old-school elegance still heals people
2024-08-29
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stills from "old-fashioned comedy".
jin liwei
the beijing people's art theatre's well-received play old-fashioned comedy, starring li youbin and shi lanya, has been receiving increasing audience enthusiasm since its premiere in 2019. this year's performance at cao yu theatre was sold out as soon as tickets were released. old-fashioned comedy is old-fashioned and elegant, dignified and profound. the love between the two elderly people is subtle and meaningful, and the young audience in the audience also resonates with it.
the entire plot of "old-fashioned comedy" can be summarized in one sentence: "in the sanatorium on the riga seaside, there was an unpleasant short-term recuperation and a twilight romance." however, there are waves hidden under the plainness. the protagonists of the play are two elderly people in their sixties, one is a doctor in the sanatorium, and the other is a female guest who comes for short-term recuperation. when they first met, they were incompatible and even had some aversion to each other's concepts, habits, personalities, and tastes. the whole play has nine scenes, which are nine daily fragments, accidental encounters in cafes and outside theaters, and several conversations in hospitals, sanatoriums, and seaside. gradually, their past life experiences are sorted out into a clear timeline. at the same time, it also gradually unfolds the loneliness of the two people after experiencing the pain of war.
this is not a play that attracts audiences with complex plots and fierce conflicts. the strongest part of the dramatic conflict is the two protagonists' completely different personalities: one is old-fashioned and serious, abiding by conventions; the other is cheerful and free-spirited. however, as they talk in a subtle and humorous way, the audience gradually discovers that they are actually the same kind of people: no matter what my life is like, i will always be passionate and persistent in life. the doctor experienced the pain of losing his wife in the war. every morning for more than 30 years, he would go to his wife's tombstone to offer a bouquet of flowers, and would also decorate a beautiful room for his daughter who was far away. the female guest was once a drama actor. after experiencing the pain of losing her son in the war, she found that she could no longer perform. but even if she switched to a circus and could only be a ticket seller, she still loved singing and dancing, and loved all the beauty in life. she didn't want people to see her loneliness and pity her. although the love between the two was born through collision, it was a flame that burst out from the depths of life, making people feel that it was a natural result without any deliberateness.
"old-fashioned comedy" was created in the 1970s and is a work by soviet playwright arbuzhov in his later years. at that time, his artistic style had already been perfected - through the delicate portrayal of the characters' daily life and inner heart, it showed the warmth and sincerity between people. in this play, arbuzhov condensed deeper and warmer emotions than before with his quiet and deep dialogue. at that time, decades had passed since the second world war, and the trauma of the war was gradually covered up, but it was difficult to truly heal. with his keen insight into life, the playwright peeked into the inner world that people deliberately concealed, so he wrote about two ordinary people who were deeply buried in the pain of war in "old-fashioned comedy". there was no lack of romantic brilliance in their lightly described daily life, and deep emotions were hidden in their superficial interactions. he strongly praised the positivity and love in human nature as a good medicine to treat inner trauma, which made people feel warm and still full of hope for life.
in addition to "old-fashioned comedy", arbuzhov also has a work called "my poor marat" which was also performed at the people's art theater small theater. the latter is the lifelong theme of the playwright: taking young people who pursue happiness and find the meaning of life as the protagonists, and through their life experiences and inner struggles, showing the process of personal growth and spiritual exploration. however, "old-fashioned comedy" is obviously more popular. from the faces of the young audiences who are persistently waiting for the actors' autographs outside the theater, it can be seen that they have a deep resonance with it. perhaps it can be explained in this way that young people of every generation have their own confusion, and the love and passion from the depths of life are eternal existences that transcend national borders, times, and generations. photographed by our reporter fang fei
(source: beijing daily)
