The Kunqu opera "Ying Mei An Reminiscences| Dong Xiaowan" produced by the Northern Kunqu Opera Theater was recently performed at the Tianqiao Theater. The drama from the creative team to the performance lineup are all at the level of the heavenly troupe, screenwriters Luo Huaizhen and Shen Xinglian, general director Cao Qijing, director Xu Chunlan, singing composer Gu Zhaolin, stage design Liu Xinglin, lighting design Xing Xin, costume design Peng Dinghuang. Leading actors Shao Tianshuai as Dong Xiaowan, Wang Chen as Mao Pujiang, Yuan Guoliang as Lao Mao Pujiang, etc., they have jointly built a small Wan world that "although it has a beautiful name, it is not its true color".
Mr. Chen Yinke, who is "academically entrusted", used the method of "mutual verification of poetry and history" to pay the greatest respect to Liu Ru, and Luo Huaizhen, the advocate of "urban new Huai opera", condensed the legend of Dong Xiaowan with the feelings of a literati. What can the soft shoulders of the little girl bear? History tells us with facts that we can not only afford trivial daily life, but also the great righteousness of life. Dong Xiaowan is light on wealth, heavy on promises, diligent, kind-hearted, tolerant and broad, her life is full of ups and downs, seemingly suffering, but in fact, she has experienced people, and also sees the background of life. Although Dong Xiaowan did not choose Liu Ruyi's spirit of "going to death", is it another kind of "going to death" to bravely face all problems and accept the manipulation of life? Or rather, it is another spiritual realm that is beyond life. This is also the humanistic world of Luo Huaizhen's non-leisure and humorous action in the play.
The biggest feature of the play is "playing". Between the words that fall on the paper and the image standing on the stage, it seems that only the actors need to do it, but in fact, they are a galaxy apart. The biggest difference between doing and doing is how to do it. I like Shao Tianshuai's performance the most, delicate and euphemistic, but without losing the tension of drama and the resilience of life. Her body, hands, eyes, and even the corners of her mouth and sideburns are full of drama, whether it is Du Liniang in "Peony Pavilion", Bai Suzhen in "The Legend of the White Snake", Chen Miaochang in "The Book of Jade Hairpins", and Tan Ji'er in "Wangjiang Pavilion Mid-Autumn Festival Cut Fish", she has created a character with thousands of faces in an eclectic manner. It is breathtaking, evocative and amazing. The biggest difference between the image of Dong Xiaowan and the previous one is that the times have given this play a new humanistic spirit, playing Xiao Wan must first perform her beauty and charm, but it cannot be vulgar, otherwise the spiritual temperament of this character will be deformed. Shao Tianshuai upheld an inner texture, that is, this girl's firm pursuit of "love and righteousness". Because of this firmness, her choice is not distorted. Because of this firmness, her behavior has a footnote. On the stage, Tianshuai radiated Xiao Wan's emotions and actions from head to toe, she was tenacious and uncomplaining, because of the firmness in her heart, so we could truly feel the determination of this character in action, and we could also capture the superbness of her spiritual realm.
The great torrent of history is irreversible, but the discipline of man, the realm of the spirit and the persistence of morality are the most intoxicating beauty in this torrent. Dong Xiaowan, like Liu Ru, has the spirit of independence. We see her beauty, and we see her strength, not because of her body, her age, but because of her heart, her spirit, her actions, and her aftersound.