19th century French novel adapted for Chinese stage
Avant-garde theater director Meng Jinghui's latest work, "Le Rouge et Le Noir" (The Red and the Black), an adaptation of a psychological novel of the same name by French literary giant Stendhal made its Shanghai debut last weekend.
The play, performed at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, explores a love triangle among three protagonists – Julien Sorel, Madame de Renal and Mathilde. Meng's rendition has distinguishing features, including performers' exaggerated emotions and neurotic motions; flamboyant music; long recondite monologues; and real-time videography – a cameraman projects close-up shots of the performance onto a screen on the stage.
The play is adapted from French literary giant Stendhal's novel of the same name.
Still, the play is considered one of Meng's most audience-friendly shows, as most of the plot follows the original storyline.
Julien is a provincial young man with fierce ambitions. He becomes the tutor of the mayor's family and seduces the mayor's wife, Madame de Renal. Following a seminary stay, he goes to Paris where he gets the aristocratic Mathilde pregnant. Madame de Renal exposes Julien before his marriage. The furious Julien then tries to kill Madame, and is executed for it.
The adventures of the hero satirize early 19th-century French society, accusing the aristocracy and Catholic clergy of being hypocritical and materialistic, foretelling the radical changes that will soon depose them from their leading roles in French society.
Meng Jinghui's rendition of "The Red and the Black" has distinguishing features, including performers' exaggerated emotions and neurotic motions.
In the play, Meng skips Julien's famous statement made at court prior to his execution. The statement, which explains Julien's standpoint on issues like social class and personal value, is regarded by many as the marrow of the novel.
Instead, Meng fills the last 30 minutes of the three-hour play with passion, erotic monologues and conversation among the protagonists. The theater lit up when actors leaped off the stage and performed on the main floor of the auditorium.
According to Meng, the play's loyalty to the original novel is not so much in its plot as in the energy and spirit it conveys. In his interpretation, emotional entanglement, jealousy and physical desire eventually lead to Julien's downfall.
During his stay in Shanghai, Meng answered audience questions.
The play stars award-winning actress Mei Ting (right) and veteran actor Zhang Yicheng (left).
Q: Why did you pick "The Red and the Black" for adaptation?
A: It's one of my favorite novels. In this chapter of my career, I feel myself ready for it. The characters carry enormous energy, so I kept the plot and gave the story a structure suitable for the stage.
Q: What's your interpretation of "red" and "black?"
A: The colors of red and black can be interpreted to symbolize people, emotions, ideology and social structure ... To me, different interpretations are what matters most. There shouldn't be any one definition. The audience's interpretation of red and black may develop during the play. It has to be an open answer, otherwise the fun and value are lost.
Meng Jinghui (second left) joins a communication session with audience at Shanghai Oriental Art Center.
Q: The play features star actress Mei Ting as Madame de Renal. What's your standard for cast choice?
A: Mei Ting looks cool and calm, which suits her role and creates a contrast with other performers. However, both Mei and Zhang Yicheng (who plays Julien) have paradoxical personalities, just like their roles. Despite their surface elegance, they hide a great deal of uncertainty and hesitation within. I enlarge their personalities on stage. I'll tell you a secret. Zhang plays the saxophone well and practices guitar three hours a day, while Mei practices boxing. Their hobbies have nothing to do with their acting career, but supply them with energy and enrich them in a way. That's why I admire them.
Q: A lot of readers of the novel remember Julien's statement at court well. Why didn't you highlight it in the play?
A: It doesn't suit the structure I designed. But I'm thinking about creating a nine-hour version in the future, which will include the court statement. Nine hours is long, just like the process of falling in love and developing a meaningful relationship. One experiences excitement at first, followed by the challenges posed as the relationship matures, and possible weariness in the end. I hope our take on the novel can help audiences appreciate the work from another dimension.
