Pu Cunxin: “Thunderstorm” is my gift to Renyi
Our reporter Niu Chunmei
At 5:30 in the evening, Pu Cunxin appeared in the dressing room of Cao Yu Theater on time. There is a big rusty lock on the table, which is exactly the prop of Zhou Puyuan in the new row of “Thunderstorm.” This is an old lock, which grew out of “Thunderstorm” in 1934; this is a new lock. Many viewers saw this lock for the first time in this version of “Thunderstorm” directed by Pu Cunxin. . “Let’s start with this big lock!” Pu Cunxin, who was the director of Beijing Renyi for the first time, made an innovative and awe-inspiring version of “Thunderstorm”, and wanted Cao Yu to see his later generations’ interpretation of the classics.
The new row of “Thunderstorm” must be humane
After acting for decades, Pu Cunxin, who has directed two works of “Hamlet” and “Thunderstorm” this year, seems to be in transition. However, he said that he is not “acting and excellent then directing.” In his opinion, it is not so easy to be a director. He must have feelings for the works he wants to direct. Directing “Hamlet” is based on his previous performances, while directing “Thunderstorm” has a long history.
The “leader” Lin Zhaohua asked him a few years ago if there was any drama he wanted to act, and he said that if he wanted to act, he would act in “Thunderstorm.” When Pu Cunxin, who had just performed the TV series “Heroes Without Regrets”, was frequently exposed in front of the audience, when he returned to the theater to play Zhou Ping in “Thunderstorm”, the audience couldn’t help but laugh when they watched “Director Gao” open the window. This laughter was like a thorn in his heart, and Pu Cunxin always felt that it was because his performance failed to substitute the audience into “Thunderstorm.”
Sometimes, people really need a “thorn” to get motivated. In recent years, Pu Cunxin has been thinking about this matter in his heart. It was not until the Beijing People’s Art director Tang Ye took a 1934 script of “Thunderstorm” from the Internet that the realization of the dream was officially launched. In 2020, the Daliangshan International Theatre Festival invited Beijing Renyi “Yang Mahjong” to perform. Tang Ye is the director, Pu Cunxin and Gong Lijun starring. At the Qiong Beach in Xichang, the three of them finally determined the matter.
Pu Cunxin felt that he was lucky, because he discovered that the original 1934 script was a mine with treasures, and found many precious fragments that had been forgotten in it. Previous editions focused on different classes, and he wanted to tell the story of two love-hate families based on class background. One change he regarded as a “password” was that Zhou Puyuan changed from an outsider to a middleman. With his understanding of Mr. Cao Yu and his decades of performance experience, from the details of Zhou Puyuan’s move in the 1934 version, Pu Cunxin believes that Zhou Puyuan knows the changes that have taken place in his home, and he tries to adjust his direction, but the result is Let the three young people lose their lives, so that the tragedy of the whole drama is even stronger.
Zhou Puyuan’s change from an outsider to a player in the game also adds a layer of warmth to the whole story. In the play, in the scene where Zhou Ping beats Lu Dahai, Zhou Puyuan protects Zhou Ping and looks at Lu Dahai, while Lu Shiping pulls Lu Dahai and looks at Zhou Ping… Zhou Puyuan has become more humane than ever, yes. The child is more tender to his former lover, “It must be humane, and what literary and artistic works do you have without humanity?”
“Dawn” design can better express the original meaning
In the new interpretation of classic works, “deconstruction” is a common technique. However, in the new series of “Thunderstorm”, Mr. Cao Yu’s line has not been changed, but based on the version that has been in use since 1956, and the “Remaining Bead” from the 1934 version is added. “We still have to do a Beijing Renyi play, we must tell the story well. If you don’t tell the story, you don’t respect Mr. Cao Yu.” Pu Cunxin said, they did this play with admiration, rather than taking Mr. Cao Yu’s script as a play. As the material, although there are performance parts in the play, it is enough.
This version of “Thunderstorm” has a very bonus stage, from which we can see Pu Cunxin’s pursuit of Cao Yu’s poetry. In order to achieve this goal, he thought of many ways and worked hard on many details. In the play, the “resurrected” young people on the last stage walk away, and there are some subtle dawns on the stage. It was not easy for this light to emerge, and it was not until the last day that the designer debugged the kind of light he wanted. “This is what Mr. Cao Yu wanted to do but didn’t do it. He wants the audience to walk out of this thunderstorm and move towards the light. I will not be reconciled if I don’t do it.” Pu Cunxin believes that today’s stage can be better expressed with the help of modern technology. The meaning of Mr. Cao Yu.
It is not easy for Pu Cunxin to go from “a thorn” to a complete work standing on the stage. He said that he was at a loss at the beginning and was often denied by everyone. Even though the performance has gone smoothly now, he often hears criticisms. He himself admits that there is still a lot of room for improvement. After the performance every day, the dressing room in the theater is like the dressing room of a football team. Everyone will summarize the gains and losses here. I hope the performance on the next day will be better.
Pu Cunxin still has many ideas about “Thunderstorm”. He thought about writing flashbacks from the deaths of three young people. He also thought about making a “Thunderstorm” Rubik’s Cube. The same actor focuses on one role every day. The role is part of the Rubik’s Cube. To his regret, he was unable to write all these ideas. “Thunderstorm is really endless, it is a treasure, it is enough to be carved into jade-like works of art by us, not just a piece of stone.” In Pu Cunxin’s view, “Thunderstorm” has more worthwhile The treasure to be excavated needs to be excavated by later generations, and his interpretation is only one of them, “Thunderstorm” is a gift I dedicated to Renyi. When talking about future plans, he said that he should not be a director anymore, “So My heart is always hanging for a long time, thinking about one thing is too tired!”
On October 17, the performance of “Thunderstorm” ended, Pu Cunxin will also switch roles and go to Wuhan to work on the Chinese Theater Festival as the chairman of the Chinese Drama Association.
.