Tian Qinxin is one of the few theater directors who is not overly productive, but whose works are very popular among theater-goers in the national capital.
Since debuting with Broken Wrist (Duanwan) in 1997, Tian has established a reputation for combining feminine delicacy and profound power with the contemporary Western concept of drama and traditional Chinese opera.
Every year, she presents a play. And very soon, her 2004 production -- Life Show (Shenghuo Xiu) will grace the Poly Theater with five performances.
Search for director
But this time, Tian is not the only reason people are waiting for the production with bated breath.
First of all, Life Show has been adapted from a best-selling novel of the same name by award-winning writer Chi Li.
And in last two years, the story was also adapted into a feature movie and a top-rating TV serial.
The movie, directed by Huo Jianqi, and starring actress Tao Hong, was awarded the Best Feature Movie and Best Actress gongs at the 2002 Shanghai International Film Festival.
Despite the success, it is reported that the writer herself was not very satisfied with the two versions. Chi has been quoted as saying that they failed to read between the lines.
But Chi is looking forward to Tian's stage version -- even though she knows it will be very different from the original story.
Chi has been quoted as saying that she believes in Tian, after talking with her in early March. Tian convinced Chi that she would be able to read between the lines.
Chi is not the only person with confidence in Tian. She was introduced to the director by He Jing, the play's producer.
Life Show is the first theater production for He, a middle-school teacher-turned movie and TV producer.
He told China Daily that, after she got the right from Chi to adapt the novel into a play two years ago, she talked with a number of acclaimed directors such as Lin Zhaohua, Ren Ming, Lou Naiming and Zha Mingzhe. But none of them made her feel the way Tian did -- eventually.
The National Drama Theater recommended Tian to her. However, He was not sure whether Tian was the right person for the job, although she had seen most of Tian's plays.
He was upset to learn that Tian had not read the original novel, nor had she seen the movie or TV serial adapted from it.
In fact, the stage director claims that she seldom reads Chinese contemporary novels.
In early February, He and Tian met for the first time, at the cafe at Poly Plaza.
They got off to a flying start. Tian sat and read the story in about 90 minutes and then agreed to rewrite it and put it on stage.
"We spent merely 10 minutes exchanging ideas on how to bring the story to the theater and her understanding and interpretation of the story impressed me," He said.
"I decided at that moment that Tian was the director I wanted.
"She is very quiet and even a bit shy, but the conservativeness does not conceal her unusual explosive passion, power and imagination of drama."
Despite her attachment to the project, Tian, as usual, remains pretty tightlipped before the premiere.
This is the first time for her to direct a play that tells a contemporary story. She takes Life Show as an assignment and hopes she will do a good job.
Singer's choice
People who know both Chi and Tian's works well may be curious about how the director interprets the writer. Chi is addicted to portraying trivial things in common people's lives, while Tian pursues a high spiritual standard in her plays.
Tian said after accepting the assignment, she rewrote the story in a month, "keeping only the main roles of the original novel but changing most of the plot."
It tells a story of how four children from a broken family grow up with pain and passion, and pursue their dreams and loves.
In line with Tian's consistent approach, Life Show further brings out every characters' personality and destiny, instead of revealing a dramatic plot.
Under her direction, the performers act with exaggerated and striking poses and movements, while the stage brims with intense and enthusiastic power.
In addition to Tian's command, the audience will also be wooed by the cast, many of whom have not performed drama for years.
The heroine, Lai Shuangyang, is portrayed by Wang Ji, a popular actress on screen who is famous for her roles in the TV serial Beijingers in New York and the movie Painted Women (Hong Fen), which won the Silver Bear award at the 1995 Berlin Film Festival.
"I have to admit that the theater stage is somehow strange to me, since I have been away from it for 17 years," said Wang.
"It takes time to re-establish a relationship with the stage, and director Tian has helped a lot in that sense.
"What's more, I feel there's something predestined in me being involved in 'Life Show.'
"Last year, someone asked me to perform the role of Lai Shuangyang in the TV serial, but I missed it because of my work schedule."
Ju Xue, starring as the sister, Lai Shuangyuan, usually plays very feminine roles in movies.
"Even I didn't think I would fit the role of Shuangyuan, who is not willing to live a common life and pursues her loves and dreams boldly," Ju said.
However, Wang and Ju are not the most surprising choices.
The biggest challenge comes with pop singer Cai Guoqing, who has had a sunny and healthy image for a dozen years. He will play drug addict Lai Shuangjiu.
Few people know that Cai graduated from the Central Academy of Drama in 1988. But even during his time at the academy, Cai usually performed squeaky clean characters.
"Many of my friends were shocked to know that I was going to play the role of Lai Shuangjiu. They think a drug addict persona is too far from my personality and it might destroy my healthy image," Cai says.
"However, I fell in love with the script as soon as I read it. And as I got into the role gradually, I could feel his clean heart, which is a far cry from the vulgar reality."
Cai said he seldom goes to clubs or discos but in order to get a feel for night life, which is often associated with drugs, he visited such places recently.
His devotion and delivery of the character won the approval of the director and other actors.
Performance Details:
Dates: 19:30 June 18 – 22
Venue: Poly Theater
Ticket Prices: 880 yuan, 580 yuan, 480 yuan, 380 yuan, 280 yuan, 180 yuan, 100 yuan
(China Daily June 7, 2004)
