Beijing News (Reporter Liu Zhen) From April 27 to May 4, the original drama "Deng Shichang" produced by the National Center for the Performing Arts, with playwright Li Baoqun as the screenwriter and Wang Xiaodian directing, will meet the audience for the first time. This play is another "historical figure series" drama created by the National Center for the Performing Arts following the original play "Lin Zexu". The premiere of the play commemorates the 130th anniversary of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894 and pays tribute to the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. In the first round of performances of the original drama "Deng Shichang", actors Wang Lei, Zhang Yechuan, Guan Dongtian, Li Xiaomeng, She Nannan and others will join hands with the National Center for the Performing Arts drama team to jointly interpret the magnificent epic of a famous patriotic general who transformed and strengthened himself.
The main creators of the drama "Deng Shichang" took a group photo at the press conference. Photo by Niu Xiaobei
The original drama "Deng Shichang" tells the story of the patriotic general Deng Shichang who was determined as a boy, joined the army as a young man, and died for his country in middle age. Li Jin, leader of the National Center for the Performing Arts, said, “This play is to review the heart-wrenching failure we suffered 130 years ago and the bloody sacrifices of national heroes such as Deng Shichang to warn the present and future generations, and inspire peace and harmony. Gather the national spirit. There is often a saying on the Internet that we are not living in a peaceful era, but a peaceful country. And if we want to have and enjoy this kind of peace for a long time, we must unite our nation into a piece of hard steel. The dramas "Deng Shichang" and "Lin Zexu", as well as the series of historical figures that the Grand Theater will continue to create in the future, all use this form of art to communicate with the heart, so that generations of young people can remember history, be prepared for danger in times of peace, and work together in unity , bursting out the invincible spiritual power."
Li Baoqun, the screenwriter of the play, once wrote for the National Center for the Performing Arts drama "Winter 1948" (originally known as "Decision"). This time when creating "Deng Shichang", Li Baoqun started from historical facts and carried out a lot of In the preliminary work, we had in-depth communication with the China Shipbuilding Culture Museum in Fujian, the Deng Shichang Memorial Hall in Guangzhou, the China Sino-Japanese War Museum in Weihai, etc. The script uses major historical events as the core of the story, and depicts the heroic characters with rich colors, Enter the inner world of these characters: "Go into the gunfire and smoke of that era to find their souls, their spiritual trajectories, the roads they have walked, the inner storms and spiritual changes they have had. Bitter, spicy, sour and sweet”. Director Wang Xiaodi, who has directed the National Center for the Performing Arts' original play "Lin Zexu" and the National Center for the Performing Arts' original national opera "Mountains and Seas", will once again join hands with stage designer Ji Qiao, lighting designer Xing Xin, costume design Li Ruiding, multimedia designer Hu Tianji, Composer Yu Li, physical designer Yao Xiaoming, sound designer Wang Hao and others form a luxurious team. In the view of director Wang Xiaodi, “The decadent Qing dynasty in the play contrasts with Deng Shichang’s awe-inspiring righteousness. Deng Shichang is not a key figure in historical changes. He is just a leader on the Beiyang Navy’s Zhiyuan. During the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, He left a mark of awe in history by ramming and sinking Yoshino. It is precisely because of frontline warriors like Deng Shichang who used their awe to protect China that we are as strong as we are today."
Wang Lei plays Deng Shichang in the play . Photo by Niu Xiaobei
The actor Wang Lei who plays Deng Shichang in the play is an actor at the Beijing People's Art Theater. He has accumulated rich acting skills in many film and television works such as "Meritor" and "Ordinary World". He has won the Feitian Award and the Golden Eagle Award. and many other awards. When talking about creating the role of Deng Shichang, Wang Lei said, "When creating this character, we have to present the details of the character on the stage and fill in the historical moments. I feel that even if the character Deng Shichang has the momentum to swallow up mountains and rivers, he still needs to be a Express each word on the stage. Every word must be understood by the audience, so that today's audience can understand why this person lived, why he joined the army, and why he died." Original production following the National Center for the Performing Arts Actor Li Xiaomeng, who collaborated with the National Center for the Performing Arts for the third time after the drama "Style Thunder" and Shakespeare's drama "The Tempest", plays the role of Shui Meizi in the play. She tells the audience the tenderness of the sons and daughters of the iron-blooded hero beside Deng Shichang, who is full of family and country. .Li Xiaomeng said, "I think the character Shui Meizi is just like her name, like a ray of warmth in a tragic story. In such a tragic story, Shui Meizi and Deng Shichang convey more happiness to everyone. In her short life In their lives, the intersection between the two of them presents the warmest moment of the story."
In addition, as an important minister in the late Qing Dynasty, Li Hongzhang has many conflicts in the play. The role of Li Hongzhang in the play will be played by Zhang Yechuan. Guan Dongtian, who plays Ding Ruchang, will portray the loyal and brave admiral of the Beiyang Navy in the play. Cixi, played by She Nannan, misappropriated funds from the Beiyang Navy to build the Summer Palace in her sixtieth year, hoping to support herself in her old age. Wu Song, Fengyang, and Wang Qianyu from the National Center for the Performing Arts Theater Actors Team will also play the roles of Prince Chun, an important official of the Qing Dynasty, Japanese Navy Vice Admiral Ida Yuhiro, and Deng's wife respectively in the play.
editor, Tian Sini
proofreader, Li Lijun
