Modern masterpieces

From such Western theater classics as Miss Julie and Death of a Salesman, to stage adaptations of Chinese masterpieces by Lao She and Xia Yan, and other contemporary interpretations of familiar tales, the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center is offering audiences a glimpse of eight out of the 52 productions it will present next year.

The cultural institution took the media on a tour of its main building on Nov 26 through the three main theater spaces, various rehearsal rooms and backstage areas, before eventually stepping onto the stage to take part in a rehearsal among professional actors.

Guided around the facility wearing headphones, the audio tour for the media outlined some of the 52 heavyweight productions scheduled to be performed in 2020 at the venue to celebrate the SDAC's 25th anniversary. The first work to be staged next year will be I Love Peach Blossom, a modern adaptation of an ancient Chinese adultery-murder tale over Jan 16-21. Running from March 10 to 22, The Three Musketeers will be directed by British director Andy Arnold. Impressed with his adeptness for making modern interpretations of Western classics, the SDAC invited Arnold to bring to life in Chinese the French literary classic by Alexandre Dumas.

Two important Chinese literary works will also receive major productions to showcase the overall quality of the venue next year. Adapted from the unfinished autobiographical novel by Lao She, Beneath the Red Banner will be presented from Feb 18 to March 1, while Under the Roofs of Shanghai by Xia Yan will be performed over Oct 23-Nov 1.

"Next year we will be commemorating the 70th anniversary of the company," says Zhang Huiqing, general manager of the SDAC. "So it is a great opportunity to revive Xia Yan's beloved play Under the Roofs of Shanghai.

"The SDAC was founded in 1995 following the merger between the Shanghai People's Theater Company and the Shanghai Youth Theater Company. Playwright Xia Yan (1900-1995) was the founding director of the Shanghai People's Theater Company back in 1950."

Written in the 1930s, the play depicts people of diverse ages, backgrounds and social status who share a crowded compound in Shanghai in the early 20th century. This key production will bring together "several generations of our actors", says Yu Rongjun, artistic director of the SDAC.

"This is a play of special importance for us, and one of our major repertoires reflecting our artistic achievements."

Yu will himself be presenting two new creations for the upcoming season. Opening on April 22, Letters Home From the War is an epic tale covering the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the War of Liberation (1946-49). "It is an epic historical story, told in an intimate perspective through personal narrative," Yu tells China Daily in an exclusive interview.

Letters Home is based on the correspondence between a father and daughter over the decades. When her father dies on the battlefield, he entrusts a comrade to carry on writing to the young girl. Over time, the girl grows up to cherish the letters written from several different ghost writers in lieu of her father. The story is told in the form of a musical, featuring dozens of familiar Chinese songs from the early 20th century. With new musical arrangements and innovative stage effects, Yu hopes to share with audiences this story of love and faith during the turmoil and suffering of war.

Also premiering next year, on Aug 29, will be Yu's stage adaptation of Chinese literary classic Dream of the Red Chamber. "I wanted to take a more modern approach, and place the characters in a context where their rebellion seems futile against destiny."

A prolific playwright and avid reader, Yu says he was inspired by such surrealistic literary masters as Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel Garcia Marques and even detective fiction writer Raymond Chandler. "People are already familiar with the storyline of Red Chamber, so I hope this adaptation will inspire fresh interest and a different perspective on it through my reworking."

To be presented over Nov 11-22 next year, Miss Julie and Death of a Salesman were chosen for their enduring relevance to modern China, Yu says. "We still find a lot of tension between men and women of contrasting social status, and we have invited a female director and playwright from Sweden, Hilda Hellwig, to work with us on the production of August Strindberg's literary classic."

During the 1980s, American playwright Arthur Miller (1915-2005) traveled to China and staged productions of his best-known plays, Death of a Salesman and The Crucible.

"At that time, I was aware of the allegorical significance of Salesman, but it was only until decades later, when China had become such a commercialized society, that I could actually properly relate to the characters and the story," says Lyu Liang, a veteran actor with the SDAC, who will take the lead role of the aging salesman Willy in the new production. The play is scheduled to premiere on Aug 8.

The SDAC is Shanghai's only specialized stage play troupe, says Zhang. "Our primary goal is to create colorful and high-quality theater productions for the people. In 2019, the center created eight new plays, staged 45 productions and presented more than 630 shows watched by some 310,000 people in total."