918 grand opening
The entire Almeida Theater was pitch black, and you couldn't see your fingers. Silence and silence spread slowly. There was a dull sound of weak breathing and low voices. There was a faint sense of depression in the heat, as if waiting for someone. Erupting all the time, like a volcano.
“With a crisp sound, a row of lights directly behind the stage lit up, weak and hazy, projecting an off-white curtain across the center of the stage. The front side near the audience seat was empty, with nothing. There are no objects, no actors, not even lights. Only the outline of the stage can be captured through a blurry halo..
The restless sound seemed to be more surging, but it only lasted for a moment, and then calmed down. Before the audience realized it, they couldn't help but hold their breath because there was movement on the stage..
A figure appeared at the very end of the stage, walking straight diagonally from the left, slowly, heavily, and resolutely. The weak light projected the figure on the off-white curtain. The face could not be seen, but could only be sketched. The outline of a figure appears, but with the footsteps, it becomes taller and taller, the higher and more majestic it is, as if it stands upright and can support the weight of the entire world..
With no lines and no face, the majesty of this figure and the decisiveness of his steps outline the majestic momentum and magnificent formation in just a few strokes. Just a figure, just a few steps, but in every step. The heart of an audience is hammered heavily. The original story of "Les Misérables" is so heavy that it sets the tone of the entire play..
The figure is moving forward; in my ears, there is humming, "Humph...hum hum... hum... hum... hum hum..." That ethereal and light hum has no lyrics, only the melody, but it is calling With the excitement and excitement in the blood, the echo effect inside the theater created an effect of the Holy Spirit singing hymns, which surged above the eardrums..
Arthur Hall couldn't help but adjust his sitting posture slightly. At this time, they were sitting in their own exclusive box. The view from the top was extremely clear, and the entire stage was in front of him. Even on the second floor, he could still feel The majesty of the projection and the slightest momentum spread with the steps..
“This song..." Arthur listened to the tune..
This song is so familiar, it was the outro to the Queen's Theater production of "Les Misérables": "Do-You-Hear-Peolple-Sing"）”.
The call song from the Parisian People's Uprising, the martyrs who sacrificed their lives sang loudly, calling on every tortured and suffering people to stand up, resist the power, and fight for their own dawn with their own hands. At the end of the story, with Such an impassioned melody, inspiring and truly reaching a climax.
Now, Renly's version of "Les Misérables" uses this melody in the opening scene. It's just a fragmented melody humming, but under the projection of the curtain, the image of the bard is outlined, walking on the street. Wandering in the alleys, I witnessed the suffering and torture of society. I felt something in my heart, so I compiled it into a song..
There are still no unnecessary objects or actors on the stage, but with a figure and a tune, the Paris and even France described by Victor Hugo are presented to the tip of the iceberg. Every audience - to be precise, every Anyone who has read the original work or understood the play can picture the vivid scene in their mind..
This is the disadvantage of drama, the lack of image association; but at this moment it becomes the advantage of drama, letting the audience's imagination fly. At the same time, under the guidance of the actors, the picture is painted.
Arthur straightened his back and leaned forward. He knew that the voice belonged to Renly; as soon as he appeared on the stage, Renly showed his dramatic acting skills to the fullest, and at this time they didn't even see Renly's face. , and didn’t hear any lines.
“Hum, hum hum..." The bard's humming floated melodiously, and then injected with lyrics, evolving into a folk tune that came to his lips, "Have you heard people singing, in the dark night valley, the songs echoed……”
Instead of singing impassionedly, he whistled and sang softly with grass roots in his mouth. The vague lyrics could only capture fragmented fragments, but they attracted the audience's attention and led them into the plot bit by bit. Enter the world hidden behind the curtain.
“This song belongs to those who strive to climb towards the light, the suffering people on the earth. The flame of hope will never be extinguished. Even the darkest night will eventually go away, and the sun will eventually rise.！”
Gradually, the singing calmed down and the steps stopped. Standing behind the curtain, the tall figure reached its peak at this moment, with its feet on the earth and the sky above its head. Its strong shoulders carried the darkness and chaos of the entire world. Finally, The sound completely disappeared, the movements completely calmed down, and the entire theater fell into silence..
Silence slowly spreads again.
On the projection, you can see that the figure is panting, and the undulating chest and shoulder lines reveal the heaviness; when the silence reaches the extreme, even the sound of breathing and heartbeat completely disappears, and without warning, the projection suddenly The earth opened its arms, and the milky-yellow light suddenly brightened, as if fragments of light from heaven were falling down..
