Adaptation gives Cao Yu's Sunrise a fresh young cast

Cao Yu's Sunrise, one of the most significant and celebrated plays in modern Chinese theater, was given a fresh adaptation by the Beijing People's Art Theatre in 2021. A new staging of the show featuring a young cast will run until Saturday.

Written in 1936, the play has been staged numerous times over the last 90 years. Set in Shanghai during the 1920s, it follows the central character, Chen Bailu, a courtesan, who is caught in a vortex of despair and tragedy. It explores the tension between Chen and a powerful, wealthy man, Fang Dasheng, and the other characters in this complex web of relationships, focusing on their emotional turmoil, betrayal, and the devastating consequences of their actions.

The famous playwright was the first president of the Beijing People's Art Theatre. When the Capital Theatre opened in 1956, becoming the theater's home, Sunrise was the opening play. Since then, the Beijing People's Art Theatre has produced several versions of Sunrise, with artists presenting different perspectives and interpretations that have permitted the classic to continue to resonate with contemporary audiences.

When the Beijing International Theatre Center was inaugurated in 2021 as a new venue for the Beijing People's Art Theatre, a reinterpretation of Sunrise was also the opening production. Directed by Feng Yuanzheng, that version starred young actors like Lu Lu, Yang Mingxin, Yu Zhen and Lei Jia. The new character interpretations and narrative perspectives deeply resonated with audiences. The contemporary stage design, with its symbolic beauty focused on the inner world of the characters, bridges the space between reality and imagination.

According to Feng, a well-known actor, director, and also president of the Beijing People's Art Theatre, this production features a whole new generation, thanks to the positive feedback received during last year's tour of Shanghai. From October to November, the theater embarked on a large-scale tour, with Sunrise showcasing the new generation of actors and actresses.

"The tour helped the young actors improve their control," says Feng. He explains that it tested the actors and affirmed their abilities, giving them more confidence and enabling them to perform more effortlessly in subsequent shows.

"The director is a mirror for the actors," Feng notes. "During rehearsals, I often ask 'why' and encourage them to find their own answers.

"The current version of the play has now been performed for nearly four years and has been staged five times. The actors have increasingly immersed themselves in their characters, delving deeper to enrich their roles, which has enhanced growth between the performers and the work itself," he says.

With the new round of performances, Feng has the clear goal of continuing to refine the text.

"I need to let myself settle, then revisit the script to find new answers," says Lu, a graduate of the Central Academy of Drama who was born in 1997 and plays Chen. On stage, she has grown and brings greater clarity to her character's portrayal.

Yang says: "From initially feeling the character as distant to developing a fondness for him, and ultimately being influenced by him — this is the transformation I've experienced over the years."