“G.B. Shaw's plays on the Chinese stage : the 1991 production of "Major Barbara"” (Publication, 1998)
Year
1998
Text
Chen, Wendi. G.B. Shaw's plays on the Chinese stage : the 1991 production of "Major Barbara". In : Comparative literature studies ; vol. 35, no 1 (1998). (Shaw6)
Type
Publication
Mentioned People (1)
Shaw, George Bernard
(Dublin 1856-1950 Ayot Saint Lawrence, Hertford) : Dramatiker, Schriftsteller ; Literatur-Nobelpreisträger 1925
Subjects
Literature : Occident : Ireland
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References / Sources
Chronology Entries (2)
| # | Year | Text | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1956 |
100jähriges Jubiläum zum Geburtstag von George Bernard Shaw in China. The apple cart (act II), Mrs. Warren's profession (acts II-III) were performed by students from the Beijing Cinema Actors's Troupe and the Central Academy of Dramatic Art. Wendi Chen : The cultural bureaucracy orchestrated a variety of activities : conferences, performances, special exhibitions and publication of his translated work. It was not so much Shaw the Western dramatist, but Shaw the socialist who was being feted. Shaw was conveniently employed by the Chinese cultural authorities to serve several related purposes : 1) to propagandize the superiority of socialism over capitalism during the Cold War ; 2) to promote the Hundred flower campaign ; 3) to provide an example for Chinese writers with bourgeois backgrounds ; 4) to assist Chinese cultural authorities in creating a favorable international image of China by extending China's literary repertoire beyond Soviet literature. The major official event took place on the evening of 26 July 1956 in the ballroom at the Beijing Hotel, where more than one thousand people assembled for official speeches and performances. Many distinguished political leaders, as well as writers, artists, and foreign diplomats, were present. Other activities included a conference sponsored by the Beijing Library and the Beijing Working People's Cultural Palace. The Beijing Library also staged a special exhibition, displaying photos, books, and essays written by and about Shaw and Ibsen. A number of literary magazines, journals and newspapers published essays on Shaw and his works. In Shanghai, Tianjin and Shenyang similar activities took place. Guest speakers were Lennox Robinson, director of the Irish National Theatre, Rubeigh James Minney, British author and Gerda Ring, director of the National Theatre Oslo. The group included the Chinese writers Mao Dun, Chen Zhenduo, Tian Han, Xia Yan, Ouyang Yuqian and Mei Lanfang. After the celebrations, the Chinese People's Association for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries prepared items for sale, as advertised in the Shavian : Selected works of George Bernard Shaw in Chinese translation (Mrs. Warren's profession, The apple cart, Major Barbara) ; Program of the 1956 commemoration of ibsen and Shaw in Chinese, English and Russian, including the speeches by Lennox Robinson and Rubeigh J. Minney ; Postcards commemorating world cultural figures, including Shaw, Mozart, Ibsen, Franklin. Rubeigh J. Minney : The scene from The apple cart in which the American ambassador tells King Magnus of England, that his country wished to return to the English fold. The thought delighted them. The play had not yet been translated into Chinese, but although they had less than a week for making the translation and for rehearsals, it was adopted and the members of the Peking Cinema Actors Troupe were word perfect on the night of the performance. The preparation of these scenes involved us in many discussions. As early as eight o'clock in the morning our rooms were invaded by actors, actresses or producers. We were asked innumerable questions about the meaning of words, the sort of action most suited to the characters, the subtlety of Western gestures, and so on. They took infinite pains. They were striving for perfection, and for the most part they attained it. The Chinese girl who played the Queen was young and pretty and in her Western clothes and make-up could have passed for English. Her role did not demand much of her ; in that scene she had just to sit and listen, but she used her feather fan most expressively, opening it and shutting it to indicate her reactions to what was being said by the King and the Ambassador. [The Chinese's acquaintance with Shaw's plays] was confined almost entirely to Mrs. Warren's profession. We tried to veer them off this. I said : "There are a great many other plays which you ought to look at – if you have Chinese translations of them. Mrs. Warren's profession is about a woman who owned a number of brothels. You have, we understand, abolished all brothels. That is a closed chapter now in the life of the people of China." But, no matter what arguments we advanced, back they came to Mrs. Warren. We learned at last that their attachments to this play was because of the struggle in it of Mrs. Warren's daughter Vivie to win her freedom from social and domestic domination. This play was being acted by various groups of amateurs and others all over China and it had accordingly the advantage that the artists already knew it. |
