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| Yi Nenghjing co-stars mainland pop singer Lin
Yilun in the paly "Zhou Xuan." (sohu)
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"Zhi zi hua, bai lan hua," cries a little girl in
the Shanghai dialect, as she peddles cape
jasmine and magnolia
from a basket on her arm.
A man passes by in a rickshaw ,
a graceful young woman dressed in qipao by his side. They pull up in front
of a nightclub, lit by a shining neon
lamp
.
So typical a scene of Shanghai in the 1930s and 1940s, at once the
audience is transported back to the old days and into the life of one of
the most popular singers and film stars of the time, Zhou Xuan.
Following on from its well-received premiere in Shanghai last week, the
play "Zhou Xuan" opens tonight in Beijing for two shows at the Poly
Theatre.
Considered the first pop diva in modern China, Zhou rose to fame at the
age of 14, and in a career which spanned little more than a dozen years,
starred in some 40 films and recorded 200 songs, some have remained
popular until today.
She died aged 37 and her brief life was a tale of fame coupled with
personal tragedies.
Over the years, there have been novels, movies, television series and
musicals that have sought to depict the rise and fall of this star.
The current production, directed by Wang Jiana and
Bai Yongcheng, focuses on Zhou's career as well as her personal life
behind the scenes and camera. The time
frame
covers her life from the age of 14 - when she
won a singing contest which propelled her into entertainment circles - to
27 when her career peaked.
In particular it tells of the two great romances in Zhou's life - that
between Zhou and her husband Yan Hua and her adopted brother Zhou Lu'an.
Yi Nengjing, the popular singer and television actress from Taiwan
plays the title role.
Yi herself is a versatile artist and her manner and temperament are
quite close to Zhou, says Bai Yongcheng, who co-directs the play.
Yi sings about 20 of Zhou's trademark songs,
including her most popular "Songs of the Four Seasons" (Siji Ge) and
"Singing Girl" (Tianya Genu). In some scenes, old cine film
of Zhou forms a backdrop on the stage, and Yi
sings an evocative duet with her character.
"The play is rich in the nostalgic flavour of 1930s Shanghai. The
music, the movie skits, the setting of the nightclub and neon lights
transport the audience back to that extraordinary time. Yi devoted herself
to the role and gives a convincing portrayal," comments Lun Bing, the
Beijing Youth Daily's theatre reporter who attended the premiere in
Shanghai.
The co-director Wang Jiana also rates Yi's performance highly, likening
her to Vivien Leigh.
At the press conference ahead of the play's Beijing's run, Yi revealed
how she had tried to immerse herself in Zhou's character.
"I lived in Shanghai alone to prepare for the play. I watched the
videos of her movies and listened to her songs. The wall of my bedroom in
Shanghai was full of Zhou's pictures and posters," she said.
Lin Yilun who plays Zhou's husband Yan Hua recounted a story of how
deeply Yi became absorbed in Zhou's tragic life.
One day after rehearsals they went to a bar in
Shanghai with composer Tan Dun and some other friends to unwind . While they were all enjoying
themselves chatting and drinking, Yi, who was a little tipsy
, started
sobbing.
Tan asked, "What makes you unhappy? You have a happy family, a loving
husband, two lovely boys and successful career in both Taiwan and
mainland."
The actress answered, "If I were happy, I wouldn't have been Zhou
Xuan."
Looking a little uneasy, Yi explained, "I just tried to feel her soul
with my soul, to get close to her and to feel her."
She also said she felt both excited and nervous when she played in
Shanghai, because "it is the place where Zhou performed."
But Yi's portrayal is not simply that of a pretty singer and sad woman
caught in an unhappy marriage and under enormous social pressure at the
height of her fame.
"Before I started rehearsing, I supposed Zhou was a
fragile and simple woman. However, the more I entered her inner world, the
more I felt she was a brave, open-minded, sophisticated and unyielding
woman and that is
what I want to portray on stage," said Yi.
"When their marriage is in trouble and the husband, Yan, beats her up,
she refuses to submit and bursts out, 'you should not humiliate me in this
way.' I could feel her rebellion and forthrightness," explained Yi.
Another example of her strength of character was how she divorced her
husband, by issuing a public notice in a newspaper, and waiving all claim
to any property or compensation.
"How bold she was at a time when most people felt divorce was something
very shameful and women still lived on men," Yi said.
Zhou Xuan was born to a family named Su in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province.
Adopted at the age of 3 by one family, she finally ended up in another
named Zhou in Shanghai.
They sent her to a local song and dance ensemble when she was around 7
and when she was 12, Zhou joined "The Bright Moon," a then famous song and
dance troupe in Shanghai, where she gradually rose in fame with her
enchanting voice.
In 1934, the 14-year-old Zhou took part in a singing contest held in
Shanghai, winning the second prize and the title "golden voice" by the
press.
Before long she was singing professionally and playing some supporting
roles in films. Her talent marked her out, and soon she was playing lead
roles and recording some of the most popular songs of the day. In 1938,
she married Yan Hua, a singer and actor. But their marriage did not last
long and they divorced in 1941 - Zhou's star was rising as her husband's
fell.
Later Zhou moved to Hong Kong where she had an affair with a
businessman, which floundered. A failed marriage, a broken love affair and
an obsession with getting back to the top in movies unbalanced her. Her
psychiatric problems worsened after she returned to Shanghai in the early
1950s, and in 1957 she contracted and died from encephalitis.
(China Daily) | 
Updated: 2005-05-19 11:03
