What is Mao Mengda's secret?, Solo "Laughter at Shikumen" Plays Until 5th Year Brand | Box Office | Secret
"I originally only wanted to do 20 shows, but I didn't expect it to last for 5 years." On September 15th and 16th, the solo play "Laughter at Shikumen" celebrated its 5th anniversary of premiere and will return to its premiere at the DiLanXin Grand Theater. On August 14th, actor Mao Mengda revealed that "The Laughter of Shikumen" has been continuously upgraded and updated, "70% of the current version is new, and only 30% of the premiere content is retained."
Since its premiere in September 2018, the solo play "The Laughter of Shikumen" has performed nearly 140 times, becoming one of the most impressive performing brands in the Shanghai Performing Arts World box office. The ticket issuance for the 5th anniversary performance on September 15th and 16th has reached 70%.
"The Laughter of Shikumen" focuses on the changes and development of Shanghai culture, Shanghai manufacturing, Shanghai services, and Shanghai shopping since the reform and opening up. After a brief trial in the first round of performances at the Lanxin Grand Theater, it performed on-site at the newly renovated and opened Chinese Grand Theater in 2018. On June 20, 2021, a hundred commemorative performances of "Laughter at Shikumen" appeared in Shanghai Culture Square, and more than ten time-honored Shencheng brands with a long history, such as Sanqiang Group, Lao Fengxiang, Lao Dachang, Xinghualou, Shao Wansheng, Dafugui, Yu Garden Garden Co., Ltd., came to support them.
At the beginning of this year, "The Laughter of Shikumen" was performed at the Chinese Grand Theater. Mao Mengda and Shen Ronghai left the theater almost at 10:30 pm when they encountered a philosophy student from Fudan University holding a program album and asking for his signature. "The weather is very cold, and this audience is almost running their noses." The young people's love for traditional opera surprised Mao Mengda and Shen Ronghai. In 2024, Mao Mengda and Shen Ronghai will celebrate the 40th anniversary of their collaboration. "During the 100 commemorative performances of 'Laughter at Shikumen', we said it was a comma in our stage career. We will continue to write 'commas' until the 5th anniversary commemorative performance and the 40th anniversary of our collaboration, without a period."
For the past 5 years, "Laughter at Shikumen" has been constantly polished, abandoning old jokes and adding new topics. It not only shows interesting scenes such as "borrowing vinegar" to show Shikumen's neighborhood relationships, but also reminds viewers to start with children in the inheritance of Shanghai dialect. More than 100 cultural masters from Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta took the stage to become guests of "The Laughter of Shikumen". The most unforgettable experience for Mao Mengda and Shen Ronghai was a young guest - Sheng Xiaohan, a student from Gezhi Middle School who was brave enough to save the elderly, invited by the organizers in 2020 to watch "Laughter at Shikumen". Sheng Xiaohan said, "When I was a child, my family loved watching" Old Mother's Uncle ", and I was also watching it nearby. Today, I was able to watch the play live, and I was very happy."
In 2021, "The Laughter of Shikumen" made two appearances on Oriental TV, launching two special holiday programs focused on "clothing, food, housing, transportation" and "food, drink, and entertainment" in Shanghai, with high ratings. Last year's National Day, Dongfang TV invited performing artist Zheng Yuzhi to participate in the Double Ninth Festival special of the creative Shanghai style comedy "Laughter at Shikumen" and share her retirement and elderly care routine.
On online platforms, "The Laughter of Shikumen" also laughs loudly. Mao Mengda's Tiktok fans have reached nearly 670000, and audiences from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan are constantly entering the studio to listen to Shanghai stories. "Not beautiful, no filters, no headlights, only daily light." Mao Mengda laughed, his "Internet Touch" mainly focuses on simplicity. "I do live streaming without previews or sales, just want to chat with the audience, pick up my phone, and some netizens are still in the comment section saying they want to send me a microphone. Even shooting small videos is a passing, and the content is king. Crab eating small videos have over 9 million views."
In this live broadcast room that speaks Shanghainese, there are usually five to six thousand viewers, with a maximum of 12000 people. There is no script for the live broadcast, which focuses on the clothing, food, housing and transportation of Shanghainese. "For example, when talking about Dim sum in Shanghai, netizens and I recalled eating beef fried buns and cold noodles when we were children. The whole family shared two cold noodles, which tasted good, and the craftsmanship spirit of a century old shop." Behind the live broadcast, which seems to have a free theme, Mao Mengda always pondered the rhythm and spoke the language sense of Shanghainese. "Just like the stage performance, we should calm down, devote ourselves to the current hot life, grasp the latest current events and hot topics, such as the Zibo barbecue fire. In less than a week, it will appear in our works." He does not like to go The shortcut is to earn cheap laughter. "Only when the main business is well done, can words be heard. Ask the audience where you are and where I am. Make the solo like a concert, without artistic content."
In July of "The Laughter of Shikumen", Mao Mengda asked the live audience who had watched his live broadcast, and many people raised their hands. "I don't perform or sing in the live broadcast room, and I insist on being a chat anchor. I'm not a talent anchor, and if I want to watch a solo show, I have to come to the theater." Mao Mengda smiled, saying that because there are more and more young viewers watching the show live, they react quickly and have sharp laughter. Moreover, they often go out in the afternoon and watch the show after finishing their meal at a restaurant. " For the past five years, "The Laughter of Shikumen" has flourished in the surrounding business of Chinese theaters. The original hardware streets and restaurants have gradually increased, and in the past one or two years, internet famous afternoon tea shops have emerged.
During every performance, Mao Mengda finishes his meal before 4 pm and goes backstage at 5 pm. Both he and Shen Ronghai emphasize the need to maintain the curiosity, sensitivity, and logical performance of the actors. "A solid foundation, skilled language, and a connection with the hearts of Shanghai people make solo different from cross-talk and talk shows." From the theater to schools and nursing homes, "The Laughter of Shikumen" tells the story of "We, born and raised in this city, have our own unique language and humor. We use a new comedy model that combines tradition and modernity to express our love for this city in a humorous yet polite way."
