A Selection and Review of Masterpieces by Modern Western Drama Masters

Author: Zhang Yun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-01-01
Features: This preface begins with two opera houses. During the Spring Festival of 1997, I went to Zhengyi Temple to watch Peking Opera. The Zhengyi Temple, located near Liulichang on the Ancient Culture Street in Beijing, has been newly renovated. This opera house, known as the "National Opera House," is one of the four great opera houses of the Qing Dynasty and has a history of over 300 years. It is the only ancient opera house in Beijing. The Great Encyclopedia of China describes Zhengyi Temple as a "complete opera house architecture," a milestone in the development history of Chinese opera houses. It was once as famous as London's "Globe Theater," which performed Shakespeare's plays, during that time. The horizontal plaque above the stage reads "Prosperity and Harmony," while the couplet hanging on both sides says: "To perform joys and sorrows of the times, who says there are no past events? To observe praise and criticism, one often finds actors among the audience." Listening to Peking Opera at Zhengyi Temple, my thoughts were inevitably carried to Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare. In June 1995, I watched Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream at the theater in my hometown. This led me to reflect on the unique characteristics of Chinese and Western theater and their mutual exchanges. Since the rise of Yuan Dynasty zaju (a form of Chinese opera) in the 13th century, theater has always been a beloved art form among the common people in China. Masters of zaju such as Guan Hanqing, Wang Shifu, Ma Zhiyuan, and Li Qianfu left behind a valuable legacy for future generations. Li Qianfu's The Story of the Stone Enclosure was introduced to Europe early on and translated into multiple languages, even being performed in Europe and beloved by Western audiences. This marked the beginning of Chinese theater's introduction to Europe. Playwrights such as Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov, Shaw, and Brecht are highly favored by the Chinese people. The earliest mention of Shakespeare's name in China dates back to 1856, the sixth year of the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty, when the British missionary William Alexander Martin mentioned Shakespeare in his translation of The History of Great Britain (then translated as "Sheksua"). In 1929, Shakespeare's plays were first performed on Chinese stages, with The Merchant of Venice being the first, in Shanghai. In 1986, on the 370th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, China held an unprecedented grand performance in his honor, with as many as ten Shakespearean plays being staged in Beijing simultaneously, accompanied by numerous Shaoxue (Shakespeare studies) seminars. It is worth noting that many Chinese opera genres have adapted Shakespeare's works, such as Peking Opera, Yue Opera, and Yu Opera. In recent decades, numerous modern Western plays have made their debut on Chinese stages, including Miller's Death of a Salesman, Beckett's Waiting for Godot, and O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night. Today, with the increasing frequency of cultural exchanges between Chinese and Western theater, the publication of Selected Critiques of Modern Western Playwrights and Masterpieces is "timely." This book selects renowned and representative playwrights and their masterpieces from the history of modern Western theater, providing in-depth introductions and critiques of the authors and their works, such as the characteristics of the works, writing techniques, themes, and character portrayals. It also explores issues related to theatrical creation, stage design, lighting, and sound, all of which are relevant to stage art. This undoubtedly helps readers and audiences to appreciate and understand modern Western theater more deeply. In addition, over 200 English reference bibliographies are indispensable for researchers of modern Western theater. Due to differences in Chinese and Western cultures, as well as varying social and living environments, modern Western theater is not yet easily accessible to Chinese readers. For example, Beckett's Waiting for Godot, an absurdist play that caused a sensation upon its premiere in Paris in 1935, would not have the same impact in China. Instead, the reaction might be one of confusion. Beckett places the rigid and stagnant lives of modern people on stage, creating a theatrical effect of "prolonged hesitation" in the structure and style of the play. Life is like circling in a small circle with no purpose or result. Human existence and activity are absurd. Today, Chinese people find it difficult to relate to the sense of oppression, absurdity, anxiety, and confinement felt by Westerners. This book's critique of Waiting for Godot is concise and thoroughly analyzes the script, giving us a basic understanding of the characteristics of Western "absurdist theater." Professor Zhang Yun has been teaching "Modern Western Theater" and "American Theater" to graduate students at the English Department of Beijing Foreign Studies University for many years. She has studied Western theater at Yale University and the University of Minnesota and taught a semester-long course on "Modern Western Theater" at the University of Minnesota's English Department. Her expertise in this field is evident in this book. To critique modern Western theater, it is essential for Chinese readers to grasp some of its characteristics. Although I have been a theater enthusiast since childhood, I have only seen three of the 12 plays listed in this book performed on stage in English, and have only read others superficially, as my own field of study is not Western theater. This time, while writing the preface and reading the articles in Selected Critiques of Modern Western Playwrights and Masterpieces, I found my understanding of modern Western theater has deepened compared to the past. I believe readers will feel the same way. Professor Zhang Yun has previously sent me many English poems she wrote; now, I have read her theater critiques. Reading her works is always a pleasure.