with his father and mother and invited them to take over the play: "Since you have the name of 'Reincarnated Thousand Mile Colt', and the audience also likes your play path, can you take the lead and perform "White Haired Girl"? "The first time my parents, who have been honest and honest in their lives and have the purpose of acting seriously, came into contact with the Communist Party for the first time, they met officials who knew how to appreciate Cantonese opera and knew how to respect artists. Sons and daughters of the jianghu, the end is to compare the heart to the heart. Decades later, my mother recalled the incident, and she said long story short: "The Communist Party values us so much, why should we refuse?" ”
Two
The theme of "The White-Haired Girl" is that the old society turned people into ghosts, and the new society turned ghosts into people. The new Cantonese opera aims to instill a new ideology in the audience, which means that not only the theme of the drama should be renewed, but also the traditional habits of performance, costumes, sets, and lighting must also be changed. However, the Cantonese opera market is full of people, and the audience is the rice class owner, which is common sense. Father and mother are also responsible for the hundreds and dozens of employees of the Shengshounian Theater Troupe, and the box office can protect their jobs.
What can be done to make the audience accept this new Cantonese opera that will subvert the aesthetic habits of the old stage? The mother thought hard for a few days and put forward her views on performance, stage processing and production: Xi'er used opera actions to take over the red-headed rope that Yang Bailao bought for herself; used the program performance of Qingyi Opera to feed the baby; used the blindfold method to let the stand-in play a sleeping Xi'er on the stage, and Zhen Xi'er rushed to the stage from the audience to "dream of meeting" Dachun; let Dachun wear civilian clothes with the kind of film that was popular in Cantonese opera at that time, full of shining and attracting the audience; using light sets to render the atmosphere of "the sun is out"...
Stills of Lang Junyu's white-haired girl
Her "bridge" (the idea of thinking) was supported by the leadership. As a result, reflecting the theme of oppression and resistance in the rural areas of modern northern China, the performance form was positioned in a pure Cantonese opera style. In July of the same year, Ouyang Shan put forward the four-character guideline of "good look (look) beneficial" in "Our Opinions on the Improvement of Cantonese Opera", which not only criticized the excessive flamboyance of old Cantonese opera, but also affirmed the positive role of lighting and film in Cantonese opera.
There are two key words that are meaningful. The first is "Cantonese opera improvement" (not reform or reform). This formulation is related to the central government's policy and strategy of drama reform, when the Ministry of Culture's opera leadership organization and the advisory body composed of experts and artists were called the Xiqu Improvement Bureau and the Xiqu Improvement Committee. Step by step, it is not difficult to understand. The second key word is "good (look) beneficial", which is remarkable.
Literally, "Cantonese opera improvement" slightly elegantly reveals a certain degree of tolerance, and "good eyes (seeing) beneficial" in popular language, bluntly clarifying literary and artistic standards. Looking back, "good eyes (see) beneficial" is actually Ouyang Shan's consistent proposition, and he has not changed how many political movements and critical struggles he has experienced.
I was Ouyang Shan's creative assistant from 1979 to 1984, and I also heard him explain at that time, "Literary and artistic works must be good-looking, and they can't be seen, who will appreciate your theme ideas?" It can be seen that this guiding ideology is consistent and consistent with the viewpoint put forward by Mao Zedong's "Speech at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art": "No matter how artistic the artwork is, no matter how politically progressive it is, it has no power." ”
Three
Recently, through collecting the script of the 1950 edition of cantonese opera "White Haired Girl" and related historical materials, and interviewing two Cantonese opera veterans Lin Xiaoqun and Lang Haishan who participated in the performance that year, I learned about some of the first experimental products of "Cantonese Opera Improvement":
(1) Traces of the "six-pillar system" in new Cantonese operas
The "trades" of Cantonese opera performances are classified according to the type of role. The "six-pillar system" is simplified from the original ten major trades of traditional Cantonese opera, and the six trades of Wen Wusheng, Xiaosheng, Zhengyin Huadan, Erbang Huadan, Ugly Sheng, and Wusheng are likened to "six pillars", and each "pillar" must have the ability to perform across the line. Due to political factors, the six-pillar system was gradually abolished after 1952. But in the 1950 version of the white-haired girl script, the playwrights were still clear about the characters and factions:
Yang Hongxi (white-haired girl) is played by Zhengyin Huadan; Chen Dachun is played by Zhengyin Wenwusheng; Huang Shiren is played by Zhengyin Ugly Sheng or Zhengyin Xiaosheng; Mu Renzhi is played by Zhengyin Ugly Sheng or Zhengyin Xiaosheng; Yang Bailao is played by Zhengyin Wusheng; and Yuan Meixin is played by Erbang Huadan.
(2) Introduce a director system
The directing system was introduced into the opera industry in the drama reform. Lin Yu, who studied drama, directed Cantonese opera for the first time, how did he communicate with artists? In August this year, I had a chat with Lin Xiaoqun, the actor of Yuan Meixin, and she told me: "It all depends on inspiration." Lin Yu starts from the characters, uses the characters to inspire us to create, and requires us to devote ourselves to the play. He analyzes the character with the actors, for example, the white-haired girl is like this, Dachun is like this, Huang Shiren is like this, and Maxim is like this. After we understand the characters, we then deal with them according to the traditional methods and laws of Cantonese opera. "It sounds like a typical Soviet Statenslavsky system of performance.
