The soldiers shed tears one after another, and in this Korean War drama, the children | Wang Cheng | play
Liu Xuanrui didn't shed much tears and played the protagonist Wang Chengqian in "Heroic Children". He was worried that he wouldn't be able to cry on stage. Maiduo, who plays Wang Fang, cries every day. "I'm worried that I'll be tired and have no tears on the day of the official performance." From July 20th to 22nd, the large-scale play "Heroes and Daughters" at the Shanghai Theatre Art Center was polished and upgraded, and will be staged at the National Theatre from July 27th to 29th.
"Wang Cheng" and "Wang Fang" rehearsed opposite scenes, and director Hu Zongqi inspired Liu Xuanrui, saying, "Remember the face in front of you, you may never see her again tomorrow." Hu Zongqi said, and Liu Xuanrui cried every day. "I don't worry about crying anymore. When it's time, there will definitely be tears." Hu Zongqi repeatedly reminded the actors to give up distractions and not think too much. Maido became confident, "There will definitely be tears in the formal performance, and I truly feel that everything is connected."
Last year, the premiere of "Heroes and Daughters" left a deep impression on Liu Xuanrui with the live audience. "At the closing ceremony, a little girl saluted us, and the families of revolutionary martyrs and veteran soldiers of the volunteer army pulled us to say thank you. After this Shanghai performance," Heroes and Daughters "will be reviewed by audiences in Beijing, showcasing patriotism."
Fu Chong, who played Wang Fang's adoptive father Wang Fubiao, also played Gu Hongming in the play "Awakening Era". "From Gu Hongming to Wang Fubiao, we need to clear the state of the previous play. As a Shanghai worker, Wang Fubiao was a character that I had less exposure to in the past. Playing him well requires effort and showcasing his honest and straightforward personality."
In July, in Shanghai, outdoor temperatures often exceeded 40 degrees Celsius, and "Heroes and Daughters" was rehearsed in full swing. One day at noon, the air conditioning in the rehearsal hall suddenly malfunctioned. The actors wore cotton jackets and carried 15 pounds of luggage, performing in the scorching heat for 90 minutes. Cotton hats became containers for sweat, and cotton clothes and pants were quickly soaked.
There is a plot in "Heroes and Daughters" where a volunteer soldier warms his feet with snow. Soldier Xiao Sichuan's feet are numb from the cold, and Wang Cheng rubs them with snow, hoping to slowly recover, otherwise Xiao Sichuan's feet will be useless. This plot is based on the real memories of volunteer soldiers. In the ice and snow battlefield near minus 40 degrees Celsius, frontline supplies were scarce, and their feet were numb with cold, so they could only be rubbed with snow.
Most of the actors in the crew are of the same age as the volunteer soldiers of that year. During the rehearsal, they truly felt the inheritance of the spirit of resisting US aggression and aiding Korea, and felt the determination of Chinese soldiers to face hardships with determination and move forward. Gao Zepeng, who plays Little Sichuan, said, "I researched historical materials and watched the volunteer soldiers recount their experiences back then. What kind of feeling is minus 40 degrees Celsius? It has a deeper impact. Compared to volunteer soldiers, our lives now are too happy, and the small hardships during rehearsals are just small fights and small disturbances."
Under the care of the Propaganda Department of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, the large-scale play "Heroic Sons and Daughters" was guided by the Shanghai Veterans Affairs Bureau and the Political Work Bureau of the Shanghai Garrison. It was jointly produced by the Shanghai Drama Art Center, the Longhua Martyrs Cemetery in Shanghai, and the Shanghai Military Support Foundation. The drama is based on Ba Jin's novel "Reunion" and a movie of the same name shot by Changchun Film Studio. It tells the story of Shanghai volunteer soldier Wang Cheng and Wang Fang's siblings who bravely fight on the Korean War. After Wang Cheng's heroic sacrifice, Wang Fang reunites and reunites with his adoptive father Wang Fubiao and biological father Wang Wenqing on the battlefield.
Screenwriter Yu Rongjun wrote in his creative notes, "Today, we praise heroes not only to commemorate their deeds in the past, but also to promote the spirit of heroes, draw strength from them, and learn and live better. Our peaceful life today is not easy to come by, and it requires the careful care, cherish, and love of each and every one of us. This is the significance of creating" Heroic Children "again."
The re performance of "Heroes and Daughters" on stage has intensified the portrayal and rendering of war scenes, and through realistic stage settings, it vividly conveys the vivid hero images in complex situations to the audience. Two 6-meter-high photo paper fragments connect the family story behind the front line, with three winding high platforms and six sets of scenes moving back and forth to form various battlefield shapes. Dozens of actors, dressed in cannon fodder, shuttle through tunnels, military headquarters, hospitals, etc. under the scorching fire of war. Hu Zongqi takes the "battle" related paragraphs as an opportunity to bring audiences a different on-site viewing experience from novels and movies.
In 2022, nearly 10000 viewers, aged from 7 to 91, walked into the theater to watch "Heroes and Daughters". Liu Xuanrui sighed, "Interpreting heroes is a challenge for me. Heroes are a symbol of spirit. Our generation of literary and artistic workers have taken on the mission and are doing their best to showcase a trustworthy, lovely, and respectable image of China to the audience."
