Four months of rehearsal finally led to the premiere in Guangzhou in March. After a round of "I'm not Pan Jinlian", Li Xuelian, a desperate female character, finally brought "Second Sister" Zhang Xinyi to the stage.
The group of geeky boys with 18 different martial arts are surrounded by "a little red", accompanied by laughter and tears in the absurdity, Zhang Xinyi's two hours of shouting and roaring, all turned into Li Xuelian's sentence: I hope there will be no more in this world. A woman called Pan Jinlian was bound by such shackles.
And Liu Zhenyun's sentence "extraordinary and talented" defines the stage atmosphere of the play.
On stage
Least Concerned About Your Image
After four months of rehearsal, Zhang Xinyi felt that the phrase "tragedy from beginning to end" that Liu Zhenyun summed up has never been realized. The eight consecutive reports were watched by industry insiders, relatives, friends and close friends, but Zhang Xinyi was always uneasy about the effect of the "performance".
Until the synthesis rehearsal of Beijing Daxing Theater, Liu Zhenyun's praise did not make her feel relieved. She sent a message to Teacher Zhenyun in the middle of the night. After hearing the evaluation of "very satisfied, laughing, tearing and thinking", Zhang Xinyi only had some ideas. some happy.
After arriving in Guangzhou on March 2, Zhang Xinyi got off the plane and went straight to the theater. The rhythm before the premiere was synthesis synthesis synthesis.
Only an hour before the premiere, director Ding Yiteng also posted the final version of the dialogue between Li Xuelian and Pan Jinlian in the work group, and said: Please memorize it verbatim.
The bell rang three times, and Zhang Xinyi clearly remembered that the audience laughed in the opening 2 minutes, "That was the first time we faced a real audience, some of whom had read novels and movies, and some who came with a curious mind. , but no matter what, they are the real audience, and their feedback is the most direct and natural. That day, I learned that our play can achieve a three-minute laugh, a five-minute laugh, and a colorful scene in ten minutes. That show excites me."
Zhang Xinyi on the stage has no idol burden at all. After 20 years, Li Xuelian has red face and white hair, and her face is full of frustration. In this regard, Zhang Xinyi said that she has never worried about her image.
"On the stage of a drama, this is the least worrying thing. In addition to the lines and shapes on the stage, the styling is a must. The gray hair and red face are very cute to me. Li Xuelian used to be the head of the family. After the fake divorce, she I found that I couldn't control this man. She was a rural woman with no culture. She couldn't have a very bright image at that time. She did one thing in 20 years. The director said: Li Xuelian's image is 'getting better'. Everyone What I saw was a girl with ponytails, short ears, and gray hair. At this time, she was 'blooded', but she still insisted on her beliefs. The director said that I could see a character from my performance. It's growing, and that's what I want. When I'm lying on the ground with gray hair, I can feel that sigh from the audience."
big heroine
Favorite Anna Karenina
Zhang Xinyi, who graduated from Chinese opera, was recognized as a diligent student in college. She held a scholarship, but when she graduated, she caught up with Renyi and Mandarin was not recruiting. the film and television industry.
"But after entering that circle, I found it difficult to come back. I also received some drama scripts in the middle, but they were all unlucky. I still hope to make a difference on the stage." Referring to the big heroine Zhang Xinyi couldn't hide her excitement, "In school, I played a lot of 'over-the-top' plays, Fan Yi, Ruan Lingyu... I started picking some one-act plays to act in my sophomore year, which was crazy. I like "Salem's" I like "Anna Karenina" the most in a tense drama like "The Witch". I have seen several versions of the movie alone, and I also dream of one day in a big theater, there will be a big heroine character who will let me put myself It is vividly expressed, and there is a beam of chasing light that belongs to me."
Speaking of the scholarship, she regained her high spirits and lowered her voice, "If you don't get first class, second class and third class are fine, because I still have to 'play' and observe life. I was considered diligent in college. I’m a student who rides bicycles to go to theaters everywhere. The school is very close to the arts and Mandarin. I read all the foreign and local ones. I also read some very old materials in the reference room. Later, when I travel abroad, I will also go to see the local stage. Although I haven't acted in dramas in recent years, I have watched a lot of them, and I believe that my and the audience's aesthetics are constantly improving."
It is precisely because of his background in drama that Zhang Xinyi knows very well that dramas are to be performed continuously. Although only two shows have been performed so far, these two shows are different.
