Two editions of "The Peony Pavilion" will appear on stage successively

　　Our reporter Wang Run

　　"Love doesn't know where it came from, but it goes deeper and deeper." The classic drama "The Peony Pavilion" by the great dramatist Tang Xianzu of the Ming Dynasty is an important milestone in the history of the development of Chinese drama literature.

From March 8th to 10th, the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe will come to Beijing for the first time with the only restored full version of "The Peony Pavilion" with a 55% discount; from April 18th to 20th, Suzhou Kunqu Opera Troupe in Jiangsu Province will perform three consecutive performances at Beijing Tianqiao Art Center. Tianjiuhour Bai Xianyong's youth version of "The Peony Pavilion".

Two top Kunqu Opera troupes in China produced two editions with different styles. They also have a strong lineup and a large scale. The two editions of the full version of "The Peony Pavilion" competed on the Beijing stage, arousing the eager anticipation of countless theater fans and demonstrating the profound cultural heritage of the performing arts capital.

　　Shangkun

　　Gather the top team "five classes and three generations" to participate in the performance

　　Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe’s only 55% discount on the restored version of “The Peony Pavilion” came to Beijing for the first time, as a repertoire of the “Excellent New Era Stage Art Repertoire Exhibition” sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and performed in the Central Opera House for three consecutive days .

　　In the 45 years since its establishment, the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe has revised, improved and interpreted the Kunqu Opera "The Peony Pavilion" more than ten times. With the multi-version artistic presentations of different actors with their own characteristics, it enjoys a high reputation on the domestic and foreign theater stages.

The whole edition of "The Peony Pavilion" embodies the wishes of several generations of people in Shangkun, gathers the top expert team and creative team in the industry, and provides a stage practice opportunity for the current group of outstanding young talents with complete professional skills and both civil and military skills.

　　Shangkun specially invited the famous drama director Guo Xiaonan to act as the director of this play, and personally participated in the script reduction of the whole version of "The Peony Pavilion" on the basis of the reduction of the script of the late famous playwright Wang Renjie; Zhengren, Zhang Jingxian, Ji Zhenhua, Liu Yilong, Zhang Mingrong, and Li Xiaoping are the inheritance guides of famous Kunqu opera artists; the late famous composer Xin Qinghua, the famous composer Zhou Xuehua, the late national first-class composer Li Liang are in charge of vocal music design, and the national first-class stage design Huang Haiwei is in charge of stage design.

A strong lineup of "five classes and three generations" from Shangkun participated in the performance.

"Du Liniang" and "Liu Mengmei" by Luo Chenxue and Hu Weilu from the "Fourth Kunming Class"; Wu Shuang, the winner of the Plum Blossom Award in the "Third Kunming Class" played "Judge" and "Wan Yanliang" in the play; all outstanding young people in Shanghai Actors participate in the creation and performance of the whole book with a 55% discount.

　　In terms of style and characteristics, the complete version of "The Peony Pavilion" by Shangkun absorbs contemporary artistic elements. The director adheres to the creative concept of "seeing the new in the old, and rooting in the new", combining the Kunqu opera itself with modern aesthetics, and re-interpreting the traditional classics with a new perspective. Create and realize the inheritance and innovation of traditional classics.

The stage presentation combines the historical culture and aesthetic characteristics of the Song and Ming Dynasties, and fully integrates the poetic realm and the scene.

Integrating traditional opera’s figure formulas, exaggerated performances, and kung-fu martial arts into one furnace, it reproduces Tang Weng’s artistic spirit and oriental fantasy with an illusory, poetic and beautiful stage atmosphere, elegant, dignified, beautiful and bright performance temperament "Love Myth".

　　At the same time, the play presents the life-and-death love of Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei in a broader context of the times. Social reality becomes a secondary line throughout the play. The connection and collision between love, ideals and society enhances the social significance and reality of the work significance.

The collection of Tang poems at the end of each play in the original work is also presented on the stage for the first time through the characters in the play, which not only achieves a complete interpretation of the spirit of the original work, but also embodies novel and unique stage styles and artistic expressions.

　　Director Guo Xiaonan believes that "it is an important cultural mission of our generation to continuously explore the cultural connotation of the work and deeply explore the spiritual connotation of the work. Without bias, simplification, or loss of the original context, we must retain and explore the richness of the work. Precious value system, loyalty to the spirit of the original work, and innovative forms of expression allow the entire version of "The Peony Pavilion" to return and reshape the original and clear source through this creation, so that it can express and carry forward the spiritual connotation and value of the original work more permanently .”

