Nine Hundred and Eighteenth Grand Opening

The entire Almeida Theater was pitch-dark, and the five fingers could not be stretched out. Silence and silence were slowly spreading. The faint sound of breathing and the low voice of discussion sounded dull, and there was a little depression in the heat, as if waiting for someone. The eruption of time is like a volcano.

There was a crisp sound, and a row of lights just behind the stage lit up, faint and hazy, projecting an off-white curtain across the center of the stage, right in front of the side near the auditorium, empty and nothing. , there are no objects, no actors, not even lights, only the outline of the stage can be captured through a blurred halo.

The restless sound seemed to be more surging, but it was only a moment, and then it calmed down. Before the audience realized it, they couldn't help holding their breath, because there was movement on the stage.

A figure appeared at the rear end of the stage, walking straight from the left diagonally, advancing slowly, heavily, and resolutely. The weak light projected the figure on the off-white curtain. No face could be seen, but only a sketch could be drawn. A silhouette appeared, but with the footsteps, it became taller, taller and more majestic, as if standing on the ground, able to support the weight of the entire world.

With no lines and no face, the majesty of this figure and the resoluteness of his footsteps, but in just a few strokes, he outlines a majestic momentum and a magnificent battle, just one figure, just a few steps, but in every stroke. A heavy hammering on the heart of an audience, belonging to the weight of the original story of "Les Miserables", established the tone of the entire play.

The figure is moving forward; in the ear, there is a humming, "Hum... hum hum... hum... hum hum..." The ethereal and light humming, without lyrics, only tunes, is calling With the excitement and excitement in the blood, the echo effect inside the theater created a kind of effect of the Holy Spirit singing a hymn, which was vast and agitated above the eardrum.

Arthur Hall couldn't help but adjust his sitting position a little. At this time, they were sitting in their own private box, the commanding view was extremely clear, and the whole stage was unobstructed; even on the second floor, he could still feel it. The projection is majestic, and the momentum spreads in the stride.

"This song..." Arthur listened to the tune.

The song is so familiar it's the ending to the Queen's version of Les Miserables: "Do-You-Hear-Peolple-Sing".

The call for the uprising of the Paris people, the martyrs who died sang loudly, calling for every people who suffered and suffering, stand up, fight against the power, and fight for their own dawn with their own hands. At the end of the story, with such an impassioned melody, it's inspiring and truly reaches the climax/climax.

Now, Renly's version of "Les Miserables" uses this melody in the opening scene. It's just a fragmented tune humming, but under the projection of the screen, the image of a bard is outlined.

Wandering in the streets and alleys, witnessing the suffering and torment of the society, I felt something and felt something, so I compiled it into a song.

There are still no superfluous objects and actors on the stage, but with a figure and a tune, the Paris and even France described by Victor Hugo are presented as the tip of the iceberg. Every audience-to be precise, every audience. An audience who has read the original book or knows the play can draw that vivid scene in their minds.

This is the disadvantage of drama, lacking the association of images; but it has become the advantage of drama at this moment, letting the audience's imagination fly. At the same time, it is still under the guidance of the actor to paint the picture.

Arthur straightened his back and leaned forward. He knew that the voice belonged to Renly; as soon as he appeared, Renly showed his dramatic acting skills to the fullest, and at this time they didn't even see Renly's face or hear any lines.

"Hum, hum hum..." The bard's humming wafted melodiously, and then the lyrics were injected into the ballad tunes that came out of his mouth, "Did you hear people singing, the dark night and the valley, the singing echoed..."

Instead of singing loudly and impassively, he whistled and sang softly with grass roots in his mouth. The ambiguous lyrics can only capture fragmented fragments, but they attract the attention of the audience and enter the plot bit by bit. Enter the world hidden behind the curtain.

"This song belongs to those who strive to climb to the light, the suffering people above the earth, the flame of hope will never be extinguished, even the darkest night will eventually pass away, and the sun will eventually rise!"

Gradually, the singing calmed down and the footsteps stopped. Standing behind the curtain, the tall figure reached its peak at this moment, with his feet on the ground and the sky above his head, his firm shoulders shouldered the darkness and chaos of the whole world. In the end, the sound disappeared completely, the movement completely calmed down, and the entire theater fell into tranquility. among.

Silence, slowly spreading again.

