Veteran actress Pan Hong (front) and co-star Tian Hairong rehearse a scene from the drama "Thurderstorm," which will premiere at the Shanghai Grand Theater on Sunday.

Shanghai Daily news

The forecast in Shanghai is for a thunderstorm and it promises to be a really impressive one -- it's the all-star production of a classic of the modern Chinese theater, ``Thunderstorm.''
With the putting together of a strong production team and a top-class acting line-up, the play is predicted to be a major event in the Chinese theater this year.
The idea for putting on the play was first advanced by Ye Huixian, a veteran TV host in Shanghai. Over the past few years, Ye has been active in major dramatic productions, inviting big-time actors to interpret classical works of Chinese literature on stage.
As a key item in this year's Shanghai International Arts Festival, the play has attracted Chinese movie and TV stars from all over the country. Many theater professionals see the play as providing the opportunity for audiences to see ``a rare get-together'' of China's elite actors.
The story of ``Thunderstorm'' was first written by Cao Yu, a distinguished modern Chinese playwright, in 1934. The story tells of the complicated relationships among members of a large, well-off family.
Zhou Puyuan, a man born into a rich family, has an affair with his family maid, Shiping, who bears him two sons. Later, Zhou marries another woman and drives Shiping away but he keeps the older son with him. Shiping then marries a butler, Lu Gui, and has a daughter, Sifeng. Years later, Lu and his daughter are employed by Zhou as servants and Sifeng falls in love with Zhou's elder son without knowing he is her half-brother. The tangled family story continues to its tragic ending.
Praised as the ``Shakespeare of China,'' Cao was greatly influenced by Western theater, combining its play-writing techniques with Chinese theatrical traditions.
He is regarded as being particularly good at creating female characters who have their own distinctive personalities and attitudes. ``Thunderstorm,'' together with ``Sunrise'' and ``The Wilderness,'' make up the dramatic trilogy which established Cao's reputation in China as a playwright.
The play has been staged many times over the years and has been adapted for movies and television. For this production, director Chen Xinyi says she has been loyal to the original work.
``I'm trying to bring out the different emotions and personalities of the characters from a more human angle,'' she says. ``And realism will be given full play.''
During the days of intensive rehearsals for the production, Chen has wrestled with everything attempted by the actors in developing the roles they are playing -- each movement, eye contact, piece of dialogue and even the dramatic pauses. Each rehearsal is usually interrupted every few minutes for discussion and experimenting with different interpretations of the characters' roles.
``I want you to remember in your hearts that every character in this play is topped by a peal of thunder,'' she tells the actors. ``If you feel very depressed, that's it. You've got the right feeling.''
In order to join the cast of ``Thunderstorm,'' well-known actress Pan Hong rejected an invitation to star in a major TV series. Pan does not regret her decision because ``Thunderstorm'' has had a special appeal to her for many years particularly that of her role Fanyi (Zhou's wife) who has a complex and wisted personality.
``For me, Fanyi is an excellent opportunity in my acting career,'' she says. ``It would have been the regret of a lifetime if I had given up the chance to be in this play.''
Young actress Tian Hairong, who plays Sifeng, says that she has long had a special relationship with ``Thunderstorm'' as she played Sifeng in a TV series of the work eight years ago while still a freshman at the Shanghai Theater Academy.
``So, my professional acting career began with Sifeng,'' she smiles. ``But the drama stage is very different from being in a TV series and our director is really `demanding.' I have to be on `high alert' in my acting on stage which is driving me nuts.''
Another one who finds himself reunited with Tian in this production of the play is veteran actor Lei Kesheng, 68, who plays Lu Gui. Eight years ago, he played the same role in the TV series with Tian. Lei says that he feels honored to have been able to have taken part in the staging of all three plays that make up Cao's famous trilogy and that he has finally fulfilled one of the dreams of his professional career.

Date: November 7-9, 7:15pm
Venue: Shanghai Grand Theater, 300 People's Ave
Tickets: 100-1,000 yuan
Tel: 6321-8533, 6272-0702