　　Gu Haohao, head of the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe, said: "The interpretation of the complete version of The Peony Pavilion is a huge artistic project, which embodies the dedication and love of the Kunqu opera industry for generations in Shanghai and Kunqu Opera, and is also the watch and dream of every Kunqu Opera person." , its value and significance go far beyond the creation and rehearsal of a play or the meaning of a classic masterpiece itself, and it is a transcendent return and creation."

　　Su Kun

　　The youth version is on stage again, the two leading actors are maturing day by day

　　From April 18th to 20th, Bai Xianyong's youth version of "The Peony Pavilion", produced and performed by the Suzhou Kunqu Opera Theater in Jiangsu Province, will be performed at the Beijing Tianqiao Art Center for three consecutive days as a major repertoire of the "7th Tianqiao Chinese Spring Art Festival" Nine hours, this is also the first time the youth version of "The Peony Pavilion" has appeared on the Beijing stage again after many years.

　　In 2001, UNESCO named Kunqu Opera as a "Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity". As a treasure of Chinese traditional culture, Kunqu Opera has been recognized and affirmed worldwide.

In 2003, the famous writer Bai Xianyong and Suzhou Kunqu Opera Theater of Jiangsu Province joined hands with cultural and opera elites from both sides of the Taiwan Strait to create a youth version of "The Peony Pavilion".

The play toured the country and even the world, causing a sensation.

Today, the youth version of "The Peony Pavilion", which has performed more than 400 performances, still has a strong vitality.

In 2023, the youth version of "The Peony Pavilion" will be staged 33 times in 16 cities across the country.

　　The 85-year-old Bai Xianyong, a self-proclaimed "Kunqu opera volunteer", is still concerned about this hard work. He believes that Chinese culture has undergone earth-shaking changes. The big problem facing the 21st century is how to combine tradition and modernity so that our ancient culture Shine on the world stage.

"We make Kunqu Opera and combine tradition with modernity. What we want to discuss is how to make it meaningful again and how to touch young audiences. Where is our Chinese culture going and how can we manage ourselves?" He said, "We have a big The principle is to respect the classics, but not to follow the classics, to use the modern, but not to abuse the modern. We are very careful not to use modern things indiscriminately, but we must maintain the basic foundation of tradition and carefully add modern elements to it. .”

　　At that time, Bai Xianyong summoned 5 experts from Taiwan, carefully polished the script for 5 months, only deleted but not changed, selected 23% off from the 55% off the whole book, and divided them into "Love in Dreams", "Love between Humans and Ghosts", "Love in the World" "Three volumes, the allocation of cold plays, hot plays, bright plays, paired plays, and one-man plays has been carefully considered.

Two masters, Zhang Jiqing and Wang Shiyu, were also invited to train Su Kun's young actors hand in hand, making Yu Jiulin and Shen Fengying "reborn" and become blockbuster rookies.

　　When the youth version of "The Peony Pavilion" was premiered, all young actors performed, and the whole stage was filled with the youthful atmosphere in line with the original work.

This stems from Mr. Bai Xianyong's unique creativity. He hopes to attract more young people to love the ancient art of Kunqu Opera and understand the profoundness of traditional Chinese culture.

Regarding the "Youth Edition", Bai Xianyong's explanation is: "First, I believe that although Kunqu Opera is an ancient opera, it has a strong vitality, so we must call back the youthful life of Kunqu Opera. Second, because " The Peony Pavilion itself is a drama that celebrates youth, love and life. The heroine is 16 years old and the male protagonist is 20 years old. They had such a beautiful dream. The meeting in the dream is completely a song of youth. Young people watch It can be recognized, and middle-aged and elderly audiences can recall it after watching it, because everyone has been young."

　　Today, Yu Jiulin and Shen Fengying, who have played "The Peony Pavilion" for 20 years and more than 400 performances, will come to Beijing again to continue to perform the affectionate love of Liu Mengmei and Du Liniang.

Bai Xianyong said: "Now these actors are just in their early forties, which is the best and most mature time. They also have a better understanding of life. The understanding and handling of characters are also constantly improving. I hope they can continue to act, At the same time, I think it is necessary to cultivate a new youth version of "The Peony Pavilion" actors, hoping that it can be passed on."

　　("Beijing Daily", page 16, March 6, 2023)