China News Service, Beijing, March 23 (Reporter Ying Ni) Produced and performed by the National Theater of China, and the first season selection of the "Young Directors Creative Support Program", Director Zhang Xiao's "Suspicious Clouds in Jizhou" returns to the National Theater It will continue to perform until March 24th.
Stills from the drama "Suspicious Clouds in Jizhou". Photo courtesy of China National Theater
The creation of "Suspicious Clouds in Jizhou" is derived from "Water Margin". The main creator chose the chapter of "Yang Xiong's Stone Show on Liangshan", a story that is not well known to the public, to adapt and reconstruct. Starting with the mysterious deaths of Toutuo and Monk, the director turned Shi Naian, the author of "Water Margin", into a fictional character in the play, making him the "Sherlock Holmes" of Jizhou and starting a journey of investigation. In the director's view, without preconceived notions about a relatively unpopular subject, there will be more room for development; therefore, the development potential of each character will also be greater. Zhang Xiao has always insisted on balancing art and commerce in his creations, and the original theme of "Jizhou Suspense" and the many characters in the story gave him the space and freedom to create a second time to get closer to the aesthetics of the current audience.
Stills from the drama "Suspicious Clouds in Jizhou". Photo courtesy of China National Theater
In the conception of the stage design, the color rendering and symmetrical beauty of the gauze curtain were integrated to integrate and upgrade the three-dimensional aesthetics of the stage. At the same time, original music is a highlight of "Jizhou Suspense". The composer Qi Boli combined traditional Chinese pentatonic modes and Western natural major and minor modes, integrating musical instruments and musical elements from different regions and eras, while also drawing on the actors' performances. Drawing inspiration from it, he created original music that is both fusion and sung, and brought an audio-visual feast to the audience in the form of a live electronic band performance.
In September last year, the play was upgraded from a small theater to a large theater version. It gathered the young generation of outstanding creatives and completely upgraded the stage design, costumes, music, lighting and other audio-visual effects. It received a lot of praise after its premiere at the National Theater. During the subsequent tour, the number of fans of "Jizhou Suspense" gradually increased.
Stills from the drama "Suspicious Clouds in Jizhou". Photo courtesy of China National Theater
This round of performances has added two outstanding young actors, Song Tianshuo and Zhong Chenyao, and Zhang Ruochen, who plays Inspector Shi, will continue to be the leader, leading the audience into this game. Through constant empathy and suspicion, Find the murderer in the smoke bomb, and work together to complete this race to find the truth.
It is reported that the play also received annual funding from the Beijing Culture and Art Fund. As the opening drama, it kicked off the 9th China Original Drama Invitational Exhibition jointly sponsored by the National Theater of China and the Xicheng District People's Government. (over)