On April 12, the commencement ceremony of Lurking, a star-level drama produced by Beijing Poly Performing Co., Ltd. joined hands with Beijing Jia Hui Ben Mo Cultural Art Creation Co., Ltd. and Tianjin Jianxin Cultural Transmission Co., Ltd.
Chen Ke, General Manager of Beijing Poly Performing Co., Ltd., Long Yi, author of Lurking, Zhang Qian, a famous producer and CEO of Jia Hui Yi He, Jiang Tao, director of Lurking and its starring performers including Hong Jiantao, Hu Ke, Bao Wenjing, Fan Yulin, Zhang Nan, Zhang Jianxin, Wang Feng, Ma Xiaochuan, Mei Baolai and Li Xinxin attended the commencement ceremony.
The play that can be regarded as a model for spy series in China made its debut in the living theater. By focusing on the revolutionary ancestors, it reflected love stories and patriotic sentiments of small potatoes against the macro background, aroused people’s patriotic passions with its vivid and real artistic images, sang praise to revolutionary martyrs and carried forward the key note of the era.
With brand new creation, it unfolded its narration from the perspective of Cui Ping, the heroine. It subverted the impression of putting Yu Zecheng as the threadbare in its novel and TV program version and marked a new interpretation to the original book. It is another masterwork drama after In the Name of People, Stories in Office and Er Ma by Jia Hui Ben Mo.
01/ New interpretation of an old play: unique features in Long Yi’s Lurking
Lurking, the drama, was adapted from Lurking, novel authored by Long Yi, a famous writer. It expounded the spy life of underground Party members before Liberation and their stories of fighting against the enemies.
It is known that Lurking, the novel in 2009, went down well with the audience since it was adapted to TV program. It won many rewards including Bai Yu lan Reward, Fei Tian Reward and Gold Eagle Reward and has a wide base of audience. Audience has been yelling for Long Yi’s sequence work and other types of works in connection to Lurking.
As the author of the novel, Long Yi served as playwright and artistic guidance for Lurking, the drama. In the release conference, Long Yi put it, ‘That I sow a seed, its TV program version has grown into a towering tree. Hopefully its drama version will grow into another big tree.’
Long Yi, author of Detective, Assassinator and Lurking, has been known for his ‘skill flow’. He would draw maps of Chang’an before working on novels about Tang Dynasty. He would conduct simulation experiment on gun power-making when working on espionage works in order to attain authenticity.
Escorted by the prudent author of Long Yi, Lurking, the drama, is sure to bring to people new viewing experience and emotional consensus.
02/ Assistance by skilled performers: Lurking is different
By extending the structure of story of its original work, Lurking, the drama, puts love life of the hero and the heroine as the content to bring about mental activity and revolutionary spirits of female voluntary workers in a turbulent world.
It is different from previous version is that it will narrate its story from the perspective of Cui Ping, the female character in a bid to show psychological activities and revolutionary spirits of a female revolutionist.
So when choosing performers, Hu Ke and Bao Wenjing, two skilled performers, are invited to star the role of ‘Cui Ping’, for the drama. A quite girl in life, Hu Bei would play the vixenish Cui Ping. She smilingly claimed of ‘its release of a demon in her inner mind’.
It is interesting that Hu Ke used to star as the first love on the silver screen to Hong Jiantao who starred Yu Zecheng. Now the ‘first love couple’ turns into ‘false husband and wife’. It is believed that new sparkles will burst out.
Bao Wenjing, another performer of Cui Ping, will work with Hong Jiantao for the first time. She had a different impression on Yu before rehearsal but got charmed by Hong’s performing glamor during rehearsal. Bao Wenjing, who will show up in a drama for the first time, said ‘she was pressured and got drastic improvement on her lines’.
Yu Zecheng, hero of Lurking, is starred by Hong Jiantao, a senior performer. Lurking, the Drama, will start from a unique love story in a bid to embody shifts in the revolutionary era.
It is without dispute that Hong Jiantao, a performer who will star Yu Zecheng, is competent to portray the character.
It merits our efforts to mention that it will mark Hong’s involvement in a drama after departure from the stage for years. It is believed that Hong’s dramatic performing styles will bring out a different Yu Zecheng from who he is in the TV program.
The cast also includes Ma Xiaochuan, an actor with seniority in the cross talk world. Ma Xiaochuan is grandson to Ma Sanli, a famous cross talk performer. His joining to Lurking, the Drama, will bring about new experience to the audience.
2018 marks the 69th year anniversary on the founding of the People’s Republic of China and 120th anniversary of Zhou En’lai. Lurking, the drama, is to show its tributes and regards to myriads red martyrs and to carry forward patriotism, the keynote theme in the era.
Works launched by Jia Hui Ben Mo reflects the simple value orientations of carrying forward the Chinese culture and re-demonstrating commoners.
Backbone and moral integrity of commoners is worked on with gratitude in mind and simplicity of countless commoners is re-demonstrated with a sentiment of mercy from the brave elites from public security organs in In the Name of People to revolutionists who would jostle with foes in Lurking.
It is believed that the drama “Lurking” will bring audiences unprecedented experiences of watching opera.