's original spy drama "Nightcrawler", which has been on the road, will return to Beijing from June 21st to 23rd, setting off a spy drama on the stage of the National Center for the Performing Arts. Returning to the drama stage after twenty years, what moved Li Naiwen was "uncertainty". A sense of anticipation for adventure made him decide to become a "Night Walker". In the play, he partners with his former college roommate Tang Xu to play the role of a pair of childhood lion dance brothers who reunite after going through life trials. Their childhood friendship, ideals and beliefs gradually reveal their true colors amidst suspicion and temptation. Recently, Li Naiwen and Tang Xu accepted an exclusive interview with Beijing Youth Daily during their tour. Li Naiwen said that the decision to star in "Night Walker" was very subtle. "I just wanted director Zhao Miao to take me to explore a drama concept and form that I had never touched before."
"Night Walker" is based on the local customs and customs of Lingnan. The tone, through the diversified and compact integration of the freehand stage, shows a storyline in which suspense and secret warfare are intertwined, and tension and friendship are paralleled. Li Naiwen and Tang Xu respectively play the passionate young men Peng Xiao and Lin Keda. Their joys and sorrows, life and death, have become The epitome of the revolutionary legend of the 1940s. It started at the Capital Theater on April 4th. Now it has toured many cities and is about to return with great success.
After high-intensity training, breathing is luxurious.
This "going out" and "returning" tour process is also like Li Naiwen's relationship with the stage. He graduated from the Chinese Opera and once starred in Meng Jinghui's "Rhinoceros in Love" and other classic works, and subsequently starred in many roles with different personalities in the film and television industry. Now returning to the drama stage, Li Naiwen said: "You have to go through rigorous training before you dare to stand on the stage again. The stage will always be the pure land in my heart and a place that awes me."
Li Naiwen said with a smile that he and Tang Xu combined One hundred years old, this time we perform "Nightcrawler", we have to thank many young actors born in the 90s and 00s who accompanied the two and went through hell-like training. "In this way, we can present the performance on the stage." "The explosive power is in line with our role setting in the 30s. Director Zhao Miao has his own method of training. The actors have to do physical training, opera, dance, martial arts, and lion dance every day, in a repetitive cycle." Xu revealed: "After high-intensity training, people become useless. The director wanted to drag us both up to rehearse. We didn't even have any extra strength. At that time, breathing was a luxury and living was good. But, this is It is a necessary process. When acting in a film or television drama, you can brush your hair black, find a substitute and run, and then you just stop in front of the camera and take a big breath during the performance. The stage is not good, and the stage cannot fool people. There are no other technical means on the stage, only people. Confrontation with others. "
However, this kind of training also has the advantage of allowing all actors to build up a familiarity of "sharing hardships". Li Naiwen said: "Just like military training, the whole team is tired at one point. In less than a week, they will naturally become familiar with it." Tang Xu said that he very much agrees with one of the concepts of director Zhao Miao - your body Be honest, "Language, micro-expressions in the eyes, etc. can be interpreted, but the body does not lie. When you walk towards this person, your body must indicate that you want to play with him. This is naturally formed through training. , we can form this kind of tacit understanding. "
fights and performs on the stage, and then enjoys sweating on the stage. Although this process is tiring, Li Naiwen feels very precious, "It's like performing in Suzhou on May 4th. At the end of the curtain, the actors were panting and chatting with the audience. I felt that the audience was giving us strength, and the show and the actors were also giving them strength. "
Everyone will be watching the show intently for the first 15 minutes.
Although. It was said that the performance was enjoyable, but Li Naiwen only agreed to star under the persuasion of directors Zhao Miao and Tang Xu. The relationship between the three is also very interesting. Li Naiwen and Tang Xu were classmates in college more than 30 years ago, director Zhao Miao is Tang Xu's cousin, and Li Naiwen and Zhao Miao have known each other for 30 years.Li Naiwen laughed and said that it was not that he refused at the time, but that he did not know what "Nightcrawler" would be like, and had no concept or direction at all. "When I watched "The Taoist of Virtual Image" directed by Zhao Miao, I didn't expect it at all. He was able to turn the stage into something like that, and suddenly I didn't know how "Nightcrawler" would be presented. This made me decide to cooperate with him, take risks with him, and present a stage that is different from the past. As you can see, now. "Nightcrawler" is no longer the same as when it was performed at the Capital Theatre, and I believe it may be different in the future. This is the charm of the drama and the charm of the director. "
As a drama with two male protagonists, there are many. It is not difficult for the audience to guess the direction of the plot, which also makes Li Naiwen and Tang Xu's performances more difficult. Li Naiwen said: "I actually wanted to show the tearing and entanglement of Peng Xiao's character. He can't recognize his good brothers, can't be together with his beloved, and has to calmly deal with enemies. This feeling is It’s very difficult and helpless, just let the audience watch the process, and they will have their own thoughts and judgments. Moreover, the rhythm of this drama is very fast, and there are many details in the design, and there are many things worth paying attention to.”