Above the projection, you can see that the figure is breathing, the undulating chest and shoulders reveal the heavyness; when the silence reaches the extreme, even the sound of breathing and heartbeat disappears completely, and without warning, the projection is violent. Di opened his arms, and the cream-yellow light was instantly bright, as if fragments of heaven's light were scattered.

But at the moment of exhaling and breathing, the sky light disappeared again, returning to the previous faint halo. Afterwards, the figure began to churn and jump, the action of volleying and rolling around the stage, one after another, setting off a wave of air, rushing into the darkness, a loud "bang", and the thunder of guns and guns instantly Like a torrential rain, the plot immediately became smooth and compact.

When the figure reappeared, holding a long bread stick in his hand, on the other side of the stage was an elderly woman and seven young and thin children, their figures bustlingly projected under the curtain; Chasing the beating baker, the figure threw the bread in his hand towards the other end of the stage, but it rose high and fell heavily, without success.

Then, he was overtaken by the shopkeeper, beaten with a stick, and the man completely curled up on the ground, holding his head firmly, bearing the impact of the wind and rain.

Everything, like a shadow puppet, is projected on the screen, but it does not affect the plot of the story at all, flowing smoothly and in one go.

Then, behind the curtain, law enforcement officers came on stage with batons, joined the beatings, and finally dragged the dying, unconscious man off the stage. Just when everyone thought that the opening was over, as soon as the lights dimmed and the lights came on, there were twenty or thirty actors in front of the curtain, and the stage was immediately filled.

Some are sitting on the roadside begging in ragged clothes, some are lying on the roadside with wine bottles, some are hawking their handicrafts, and some are rummaging for garbage with baskets... Out, French mixed with English, vulgar and vulgar terms, surging in my ears.

The law enforcement officers dragged the man, like a marching army, and appeared on the left side of the stage, striding high, showing their "trophies" and marching towards the right side of the stage. The people around were numb and unresponsive. After a brief linger of sight, everyone continued to work on their own affairs, as if not surprised at all.

All eyes were on the man.

He was the figure behind the curtain just now; but at this time, his face was not clearly visible, his messy hair was falling down, and the shabby clothes were falling apart under the pull of the sheriff; , sketching a vague glimpse, but still unable to describe the complete facial features.

In the clutter and noise, the bard-like humming came faintly again, "Hum, hum..." This time, it wasn't the man, but from an unknown place, perhaps hidden somewhere. Anonymous in the corner may be a cry from people's hearts, but in the melodious humming, the man was dragged into the darkness by the law enforcement officers and disappeared completely.

"Les Miserables" officially kicks off!

In the Queen's Theatre version of the story, Jean-Valjean's plot has been simplified and condensed and presented in the form of arias; in the film version, it was simply omitted. As soon as Jean-Valjean appeared, he was in prison. bingo.

Today's version of the Teatro Almeida has also been simplified and refined, but the focus of the narrative is on the social background of Paris at that time, with Jean Valjean's stealing of bread, the tragedy after his arrest, and the habit of onlookers The indifference of the artist, he sketched the Ukiyo-e of Paris in just a few strokes.

In the original book, a chapter was devoted to presenting the current situation of the whole society through the perspective of Bishop Miliere; now, the Almeida Theatre presents it in a unique way. The performance segment of less than five minutes is magnificent and majestic, creating an unimaginable visual and auditory shock in the limited stage space.

Alistair Smith raised his eyebrows slightly, and there was an expression of interest in his eyes.

This way of expression, with some innovation, is presented in the form of shadow play; but it is more of a return to the tradition of the stage, and the actor's performance tension tells the story. But that alone is not enough to interest Alistair. The point is that John Codd's ingenious conception, through the wonderful performance of the actors, really pushes the dramatic tension of the story to the highest point.

Renly Hall, the young and energetic actor, has captured the hearts of London's West End with just one appearance.

This opening can be regarded as a small surprise. There are not too many surprises, but it brings a little surprise within a reasonable range. More importantly, the small pattern of the opening gives a glimpse of the ambition of the whole play. Makes people happy.

Everyone was curious about how the Almeida Theater should be presented with Zhuyu in front. Whether it's the Queen's Theatre version or the original, "Les Miserables" has limited room to play when it's familiar to everyone; but after witnessing it with one's own eyes, this version still uses a unique and profound way to find another way and firmly capture the curiosity of the audience. .

Even an old fox like Alistair really focused: Surprise, what else?