In January 2024, Yanghua Drama announced that it would put the play "Crocodile" by writer Mo Yan on the stage. How will Mo Yan's first original drama script be interpreted after winning the Nobel Prize for Literature? Naturally, it has received widespread attention and expectations from the industry and audiences. On March 13, the drama held a creative and arrangement content sharing meeting and a strategic cooperation signing ceremony with Yanghua Damai in Beijing. It is reported that the play was officially launched on February 28 and will launch a nationwide tour from May to September.
Actors appeared
This sharing meeting was also the first collective public appearance of all actors in the crew. Wang Keran, artistic director and director of Yanghua Drama, explained the many characters in the play: "Every character created by Teacher Mo Yan in this work is particularly complex, and each character also represents a certain type of people in society. They are It is a representation and collection of complex individuals of human nature, which cannot be defined simply by good or bad. It is a combination of the various aspects of human nature."
Mei Linmao is the first to create original music for a drama
This time the creation of "Crocodile" brings together international creations line-up. Japanese composer Shigeru Umebayashi provided the original music, while the stage design, costumes, and lighting design were provided by artists active in major theaters in France. Among them, Félix Deschamps-Marco and Anton Grandcorn served as stage designers, Matte de Fourtier-Guetin designed lighting for the play, and Marjorine Manseau designed costumes.
Japanese composer Shigeru Umebayashi sent a video greeting Photographer Wang Zheng
At the event, the artists shared their creative feelings with online and offline audiences through videos, and they all expressed their appreciation for this modern, allegorical and absurd work. The works with a sense of emotion and dream are full of expectations, and he will use his creations to express "a dramatic portrayal of sinking in desire, yearning for light but not being able to achieve it."
Felix Deschamps-Marco said that when designing the costumes, he added many traditional Chinese costume elements. “As my experience of reading the script deepened, I separated myself from the specific drama situation. This play is a A fable shows the battle between desire and reason in human nature, which can happen anywhere in the world or at any period in human history." Mathieu Fortier-Guedin expressed her opinion about the crocodile in the play The image of swallowing everything is still fresh in my memory, "This expresses death and depravity. I hope that the lighting display will be more imaginative this time."
Rehearsal photos
Composer Mei Linmao has collaborated with many Chinese filmmakers in the past. Whether it is the lingering love in "In the Mood for Love", the desolation and desolation in "The Grandmaster", or the eerie pathos in "The Death of Romance", his music undoubtedly adds a lot to the movie. Mei Linmao recalled that he had paid a special visit to the writer Mo Yan's house before. "I originally wanted to compose music for Mo Yan's movies, but I didn't expect to meet him in a play first."
Yanghua Drama Artistic Director and Director Wang Keran (Right)
Talking about this cooperation with Yanghua Drama, Mei Linmao said that this is the first time he has created original music for a drama. Before entering the early stage of rehearsal, he had multiple video conferences with director Wang Keran and the crew, and after watching the videos of the director's previous drama works "How Are You", "You and Me, Seven Wonderful Steps of Theater" and "Thunderstorm", he started "Thunderstorm" Crocodile's music composition. A short piece of the theme music composed by Shigeru Umebayashi for "Crocodile" was also played at the event. After listening to it, the host Zhang Yue said: "It not only contains intense and heavy colors, expressing themes such as the loss, depravity and death of human nature, but also provides a large number of beautiful lyrical melodies, full of warmth, and gives a sense of warmth in tragedy. People comfort and hope."
Rehearsal photos
Use performances to interpret "Each character is a representative of complex individuals of human nature"
After nearly half a month of rehearsal, the actors seemed to have become a harmonious family. Zhang Kaili and Deng Cuiwen, who played the protagonist Shan Wuxian's wife and lover respectively in the play, even entered the scene on the spot and interacted with each other as characters, making the atmosphere full of joy.
Zhao Wenxuan
Zhao Wenxuan, a well-known Taiwanese actor who plays the leading actor Shan Wuxian in the play, said that this is the first time he has played a major role in a drama. "This character lives up to his name. He can be said to be fearless when facing the temptation of desire. While satisfying desires, he is also full of courage and cunning. On every occasion, he feels that he can look down on all living beings from a high place. The crew of "Crocodile" is A very good team, the director leads the actors, everyone helps and supports each other. I just handed myself over to the crew and the director."
Zhang Kaili
National Theater of China, who plays "Qiao Ling" in the play First-class actor Zhang Kaili said that "Crocodile" is her return after seven years away from the drama stage. "This is also the most challenging role I have played in my 40 years of acting. Fortunately, for a magical realism work, a 'magic man' like Wang Keran is needed to direct it. I believe he will make every character shine. ."
Deng Cuiwen
Tang Cuiwen, a well-known Hong Kong actor, plays the role of "Skinny Horse" in the play. She said that she played a bullied character in the play this time, "This is a type of role that I haven't experienced in a long time. I was 'bullied' every day on the set and it was so exciting. Suddenly, I didn't seem to feel my age anymore." . The character I play can go up, land, dive, and even have 'martial arts'. The process of rehearsing the opera made me feel like I was taking a college course. I have been studying."
Yaohong
Soprano, Central Opera House Vice Dean Yao Hong plays the role of "Lampshade" in the play. She said that this time she used all her "prehistoric power". "The character I play is a performance artist. He doesn't have many lines but makes many appearances. An art group should do what it should do for each character and complete its role well."
Li Longyin
Beijing Dramatist Li Longyin, the honorary vice chairman of the association, plays the role of "Huang Tang" in the play. He introduced: "Huang Tang is a homophone for 'ridiculous', and this character is a Feng Shui gentleman. My main task in the play was to fool Shan Wufang, making him believe that Feng Shui is a 'scientific', and as a result, my family was in a state of chaos. The dog jumped."
With the conclusion of this creative and arrangement content sharing meeting, the premiere of the drama "Crocodile" in Beijing has also ushered in the official ticket opening time. From August 30 to September 1, the play will be held at the Beijing Poly Theater show. In addition, the tours of Fuzhou Strait Culture and Art Center, Henan Art Center, Jiangxi Art Center, Yantai Grand Theater, Suzhou Bay Grand Theater, Hangzhou Theater, Guangzhou Friendship Theater, Nanjing Poly Grand Theater have also started selling tickets, and Zhuhai Grand Theater and Wuhan Theater have also started selling tickets. Tickets will be officially opened on the 16th and 20th of this month respectively.
(Source: The Paper, Photo courtesy of Yanghua Drama)