"Ten years ago, if some plays came to me, I might have acted without hesitation, but now that I am a mother, at this stage of my life, I will have more judgments of my own. Whether the script can be eaten by myself, for me, It is not a challenge, or I have to spend four months to do such a thing, and I will have considerations for the creative team. The text of "I am not Pan Jinlian" is very good, Mr. Zhenyun, I am very I like it, I have been watching his works, including the latest "Three Autumns in One Day"; and Gulouxi is very cutting-edge in the drama world, and has been doing high-quality small and medium-sized plays. I have no opinion on their team and judgment. I am confident; plus Director Ding Yiteng, I have been studying him, he is an infinite dark horse, I talked to him twice before I took this drama, and we have similar tastes and aesthetics to each other, I asked Why did he choose such a play? He said that he has always been a 'feminine'. The "New West Wing" and "Dou E" he made are all female themes, although he has been educated and influenced by a lot of Western dramas abroad. , but she is also very obsessed with local themes." Zhang Xinyi described the play as "the combination of Chinese and Western to tell a story of a contemporary rural woman in China", and she herself also wanted to return to the stage to nourish herself, "Now it seems that not only No regrets, still a good choice.”
improvising on stage
Amusing Liu Zhenyun
Zhang Xinyi loves to read, which is something that even a bookworm like Shi Hang knows, so she has participated in the reading aloud in the west of the Drum Tower planned by Shi Hang many times.
"I read the novel "I Am Not Pan Jinlian" when it was published, and I watched the movie later, and I liked it very much. Mr. Zhenyun himself is a humorous person. I have participated in Mr. Shi Hang's book club twice. , Mr. Zhenyun is there. He reads his own novel, no matter which paragraph is very interesting. The day after the premiere of "I Am Not Pan Jinlian", there was another reading session, and Mr. Zhenyun read the last one in which Li Xuelian hanged himself. A paragraph." While listening, Zhang Xinyi had a new feeling, and the performance that night was not the same as the day before, and one of the impromptu treatments made Liu Zhenyun even more amused.
"At that time, I impromptuly said, 'Old Liu, do you think my business is enough to write a book?' I think this scene is just a little bit short at the end, so that the audience can laugh again after returning to reality. After Mr. Zhenyun re-organized the passage, the version written by Mr. Zhenyun is very close to the one I improvised, but it is more complete than mine."
Ranking "I'm not Pan Jinlian", Zhang Xinyi not only watched Liu Zhenyun's "Three Autumns in One Day", but even found "One Hundred Years of Solitude", "I can feel that everyone is working hard in a common direction. Teacher Zhenyun's Talent, intelligence, and love for his hometown are clear, you can read his story, and the perspective is very interesting, there are cows and dogs, and many places are very magical."
During the four-month rehearsal, Zhang Xinyi said, "I dare not say that the characters grow on me, but at least I dare to say that I am too familiar with her." Even the performance in Beijing was cancelled due to the epidemic, and she did not complain more. , "We have another month of rehearsal time. For dramas, this month is a luxury, so we have time to polish and overthrow. Time is the most expensive cost. These months are a process of constant overthrow. , the stage is here, and the flat row can't be used; when the installation is installed, the lights are coming, some can't be used; the multimedia is coming, and some are overturned... Constantly arranging, I have never encountered one in my life. The drama has been lined up for so long.”
"I'm not Pan Jinlian"
A homework handed over in Mandarin
In addition to the starring role, in "I Am Not Pan Jinlian", Zhang Xinyi also has an identity - a co-producer. Anyone who is familiar with Zhang Xinyi knows that she is a person who appreciates talented people and is willing to support others to do meaningful things.
When the director of the long documentary "Twenty-two" about comfort women came to her, she thought it was a very correct thing, so she went to help him.
Later, Director Bi Gan's "The Last Night on Earth" also came to her when she encountered problems. She also gave her support, appreciated Director Bi Gan's talent, and felt that it was a joy to be able to participate in it.
"And this time, I admire Gulouxi's vision very much. The stage installation is very complicated, the actors' various expenses, and because of the loss of the epidemic, I admire the producer Li Yangduo. She invited me to do a joint production, and I gladly agreed. We They all think that the merits of "The New Life of Drama" are infinite, but drama is still in such a circle, I hope to help them in breaking the circle. I know that there are many people with more energy than me who have been working hard , like Teacher Huang Lei, Director Lai Shengchuan, and Teacher He Jiong, I am also one of them."
Last year, Zhang Xinyi became a member of the National Theater. This time, she sent an invitation to the director Tian Qinxin, "Inviting her to watch the performance in Beijing is my homework. Tian Yuan is actually watching me grow up. Yes, she comes to see the school report every year. When she found me last year, I was very excited and said that you finally thought of me and someone accepted me. The down jacket of the National Theater is very warm, and I hope to be a drama person in the future. Do some positive propaganda for our country."
Li Xuelian's silk scarf
Inspired by Mom
After the premiere, many viewers did not hesitate to praise the "sunrise" part of the play. In fact, the use of silk scarves in that part was Zhang Xinyi's suggestion to the director, "Because aunties like to use silk scarves for taking pictures, so do I. When I showed the director a picture of my mother, my mother was in a particularly high-spirited state every time I took a photo. So when I opened the silk scarf during the performance, the audience was full of laughter, but in the end, when my silhouette and When the sun overlaps, everyone will cry. It's like seeing a real sunrise in Li Xuelian's life, and her life will usher in the dawn. The audience will forgive her for feeling sorry for her."
