At 5:30 p.m., Pu Cunxin appeared in the dressing room of Cao Yu Theater on time, and there was a large "rusty" lock on the table, which was a prop for Zhou Puyuan in the new row of "Thunderstorm". It's an old lock that grew out of 1934's Thunderstorm; it's a new lock that many viewers first saw in this version of Thunderstorm, directed by Pu Cunxin. "Let's start with this big lock!" Pu Cunxin, who was the director of Beijing Renyi for the first time, made a version of "Thunderstorm" that was both innovative and full of awe, hoping that Cao Yu would see the interpretation of the classics by his descendants.
The new row of "Thunderstorm" must have a human touch
Pu Cunxin, who has acted for decades and has directed two works of "Hamlet" and "Thunderstorm" this year, seems to be in transition. However, he said that he was not because of "acting and excellent directing", in his opinion, it is not so easy to be a director, and the works he wants to direct must have feelings. Directing "Hamlet" is based on his previous performances, and directing "Thunderstorm" has a long history.
"Great director" Lin Zhaohua asked him a few years ago if he still had any plays he wanted to act, and he said that if he wanted to act, he would perform "Thunderstorm". This is because he became a star because of the TV series "Hero Without Regrets", when he returned to the theater to play Zhou Ping in "Thunderstorm", the audience couldn't help but laugh when he watched the "High Director" roll over the window. This laughter is like a thorn in his heart, and he always feels that it is because his performance has not been able to substitute the audience into "Thunderstorm".
Sometimes, people really need a "thorn" to be motivated. For nearly four or five years, Pu Cunxin had been thinking about this matter in his heart, until The Beijing Renyi director Tang Ye filmed a 1934 "Thunderstorm" script from the Internet, and then it was officially launched. In 2020, the Daliangshan International Drama Festival invited Beijing Renyi to perform "Foreign Mahjong", with Tang Ye as the director and Pu Cunxin and Gong Lijun starring. At the seaside of Xichang Qiong, the three of them finally determined the matter.
Pu Cunxin felt that he was lucky, "Why don't other troupes read the 1934 script?" "Because he found that it was a mine with treasures, and found many precious fragments that had been forgotten in it. Previous versions have focused on different classes, and he wants to tell the story of two love-hate families in the context of class. One change in what he regards as a "code" is that Zhou Puyuan has changed from an outsider to an outsider. With his understanding of Mr. Cao Yu and his decades of experience in performing, from the details of Zhou Puyuan's move in the 1934 version, Pu Cunxin believes that Zhou Puyuan is aware of the changes that have taken place in his home, and he tries to adjust his direction, but the result is that three young people lose their lives, so that the tragedy of the whole play is even stronger.
Zhou Puyuan's transformation from an outsider to an outsider also makes the whole story more of a warm color. In the play, in the scene where Zhou Ping beats Lu Dahai, Zhou Puyuan protects Zhou Ping and looks at Lu Dahai, while Lu Shuping pulls Lu Dahai and looks at Zhou Ping... Zhou Puyuan has become more humane than ever, and has more warmth for children and former lovers, "There must be a human touch, what literary and artistic works do without human touch?" ”
The "Dawn" design is more able to express the original meaning
In new interpretations of classic works, "deconstruction" is a common technique. However, in the new row of "Thunderstorm", Mr. Cao Yu's lines have not changed a single sentence, but are based on the version that has been used since 1956, and the "lost pearl" in the 1934 version has been added to it. "It is still necessary to do a beijing art drama, to tell the story well, not telling the story is not respecting Mr. Cao Yu." Pu Cunxin said that they did this play with admiration, rather than using Mr. Cao Yu's script as material, although there was a performance part in the play, but it was appropriate.
This version of "Thunderstorm" has a very extra stage, from which we can see Pu Cunxin's poetic pursuit of Cao Yu's pen. In order to achieve this goal, he thought of many ways and worked hard in many details. In the play, the young man who is "resurrected" on the stage at the end walks towards the distance, and there are some subtle dawns on the stage. It was not easy for this dawn to emerge, and it was not until the last day that the designer debugged the kind of light he wanted. "This is what Mr. Cao Yu wanted to do but did not do, he wanted the audience to get out of this thunderstorm and go to the light, I am not willing to do it." Pu Cunxin believes that today's stage can better express mr. Cao Yu's meaning with the help of modern technology.
From "a thorn" to a complete work standing on the stage, it is not easy for Pu Cunxin. He said that he was also a little confused at the beginning, and was often denied by everyone. Not only has the performance been successful now, but also often hear the voice of criticism, he himself admits that there is still a lot of room for improvement, after each day after the performance of the theater is like a dressing room for the football team, everyone will summarize the gains and losses here, hoping that the next day's performance can be better.
There are still many ideas about "Thunderstorm" Pu Cunxin, he thought about writing flashbacks starting from the deaths of three young people, and also thought of making a "Thunderstorm" Rubik's Cube, the same actors focus on one role every day, and each role is a piece of the Rubik's Cube. He regretted that he was not able to write all these ideas. "It's really an inexhaustible Thunderstorm, it's a mineral deposit, it's enough to be carved into a jade-like work of art, not just a piece of material stone." In Pu Cunxin's view, "Thunderstorm" has more treasures worth excavating that need to be excavated by later generations, and his interpretation is only one of them, and his interpretation is because it is nourished by the artistic context of Beijing people, ""Thunderstorm" is a gift I gave to the theater. Speaking of the future, he said that he should not be a director again, "So long in the heart is always hanging, thinking about one thing is too tired!" ”
On October 17, the current round of performances of "Thunderstorm" ended, and Pu Cunxin will also switch roles to go to Wuhan as the chairman of the Chinese Drama Association to busy the Chinese Drama Festival.