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| 2 | 1991 |
Aufführung von Major Barbara von George Bernard Shaw im Beijing People's Art Theater in der Übersetzung und unter der Regie von Ying Ruocheng ; mit Zhu Lin als Lady Britomart, Song Dandan als Major Barbara, Zhu Xu als Andrew Undershaft und Ren Baoxian als Cusins. Wang Zuoliang schreibt eine Review in der Ren min ri bao ; June 20 (1991) : "What Shaw is saying in the play is in Western society, the capitalist rule everything. In order to show this through characterization and setting, he makes use of all his linguistic powers. The Beijing People's Art Theatre Troupe has this ability. They are nurtured by the spoken scenes in traditional Chinese opera, and trained by the Beijing People's Art Theatre Troupe's habit of paying attention to tone. Even the Chinese old poems also nurtured them. The attempt to perform various kinds of foreign plays in these years has expanded their experience. Therefore when the play began, the refined and yet authoritative expressions of Lady Britomart, played by Zhu Lin, aroused our expectations. When Undershaft, played by Zhu Xu, enters, faced by his wife who is difficult to deal with and his children, he courteously and vigilantly wards off their criticism and refuses their demands." Shen Huihui schreibt eine Review in der Guang ming ri bao ; June 15 (1991) : "Major Barbara was first performed in 1906. Bernard Shaw stepped out bravely, crying out to stop the imperialist war. He was not afraid of being misunderstood or ciricized. Using his deep thinking, he foresaw that imperialism and capitalism would make use of war to lead mankind into a darker abyss. In Major Barbara, he satirically reveals the real purposes of the conspiracy between politics and religion, and criticizes sharply the church and political authority at that time." Sun, Jiaxiu. He Xiao Bona xi ju she ci shang yan : kan hua ju Babala shao xiao. In : Xi ju ; no 8 (1991). Er schreibt über die Aufführung von Major Barbara : "Act two is an important act for Bernard Shaw. It thoroughly exposes the evils of poverty and ist irreparable effects on society under the capitalist system. Capitalism deprives people of their dignity. Capitalism turns people into rude, cruel, and inhuman creatures as in the case of Walker. Capitalism produces an extreme polarity between rich and poor, as well as the moral degradation seen in alcoholism and dishonesty. Shaw wrote this act to expose the capitalist system, but the production did not effectively accomplish that exposure, especially with the excision of some of the discussion in this act." Wendi Chen : The production was peculiar because the political, social and cultural climate of the time was not in favor of staging such a play, and it was significant because the production was charched with a serious social and professional mission. The following day the Da wan bao (Beijing evening news) reported that "many people in the drama profession as well as a large general audience attended the first night's performance. The play was received with great enthusiasm". Ke Wenhui, one of the literary critics wrote : "The first night's performance ended with laughter and extended applause. The dramatic effect was extraordinary. It was an event unlike any other during the last few years". Major Barbara was a major dramatic event for the following reasons : the great reputation of Shaw in China, the reputation of Ying Ruocheng and his cast, the prominence of the location where the performance took place and possibly, the striking contrast between the production of this foreign play and local productions. Ying confessed that his interest in Shaw dated back to his college days in the 1940s ; it was his 'long cherished wish' to be able to put Shaw on the Chinese stage : "If we don't include Bernard Shaw, we are not presenting a full picture of twentieth century drama. Shaw occupies a crucial position in the development of modern drama". Ying was fully aware of the scope of technical challenges in producing the play. He repeatedly cautioned his cast with respect to Shaw's language and characterization. He warned : "Shaw's plays are seldom staged in China mainly because of his language. His verbal skills consist of many tit-for-tat witty exchanges". |
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Cited by (1)
| # | Year | Bibliographical Data | Type / Abbreviation | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000- | Asien-Orient-Institut Universität Zürich | Organisation / AOI |
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