But as soon as he exhaled and breathed in, the skylight disappeared again and returned to the slight halo before. Then, the figure began to twist and jump, turning sideways in the air, and began to circle around the stage. One after another, it set off Waves of air rushed into the darkness, there was a loud "bang", and the thunder of guns and thunder fell like a heavy rain in an instant, and the plot immediately became smooth and compact..
When the figure reappeared, he was holding a bread stick in his hand. On the other end of the stage was an old woman and seven young and thin children. Their figures were bustling under the curtain; behind them were poor people. The figure of the chasing baker threw the bread in his hand towards the other end of the stage, but it was raised high and fell heavily, with no success..
Then, he was overtaken by the shopkeeper. After a burst of blows with sticks, the man completely curled up on the ground, holding his head firmly, withstanding the impact of the strong wind and rain..
Everything is projected on the screen like a shadow puppet show, but it does not affect the plot of the story at all. It flows smoothly and in one go..
Immediately afterwards, behind the curtain, law enforcement officers came on stage with batons in hand and joined in the beating. Finally, they dragged the dying and unconscious man off the stage. Just when everyone thought that the opening was over, the lights flashed. As soon as the lights dimmed and the lights came on, twenty or thirty actors appeared directly in front of the curtain, and the stage was immediately filled..
Some were sitting on the roadside begging in ragged clothes, some were lying on the roadside with wine bottles, some were selling their handicrafts, and some were rummaging through the garbage with baskets... There were a lot of chatter. Out, French mixed with English, vulgar and vulgar terms, rushing in my ears.
The law enforcement officers dragged the man, like a march, to the left side of the stage, marching towards the right side of the stage with high-spirited steps, showing off their "trophies". The people around him were indifferent and unresponsive. , after the brief stay of eyes, everyone continued busy with what they were doing, seemingly not surprised at all..
All eyes fell on that man.
He was the figure behind the curtain just now; but at this time, his face could not be seen clearly, his messy hair was hanging down, and his shabby clothes were falling apart under the pull of the police chief; the intersection of light and dark light fell on his face On the top, a vague glimpse is sketched, but the complete facial features are still unable to be described..
Amidst the chaos and noise, the bard-like humming came faintly again, "Hum hum, hum hum..." This time, it was not that man, but coming from an unknown place, perhaps hidden somewhere. The anonymous voice in the corner may be a cry from deep inside people's hearts, but in that moving and melodious humming, the man was dragged into the darkness by the law enforcement officers and disappeared completely..
“"Les Misérables" officially kicked off！
In the Queen's Theater version of the story, Jean Valjean's plot has been simplified and condensed and presented in the form of a aria; in the movie version, it is simply omitted. hit.
Today's version of the Almeida Theater has also been simplified and refined, but the focus of the narrative is on the social background of Paris at that time, including Jean Valjean's behavior of stealing bread, the tragic situation after his arrest, and what the onlookers were used to. With his indifference, he sketched out the ukiyo-e of Paris in just a few strokes..
In the original novel, a full chapter is used to present the current situation of the entire society through the perspective of Bishop Miriam; now, the Almeida Theater presents it in a unique way. The performance is less than five minutes. The fragment is grand and majestic, creating unimaginable visual and auditory shocks in the limited stage space..
Alistair Smith raised his eyebrows slightly, with an expression of interest in his eyes..
Such an expression technique, with some innovation, is presented in the form of a shadow play; but it is more of a return to the tradition of the stage, and the actors' performance tension tells the story. But just this is not enough to interest Alistair. , the point is that John Corder’s ingenious conception, through the actors’ wonderful performances, truly pushed the dramatic tension of the story to the highest point.
Renly Hall, this young and energetic actor, captured the hearts of London's West End in just one appearance.
Such an opening can be called a small surprise. There are not many surprises, but it brings some surprises within a reasonable range. More importantly, the small pattern at the beginning gives a glimpse of the ambition of the entire play. This is indeed Make people feel happy.
Everyone is curious about how the Almeida Theater should present it with Pearl in front. Whether it is the Queen's Theater version or the original novel, "Les Misérables" is so familiar that there is really limited room for performance; but with your own eyes After witnessing it, this version still found a new way in a unique and profound way, firmly grasping the curiosity of the audience..
Even an old fox like Alistair is really focused: Surprise, are there any more?？
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