Author: Liu Xiaowei (Director of the Cultural Department of “Liberation Army Daily”, Deputy Director of the Military Literature Committee of the Chinese Writers Association)
The National Theatre has recently created and staged the play “Iron Flow Eastward”, which has made new explorations and made new breakthroughs in telling Chinese stories with love and force. “Tie Liu Dong Jin” is adapted from the novella “The Last Radio Wave” published in “People’s Literature” by writer Ji Yu. “East, East! We are the Iron New Fourth Army!” During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the New Fourth Army penetrated into the battlefield behind enemy lines in Central China, like a steel knife piercing the enemy’s heart, and played a mainstay role in the War of Resistance behind enemy lines in Central China. It is the solemn and sacred mission of art workers to fully demonstrate this glorious revolutionary process in art form.
Stills of “Iron Flow Eastward” Photo by Wang Haochen
Essentially, Tie Liu Dong Jin is a story about “searching”. In the play, the “grandson” congratulatory message “finds” the identity of the grandfather with Alzheimer’s disease in reality, “grandfather” Li Anben “finds” the glorious footprints of his comrades in history, and the audience follows the two generations of grandparents and grandchildren. From a human perspective, “seeking” the original intention of the revolutionary martyrs of the New Fourth Army. “Looking” is “substituting”, it fully mobilizes the audience’s emotions and emotions, arouses the audience’s curiosity and the impulse to explore history, thus completing the interaction between the stage art and the audience. In “Searching”, the history of the fierce battle between the Third Regiment of the Independent Division of Central Anhui and the Japanese invaders on Mount Baima is faintly revealed; , the work completes the sublimation of the theme: a deep tribute to the revolutionary martyrs who died for the country, the conscious inheritance of the endless red blood, and the cherishing and pride of today’s happy and beautiful life.
“Iron Flow Eastward” completes the emotional transmission of the work in “Seeing the Big from the Small”. The characters in the play are all ordinary people, whether they are the narrator or the people in the play, they are all around us. Corporal Gu’s corporal Li Xian, Staff Officer Du’s bookish spirit, Peng Dadao’s greed and hatred, and Xiao Chaihuo’s simplicity and cuteness… These little people’s belief power, little people’s sacrifice and dedication, little people’s transformation and transformation can particularly arouse the sympathy of young audiences. “Taiping is for martyrs, never martyrs enjoy peace” and “soldiers leave the battlefield in two ways: triumph or sacrifice”, these highly concise and unpretentious words are also unforgettable by young people. The sublimation of the theme of the work is also completed through the radio code that attracts young people. “Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick”, this is not only the red radio wave sent by the revolutionary martyrs from the depths of history, but also the affectionate response of the young people of the new era to the revolutionary martyrs “this prosperous world is as you wish”. The interactive penetration and huge impact of emotions were completed in just over two hours on a small stage of dozens of square meters. These innovative and youthful narratives provide a new artistic space that can be used for reference for the creation of major revolutionary historical themes. In addition, the stage design in the play is also “small but refined”. The white matrix with different heights on the stage is arranged in the shape of Morse code symbols, which is both realistic and freehand, and can complete the arrangement and combination of countless scenes. It should be said that the director uses this small scene and small incision to tell the story, breaking through the setting of the scene to make the rhythm faster, and making the drama more intense through emotional impact, which is quite artistic.
The play is faithful to the historical fact that the Third Regiment of the Independent Division of the Central Anhui Division of the New Fourth Army was besieged by Japanese invaders in Baima Mountain, and then successfully broke through to the east, but made bold innovations in how to tell the story. The interweaving of high realism and bold freehand brushwork makes this play full of artistic charm. The conflict between two generations, the interweaving of two time and space, and the contradiction between two concepts make the play full of suspense. The transformation of the play’s scene is not achieved through the sequence, but through the natural transformation of history and reality in the narrative. In terms of stage performance, the play has also actively explored. In particular, it shows the scene of Li Anben working as a teacher in the third regiment’s radio training class. Through two bamboo poles, he simulates the posture of his injured sitting on a sliding pole being carried up the mountain, and also shows the scene of the officers and soldiers of the third regiment learning radio transmission. This exploration of boldly using traditional opera freehand techniques in modern dramas has enhanced the artistic expression of dramas, which is worthy of full recognition. In addition, elements of Morse code are added to the background music, which is expressed in the way of male vocal chorus and humming. The voices coincide, and they express passionate and deep emotions and sacred and solemn melody. These have enriched the spiritual connotation of the work and demonstrated the aesthetic style of the drama.
“Guangming Daily” (May 25, 2022, 16th edition)
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责编：白冰 ]