There are installations and perspectives on the stage of "I Am Not Pan Jinlian", and there is even a superposition of ice screens and ink washes in the "Sunrise" segment. Zhang Xinyi said, "I know that many audiences will say in their hearts at this moment, Li Xuelian, you have to hold on to it. Don't complain about this emotion. But after a huge gap, she fell again. This is the irreplaceable and powerful energy of drama."
In Zhang Xinyi's eyes, director Ding Yiteng is a very magical existence.
"He is not the kind of person who has talent to control others. He always wraps your opinion with the warmth of his opinion, and the two of them discuss a better possibility together, which makes people very comfortable. In the face of pressure , I will be anxious or even not eating. His pressure is not less than mine, but he is a special person. I admire such a person. He is younger than me, but he has a lot to learn. He is beyond everyone's cognition, talented, poetic, and rock 'n' roll spirit. Like a wise man, he hopes to give others the greatest sense of security, cherishing himself and the wings of others. Because of mutual trust, everyone learns what they have learned. The best you know is given to the other person."
Zhang Xinyi on stage
Was rated as "tenacity" by the audience
Having "tenacity" is the evaluation given by the audience to Zhang Xinyi on the stage. In her opinion, this is not only for herself, but also for the character.
"Some people will feel that this woman can keep her own truth in such a vortex, and there is a sense of tenacity in her body. Many people encounter injustice in their lives or when a certain symbol is imposed on them, I was confused, but Li Xuelian always insisted on her truth. I was the same, jumping up and down on the stage, all my clothes were soaked, sweat dripping down, especially in the end, I grabbed the rotating stage and turned together, jumped up and rolled down, The audience will think that this actress is a little crazy. She has been tested from physical strength to energy, and finally she can run out after finishing her angry lines. In fact, for me, it is to show Li Xuelian's energy through me. ."
The tiredness of this play also made Zhang Xinyi express that he might not touch such a high-intensity stage play in a short time. "For me, I don't think about the future, and I will play "I'm not Pan Jinlian" in front of me. The lines are right For me, it is a huge strength. The script is as thick as a novel. Mr. Zhenyun has his own language system and his own world. We cannot destroy these. The text is very faithful to the original work. My son is three years old, come to me Said, stupid three years have passed, for me it is diligence and diligence, making up for the deficiencies with diligence. I will live up to the audience and don’t waste a minute of everyone’s time.”
It is said that Zhang Xinyi is a person who is very concerned about family life. After having children, she has changed a lot.
"I have been rehearsing in Beijing for the past few months. I wake up with my son every morning, brush my teeth, wash my face, change clothes, eat, and play with him for a while. I go to the gym, and then go to the rehearsal room. In the evening, I will say, 'It's half past eight. The second sister goes home', and I will go back to accompany my son. It's the same rhythm again in the morning, and the cycle goes on and on."
After watching
Yuan Hong: How is the drama?
determine one's family status
It is precisely because of the age span of the characters that after watching the play, some people describe Zhang Xinyi as a parkour person who has been running on the stage, releasing a lot of limbs and energy.
"Yi Teng said that Li Xuelian wants to perform a woman's epic sense, and I can't let my performance destroy the overall feeling. Even the separated spiritual world at each stage needs to be interlocked and continuously superimposed. When I was in school, I I once told myself that if you want to cultivate yourself with one heart and two uses, you have to have a pair of eyes jump out and examine your sense of proportion when you are in the moment. This is an ability an actor needs to have, and I have been training myself for so many years. This ability. I have many moments like this in the play, telling myself that I can’t miss it, I can’t pass it, I can’t take it, I can’t drop it, and it must be precise. This will allow the character to follow a correct trajectory until the final gushing out.”
During the premiere, Yuan Hong, who was filming in Guangzhou, also came to help his wife Zhang Xinyi after finishing work.
At the curtain call, he joked that after the drama "Outpost", he felt that he had a high status at home, but after watching "I am not Pan Jinlian", he felt that his family status had returned to the past.
Zhang Xinyi said, "He was happy for me. The stage needs you to take root, not to play tickets. If you don't have time this month, I will come to make a cameo. It's as simple as that. When you stand on the stage, you put in a day or two, One month or two months or one year or two years, it is completely different. You have no roots under your feet, and you are floating. This time, I also got my feeling back a little bit. My husband also said, you have been so many years. If I don't go on stage, I have to bite such a hard bone. I'm the kind of person who pushes myself, and I can't work without this."
This edition of the article / our reporter Guo Jia
Coordinator/Liu Jianghua Man Yi