cover news reporter Su Yu
"I think a good drama is a mirror of life, allowing every audience to see themselves in front of this mirror. It is not only an appreciation of art, but also a reflection of one's own heart." Mo Yan in the drama Said during the curtain call of the premiere of "Crocodile".
html On May 3, "Crocodile", produced by Yanghua Drama and written by Mo Yan, had its national premiere in Suzhou. The play is directed by Wang Keran, artistic director of Yanghua Drama, and stars Zhao Wenxuan, Zhang Kaili, Deng Cuiwen, Mo Hong, Bai Kainan, Li Zonglei, Wang Jinghua and others. The play is divided into four acts and nine scenes. Through an infinitely growing talking crocodile, the play unearths the secrets deep in human nature and deeply explores the theme of "desire".
The premiere of "Crocodile" came to a close. Picture provided by the organizer
Mo Yan: Seeing the commonalities of human nature from the characters
It took more than ten years to conceive "Crocodile of Desire"
"Many plots are so familiar and yet so strange. The creative team made new creations based on the script, Each actor has a deep understanding of his or her role. "The play is Mo Yan's first original magical drama script after winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. It took more than ten years to conceive and create. After the premiere performance, Mo Yan said that this theme is based on realist literature, and the drama style presentation is close to the story itself.
The play condenses the ten-year escape life of "Shan Wuxian" who left his hometown and went to the United States, and depicts the portraits of the characters around him. Mo Yan's objective and calm writing style profoundly reveals the spiritual transformation of the lower class intellectuals after they gain power, that is, the crocodile symbolizing desire continues to grow in a suitable container and eventually devours itself. He looks at the "crocodile of desire" with a dialectical perspective, and uses his consistent exaggeration, humor and irony to perform a thought-provoking drama between "virtual" and "real".
Talking about the background of the play, Mo Yan said that what is played on the stage is a story that happened in the United States, and it is actually a story that happens around everyone. There are exaggerations and absurdities here, but they are all about real people. The protagonist Shan Wuzang is a different person, and the audience can see the common humanity in the characters.
"Crocodile" stills. Picture provided by the organizer
Absurd performance gives the drama more tension
"Uninterrupted" performance enters the immersive theater
As a work of magical realism, the drama "Crocodile" has an absurd plot and a unique narrative method. Director Wang Keran told the cover news reporter that the stage design reflects the characteristics of magical literature in an absurd way. The absurd performance gives the drama more tension and the stage a broader imagination space. How does
stage a magical reality drama? "Magic and absurdity must be rooted in real life and must have a real life base, just like the foundation of any abstract and modern art must come from sketching." Wang Keran said.
The play also applies film visual effects technology to the theatrical stage, giving the play a fuller, more three-dimensional and more vivid vitality. According to the production team, the adult crocodile is designed to have a large range of movements, including rolling and swimming, and will also react when interacting with the actors. The main highlight is the contradictory psychological contrast between the crocodile and the protagonist, showing that the crocodile is growing and greedy. Thoughts are also growing.
"It is a big challenge for me to arrange a 54,000-word play into a drama." Wang Keran said frankly that the three-and-a-half-hour viewing time did not include any breaks. He hoped that the audience could experience the "immersive" theater and continue to Experience the impact and experience brought by the drama. He said that there is a crocodile in everyone's heart. How to treat this crocodile? The audience can feel the complexity of human nature.
Zhao Wenxuan challenged 8 pages of lines
"Hope to bring life thinking to the audience"
"Crocodile" explores the mysteries of human nature through the interpretation of "desire" from the perspective of corrupt official Dan Wuxian. The virtual and the real coexist with each other, and the plot that advances layer by layer also reveals that both the virtual and the real in life lie in the grasp of desire. Zhao Wenxuan, who plays Shan Wuxian, told the cover news reporter that the huge number of lines is the biggest challenge. The 12-minute monologue at the end alone is 8 pages long, and different emotions are required during the performance."I will memorize the lines, but I will not preset the expression of each sentence. I will give a real performance based on the scene and feelings at the time."
Zhao Wenxuan. Picture provided by the organizer
Recalling the two months of rehearsal, Zhao Wenxuan admitted that it was not easy. At first, she found some performances difficult, but in the end, they completed it together under the guidance of the director. This is a valuable performance experience in life. I want to maximize my performance potential. Regarding expectations for the performance, Zhao Wenxuan said, "I hope to bring absurd humor to the audience, and more thoughts on life."
Zhao Wenxuan and Zhang Kaili. Photo provided by the organizer
Zhang Kaili "breathes the same breath" as the audience
"Sense of proportion" in performance is a new challenge
Zhang Kaili plays Shan Wufang's wife Qiaoling in the play. She returns to the drama stage after 7 years. She said that she can still find Love of dialogue drama. Although I have played the role of the wife of a high-ranking official before, this time it is a different acting experience. For such a magical realism work, the plot, characters, and lines are all very extreme and stylized.
Zhang Kaili. Photo provided by the organizer
"For actors, it is a new challenge to grasp the sense of proportion in the performance of this play." Zhang Kaili said that this also made her excited to return to the stage, especially after the premiere, feeling it again The charm arrived. Judging from the immediate feedback from the audience, many designs and even some on-site collision points were felt by the audience. On the stage, he not only created dramatic "sparks" with other actors, but also "breathed" with the audience. The whole performance was vivid and vivid.
Zhang Kaili said that although the appearance is stylized and a bit "exaggerated", the heart is extremely real. The more external it is, the more abundant it must be on the inside. Regardless of the love for his son or the accumulated emotions for his husband, he chooses to explode at the right time, hoping to make the audience laugh while also feeling the heart of the character. "I hope to bring the audience a three-dimensional, full and layered character, which is also a unique Qiao Ling."
Deng Cuiwen gave her best performance
"Drama is vital"
Deng Cuiwen played the role of "Skinny Horse" in the play. She said that this is her first time trying a drama and she will try her best to give her best performance. "Maybe I won't be able to become an actor who speaks very standard Mandarin in 2 months. When I actually perform, I put my emotions into the role wholeheartedly."
Deng Cuiwen. Picture provided by the organizer
Due to the plot setting, Deng Cuiwen needed to "fly down" from high altitude three times by relying on a sling. For this reason, she deliberately went to the acrobatic troupe to learn and slowly overcome her physical fear. On the stage, Deng Cuiwen has many designs and moves, and she hopes to interpret the role in a richer and fuller way.
"Unlike a TV show, a drama can go on tour again and again, with many performance opportunities. It is vital. After the performance is over and you hear the audience's response, you may have new insights and inspirations. If you perform differently, this character will always live on," said Deng Cuiwen.
Zhao Wenxuan and Deng Cuiwen. Picture provided by the organizer
Film critic "Nalan Jingmeng" said that this work contains different languages and faces raised by different regions, different hometowns, and different rivers, which together present a huge crocodile pond. Each character has his or her appearance, attitude, and mind. The stage system brings together different languages and appearances into a huge ocean of life.
It is reported that after the play premieres at the Suzhou Bay Grand Theater, it will launch a national tour in Nanjing, Fuzhou, Yantai, Zhengzhou, Guangzhou and other places, and will be performed at the Poly Theater in Beijing from August 30 to September 1.
