Heavy! Rimas Tuminas' 5-hour drama "War and Peace" first stop in China tour in Shanghai
World-class theater master Rimas Tuminas, who passed away in March this year, was renowned in the theater world for his unique "new fantasy realism" style. His dramatic works deeply explore people's self and pursuit of faith, using simple stage design and improvisational rehearsal methods to create stage effects that are both real and fantasy-like. In recent years, his works have frequently come to China, causing a sensation every time they are performed.
Tuminas's drama "War and Peace" adapted from Leo Tolstoy's masterpiece of the same name is about to start a China tour, with its first stop at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, where it will be performed for four consecutive days from August 22 to 25. Tickets for the five-hour drama will go on sale at 11:00 on May 15.
Tuminas's drama "War and Peace" performed for four days in Shanghai, the first stop of China tour
"War and Peace" is a celebration drama that Tuminas rehearsed for the 100th anniversary of the Russian Vakhtangov Theater. It was also his last work for the theater as artistic director. It won the highest Russian national drama award. 8 nominations for the "Golden Mask Award" and the "Special Jury Award".
"War and Peace" tells the story of the rise, fall, success, failure, joys and sorrows of several families such as the Rostov, Bolkonsky and Kuragin families. The play is full of Tuminas' imaginative deconstruction of Tolstoy's works, almost Many key scenes such as the appearance of the big family, Natasha's waltz, the quarrel between Pierre and Helen, Prince Bolkonsky's monologue, and Prince Andrei's death will be shown one by one. The author Toon plays the role of the protagonist in the play. Characters will also appear on stage.
According to Tuminas, every plot of "War and Peace" is tied to the profound theme of the wandering soul. Therefore, in "War and Peace", he downplayed the historical background and period decorations, leaving only a towering gray wall in the entire scene. He did not recreate any historical scenes, but focused on the collapse of personal dreams and family destiny. The red handkerchiefs and green scarves that suddenly appeared during the performance were the few bright lights.
The actors' physical expression is more obvious, and elements such as piano, cloth, and dolls commonly used by Tuminas are also used. He used sound, light and shadow to create a world that is both real and dreamy, and showed the cruelty of war in a simple and tragic way: all the war dead were replaced with military coats and placed in a haphazard manner on the stage.
Tuminas began his career in theater in the late 1970s, when he was a student and frequently traveled between Lithuania and Russia. The collision and integration of cultures from different countries give his works a unique artistic charm.
Tuminas has rehearsed nearly 30 drama works in his life, and has won the Russian Federation State Award, the Order of Friendship and other commendations, as well as authoritative industry awards such as the "Golden Mask" and "Crystal Turandot". He and the Vakhtangov Theater are regarded as the "top of Russian theater".
The Vakhtangov Theater is one of the most prestigious theaters in Russia and even the world. The founder of the theater, Yevgeny Vakhtangov, studied under Konstantin Stanislavsky, who created the famous performance genre. As a pioneer in the theater world, Vakhtangov's artistic concepts have influenced the history of theater in the 20th and 21st centuries. Tuminas not only inherited Vakhtangov's "Fantasy Realism" drama genre, but also formed his own "New Fantasy Realism" creative style through constant exploration and practice.
On March 6, 2024, local time, Tuminas passed away in a hospital in Italy, and the theater community mourned him.