(3) Traditional performance methods
Whether it is singing or playing, hand-eye-body movement is a traditional form of performance, but the costumes and stage sets are modern. The audience hears traditional Cantonese opera, and the feelings and expressions of the characters seen are stylized expressions of Cantonese opera. Lin Xiaoqun believes that the attempt at this play has strengthened their confidence in acting in modern dramas in the future.
In terms of performance, according to Qin Zhongying, "Huang Shiren used the performance of the third xiaosheng and the ugly student, Yang Bailao used the performance of the old student and the male foot, and Xi'er used the performance of Xiao Dan." In the scene of "Robbed", the traditional figures such as kneeling round platform and three arrows are very beautiful. ”
The script has detailed descriptions of the vocals, gongs and drums, performances, and sets. For example, in the scene where Dachun leads the Eighth Route Army to return victoriously, a group of "eighth route army fighters played by the martial arts division sent from the north" have successively played the scene of Dafan (that is, heeled head), and then pulled the mountain and tied the frame; Dachun waved a big red flag, jumped off the frame, walked to the side, and stacked the arhats with the soldiers three times. "Obviously, this is to let my father and his team play the traditional southern and northern schools they are good at, and show a mighty and majestic momentum."
(4) The performance effect has a strong response
Lin Yu paid attention to the audience's scramble to buy tickets to see how her mother played the white-haired girl. "People are full of curiosity, is she wearing a costume costume and doing modern performances with the body of a traditional opera, or is she wearing modern casual clothes to sing Cantonese opera? The first white-haired woman on the Cantonese opera stage did not disappoint the audience. ”
Lin Xiaoqun was only 18 years old and was studying art with my mother. When it comes to the performance effect, she especially recommends the white-haired female dream club Dachun: "Fake Hongxi dreams on the stage, and true Hongxi rushes to the stage from the audience, and the audience feels that this artistic technique is so novel and the reaction is so strong." That scene was the flesh of the play (i.e., the wonderful part), and the two of them acted so movingly and the feelings were so real. According to tradition, it is a 'shengdan drama'. But whether it is ancient or modern, such as the meeting of the white-haired girl and the great spring, it is inseparable from the feelings of life and death and sorrow and joy, and the actor must show the truth, goodness and beauty of human nature. This is the key to success. ”
My uncle Lang Haishan, who served as an eight-handed master in the shed (i.e., the band) of the "White-Haired Girl" crew, was in charge of the small gong and the big , and is now over ninety years old. I asked him which scene was the most impressive, the same as Lin Xiaoqun, and my uncle also said that the dream would be Dachun: "Dachun was acting on the stage, and the white-haired girl shouted 'Brother Dachun' offstage and rushed to the stage from the audience. That scene was very good, the audience had a big reaction, so sensational. "This kind of treatment still sounds fresh today.
Four
As an experimental work, the new Cantonese opera "White Haired Girl" has achieved at least three achievements: first, from the form to the content, it has been accepted and welcomed by the audience; second, it has brought a new atmosphere to the Cantonese opera genre (Lin Yu); third, the style of the drama has always influenced the development of modern Cantonese opera (Qin Zhongying).
But in "Thirty Years of Cantonese Opera Reform in Guangdong", Guo Bingzhen made another interpretation: "The political enthusiasm of the actors is very high, but the ideological boundaries have not yet been drawn from the commercial stage practice... Like the white-haired girl who also wears sequins and nail polish, Dachun appears on the stage from the audience, causing the audience to be surprised! When my mother reviewed "The White-Haired Girl" in 1983, her attitude was also quite humble: "The childishness of political ideology is not to say, just look at makeup, costumes, and performances. The reason why my play is sensational is actually a kind of encouragement from the party and the people for our old artists to perform revolutionary plays! ”
Although the theorists and the actors are a little different in details, the caliber is the same, and they all mention "commercialization" based on criticism, which is a bit interesting. In fact, some of the techniques of "The White-Haired Girl" are reasonable and necessary to make compromises for market targets in a specific era. But later, "commercialization" became a handle, a taboo, and a weapon of self-criticism, which is undoubtedly the role of a social trend of thought.
The birth of the new Cantonese opera "White Haired Girl" reflects that the 1950 drama reform is full of passion and vitality. In the face of traditional opera art and market laws, the attitude of literary and art managers is more open-minded, respectful and prudent. The new order, presented in an idealistic manner, effectively stimulated the old artists' sense of turnaround and patriotism, and then mobilized their enthusiasm to consciously serve the new regime.
Cantonese opera "White Haired Girl" can be called a classic of sincere cooperation between new literary and artistic workers and old literary and artistic workers. Lin Yu, one of the screenwriters and directors at that time, said: This is an epoch-making event and should be recorded in the annals of Cantonese opera history. However, In his 2016 article "From the Evolution of Epoch-making Modern Drama to the Contribution of the Red Line Woman and her starring "Xianglin Sister-in-law" to the development of modern drama," Qin Zhongying said with emotion: "The White Haired Girl" (Liang Shaojia and Lang Junyu's version) "seems to have not attracted people's attention at that time and since, nor has anyone discussed it." ”
However, later people were puzzled and somewhat regrettable: lu xun art academy's original opera "White Haired Girl" has become an intangible cultural heritage, and the new Cantonese opera "White Haired Girl" with "epoch-making" significance is now impossible to find a "drama bridge" (performance instruction manual) in the Cantonese Opera Museum. This work, which was once hailed as epoch-making and has always influenced the development of modern Cantonese opera, should not be selectively forgotten by people.
◎ The author of this article, Tan Fangming, is the daughter of Cantonese opera celebrities Liang Shaojia and Lang Junyu, and was once the secretary of Ouyang Mountain. References to this article are omitted from the time of day.