This time, director Zhao Miao used ingenious stage assumptions and light and shadow technology to condense fifteen years of growth and transformation on the stage, allowing the audience to witness the two protagonists' journey from youth to middle age in just 150 minutes. change.
In order to better integrate into the character, Li Naiwen has a unique method: ""Nightcrawler" starts from the first second of the opening to Axiao and Ada appearing on the stage together after they grow up. It lasts 15 minutes. These 15 minutes , my heart follows the actors on stage. I will watch everyone's performances intently, especially little Axiao and little Ada. I believe Tang Xu is the same. We just want to see their state when they were young. What they are doing, what grandpa is doing, and then, I will grow up with them, and at the same time, I will think of Axiao's future destiny, so that the emotions will slowly accumulate. This is how I accumulate emotions in every game. "
Compared with Ah Xiao's struggle and complexity, the role of Ada is more straightforward. Tang Xu said: "On the surface he is a good person, but his contradictions revolve entirely around his brother Peng Xiao. Ada is still the same Ada as before, but who is Axiao? Is he still the same Axiao as before? I want to Based on his behavior, judge whether this person is still my brother. "
The invisible micro-expression of the audience is crying for the character.
In the play, life and the stage reflect each other. Li Naiwen and Tang Xu often worked together to do sketch reports when they were in the Chinese Opera. Have they returned to the creative state of their student days this time? In this regard, Li Naiwen said: "It does feel like that time, but there are still changes, that is, maturity. In the past, I would choke and pull apart. If you want to act like this, why should I act like this? Now it's 'Oh' "Okay, okay, okay." Tang Xu said: "After the rehearsal this time, we will talk for a long time. Both of us have not been on stage for 20 years. At the beginning, I thought about a lot of things. I rejected it, saying that it was a film and TV show, and I couldn’t get over the energy for a while and couldn’t connect with the stage. Later, through training, I was able to master the performance method and ideas. , we also reminded each other, for example, he would come up behind me, pat me and say, "Don't hunch," and I would straighten up at that time. How can any young man hunch? "
Actors on stage should increase their body tension and pay attention. The focus is on breathing and emotional communication with the audience, while film and television shooting focuses on micro-expressions. However, when Li Naiwen and Tang Xu starred in "Nightcrawler", they still had micro-expressions subconsciously. The two couldn't help but shed tears when bidding farewell to their comrades in the scene. The two said that in fact, the lights on the stage were relatively dim and the fog was so foggy that the audience could not see the actors’ tears clearly, but these tears were shed for the characters. “Once the emotions of the characters are here, they have to be performed."
The dramatists who strive to explore are also "Night Walkers"
Through "Night Walker", Tang Xu hopes to make the audience feel that there was such a group of people in that era who did such a great thing. However, their names may Not on any monument. Li Naiwen hopes that the audience will feel the greatness from the unknown people who are retrograde in the darkness, and thus gain strength. Tang Xu said: "If the audience feels the message we convey, this is the power of drama. The most fulfilling place for an actor. "
has been in the film and television industry for 20 years. When they returned to the stage, the two couldn't help feeling that the drama ecosystem was getting better and better. Li Naiwen said: "Watching the audience filling the theater, I often think of 20 years ago. At that time, it was difficult to sell theater tickets. If the theater could fill more than half of the audience, it was equivalent to being full in our hearts. If this happened, it would be great. Now that I can do this, I am still very happy and touched. "
In Li Naiwen's view, dramatists who work hard to create and explore are also "night walkers": "It is really these drama actors, old and young, who are using their sweat and their love and persistence in dialogue drama. , paving the way step by step, maybe the road ahead will be long and even more difficult, but with these family backgrounds, I believe that the road of drama will go farther and wider, and they are also 'night walkers' .
The two also said that drama requires risks. Without risks, there is no way out. Li Naiwen said: "Just like that time, we performed "Rhinoceros in Love" together. Who knows what the effect will be after the performance? Anyone watching? Will the audience like it? No one knows. Everyone is taking risks. "Tang Xu said: "Without risk, there is no breakthrough. This is why drama can go where it is today, because there are many people who dare to take risks and move forward. "
Regarding how drama can attract more and more young audiences, Li Naiwen said: "I think it's good if there are various forms or types of performances. Maybe which type will attract them. Moreover, this matter is gradual. As long as we do it, persist in doing it, and always have some innovations and inspirations, then when this cultural form becomes a fashion or trend, young people themselves will follow it. However, this process must be cultivated slowly and cannot be rushed. For culture, "overnight success" does not hold true. Cultural charm must be slowly formed bit by bit. "
text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Guo Jia
photography/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Wang Xiaoxi
editor/Gong Lifang
