He suffered a lot of torture, and the director said that Mao Zijun starred for the first time in the stage play "The Killing Incident at the Corridor Pavilion" | The Corridor | Director
"Each actor has developed the ability to sleep on the ground. There is only about 20 minutes of rest time before and after dinner, and we will each find a place to rest in the rehearsal room. Three chairs combined, equipped with inflatable sofas, and resting directly on the ground, the scene of falling asleep as soon as we enter the door is truly unforgettable." For the first time challenging the stage play, Mao Zijun still remembers the rehearsal of "The Murder at the Corridor Pavilion". On July 28th and 29th, the upgraded version of "The Murder at the Corridor Pavilion" starring him will premiere at the Shanghai Meiqi Grand Theatre, opening a nationwide tour.
The stage play "The Murder at the Corridor Pavilion" was prepared in March 2018, premiered in January 2019, and fully upgraded in 2023. Director Zhao Miao said that the idea of upgrading had been in place as early as the end of 2019. "At that time, it was decided that if this play was still being performed in the fifth year, we must create a new schedule, so this year we decided to make a big change in it."
Keigo Higashino's long detective novel "The Murder Case at the Cloister Pavilion" was published in 2010, telling the story of a seemingly perfect murder case. Unlike movies and TV dramas, stage plays establish character relationships, create conflicts, and complete detective plots within limited performance time, with high demands on the text. In the 2019 premiere of "The Murder at the Corridor Pavilion", Zhao Miao and screenwriter Tang Xiawa deconstructed and rearranged the 100000 word original work, writing 34 scenes, with two clues running through the storyline: one is the suspenseful line of Sheriff Yazaki's investigation, and the other is the emotional line of the protagonist Zhi Lizi's revenge. The two lines are entangled and intertwined, spreading and advancing in both virtual and real situations.
Zhao Miao revealed, "The 2023 version of 'The Murder Case at Huilangting' has added a third line, bringing back important clues from the original novel to the script, which is the background line of Nakajiro, the illegitimate son of the president of Huilangting Hotel, Ichihara Takahide. Erro's mother will also appear on the stage at Huilangting for the first time."
Ichihara Takahiro was the founder and chairman of the Ichihara family, who left behind a huge legacy after his death. In the 2019 version of the script, his story was only briefly mentioned. Zhao Miao said, "This seemingly heartless old man met the mother of Ri Nakajiro in a theater, which is one of the few works by Keigo Higashino that involves drama, and it is also something we find very interesting. During the premiere, we struggled to fit in, and this upgrade, our first thought was to bring back this line."
In Zhao Miao's rehearsal habit, actors are required to memorize their lines before entering the rehearsal hall. The cast for the 2023 upgraded version is another stage play "The Life of the Disfavored Matsuko" co produced by Zhao Miao, San Tuoqi Theater Troupe, and Fanzhang Entertainment. They have just finished a round of "Matsuko" tour and immediately entered the rehearsal of "Corridor Pavilion".
The San Tuo Qi Theater Troupe excels in physical expression. The biggest performance principle set by Zhao Miao for the actors in the stage play "The Murder at the Corridor Pavilion" is "if you can do it, don't say it.". This distinctive performance style is the result of the San Tuoqi team's screening and control when selecting scripts. "Not all texts are touched, we only choose scripts that can be presented in our performance style."
Mao Zijun plays the illegitimate son of Li Zhonger Lang, who combines kindness and evil. When in love, he is naive and passionate, and when the truth is revealed at the end, his image is completely overturned, unlike the same person. Mao Zijun said, "The characters portrayed by Keigo Higashino truly reflect the multifaceted nature of human nature. The suspense and atmosphere of" The Killing Incident at the Corridor Pavilion "are chilling. Ri Nakajiro is a complex and real person with a complex inner self, who can feel the different aspects of human nature reflected in him."
After playing in movies and TV dramas for 14 years, why did Mao Zijun think of challenging the stage? Mao Zijun said that "The Murder Case at the Corridor Pavilion" is a great project, with a beautiful story, excellent team, and very different characters. I have never had the experience of stage play and have always wanted to find suitable opportunities to learn stage play performance and increase different performance experiences. “
In "The Murder at the Corridor Pavilion", actors not only have to perform, but also change their costumes and props on stage. Mao Zijun drew several track charts and pasted them on the wall, practicing switching them by himself. "Mao Zijun suffered a lot during the rehearsal process, and his training intensity was very intense, with significant changes. The stage did not disappoint his efforts, and the split and reversal between the two personalities played by Mao Zijun in the portrayal of Rizhong Erlang is a major highlight of this version. Audiences who are accustomed to his on-screen image will see Mao Zijun shining brightly in the stage play," Zhao Miao said.
"It's been a long time since we worked together day and night for the same goal, as if we were sprinting back to our student days before the college entrance examination." Mao Zijun said, "Stage plays are different from film and television performances. 'The Murder in the Corridor Pavilion' has many physical movements, which are the first time I've been exposed to them."
"Adventure" is Zhao Miao's overall requirement for all the creators. "In the fifth year of the performance of" The Murder Case at the Corridor Pavilion ", I demand that all departments should not follow the original approach, but dare to take risks and try. You don't have to do what others do." Zhao Miao firmly believes that there is already a better way, but everyone hasn't let go of their courage to do it. "Everyone is a professional creator, and it's not difficult to make a play meet the standards, but after watching this play, the audience's ears are locked in the music and their hearts are filled with performance, which is the meaning of doing this play."
The stage play "The Murder at the Corridor Pavilion" has been creatively set with Easter eggs at the end of the play since 2020. Before each performance, one Easter egg will be drawn, achieving the reversal, reversal, and re reversal of the mystery drama "Who is the murderer" and "There may be more than one murderer" in the theater. In this upgraded version, the number of Easter eggs will increase. Zhao Miao revealed, "All the Easter eggs that were never played before will also be released in this round, and there will be different Easter eggs for different city tours."
