China News Service, Beijing, June 23 (Reporter Ying Ni) As a 2023 Beijing Culture and Art Fund-funded project, the Beijing-style drama "Kun Ling: The First Year" produced by Beijing Jixian Hongyi Cultural Center will be held from June 18 to 22 It premiered in Beijing at the National Culture Palace Grand Theater on the same day.
The crew of the Beijing-style drama "Kun Ling·Yuan Nian". Photo courtesy of the crew
The play tells the story of the legendary experience of a Peking Opera actress who first appeared on the stage in Beijing during the Republic of China. Director Lin Xiyue uses a humorous narrative style to show the core of tenacity, and leads the audience into that period of history with a unique play-within-a-play structure. In addition, The wonderful performances by powerful actors such as Wang Jinsong, Yang Zimo, and Guo Haolun have earned the play many praises after its premiere.
The so-called "Kun Ling" refers to the old actress, also called "Kun Jiao'er". Before the Revolution of 1911, all female roles in the Beijing theater were played by men, and women were not allowed to act on stage. Until 1912, the famous Peking Opera actor Yu Zhenting took advantage of the innovative new operas and invited foreign actresses to perform in Beijing, setting a precedent for female actors to perform in Beijing theater circles. "This represents a major change in society. Despite the opposition of being 'indecent to morals', the audience's love for Kun Ling has not weakened, so the gentler form of 'gender separation' continues. "Kun Ling "The First Year" describes the struggle story of Peking Opera Kun Ling under this historical background," said Xie Yan, the producer and producer of the play.
In the creation of the script, screenwriter Jiang Siyi followed the principle of "doing the big things and not the small things", carefully researched the historical environment, and used the scattered stories of Kun Ling in the Republic of China that happened over a long time span to the protagonist. Make the characters in the play more appealing. Jiang Siyi said that this play is not to highlight feminism, "more importantly, it is to show how Peking Opera actresses at that time could become a real person, live with dignity in this world, and develop the opera art they loved." Go down."
The crew of the Beijing-style drama "Kun Ling·Yuan Nian". Picture provided by the crew
Director Lin Xiyue said that when it comes to Peking Opera, audiences often think of words like hard training and hardship. He does not want to stage a painful scene, but wants the audience to spend a relaxing and enjoyable two hours in the theater. Therefore, as soon as the performance started, the actors on the stage started joking with the lighting and sound effects teacher. There are also three guest actors in the play who appear as "modern audiences" on the stage with scripts in hand, breaking the fourth wall and shortening the distance with the audience. Their modern perspectives also become a reflection of the story itself, indicating that those struggles for equality will become a reality in the future.
Young actor Yang Zimo, who plays the heroine He Yukui in the play, was born in a Liyuan family. He has acted in many film and television works before. Now he has appeared on the drama stage for the first time, and his performance has impressed the audience. The play is also interspersed with classic Peking Opera arias such as "The Drunken Concubine" and "Grand Ascension to the Palace" sung by her, demonstrating her operatic skills in all aspects of singing, reading, acting and acting. The male lead Guo Haolun once portrayed Zhou Zhibin in "Serious Cases Group Six". He returned to the drama stage after many years. He played the role of actor agent Yun Yihe, who "went through the needle" on the stage and almost ran through the whole scene. He had a huge amount of lines and was also a character. A character who is both good and evil.
The veteran opera star Wang Jinsong plays the role of Yu Shoufeng, the grand master of the troupe. Picture provided by the crew
The opera legend Yu Shoufeng, played by veteran actor Wang Jinsong, does not have a superior attitude, but a master who seems to be deaf and mute, pretending to be confused while laughing and scolding an "alternative" The great actor in the theater is alive and well.
It is reported that after the Beijing station performance, the play will also start the Tianjin station of Xiqu Grand Wharf, and will be performed at Tianjin Haihe Theater for five performances from July 18th to 22nd. (End)
(China News Network)
