The inaugural performance for the Cultural Expo was a revival of the popular play "Wotou Compound".
The inaugural performance for the Cultural Expo was a revival of the popular play "Wotou Compound". The play is running at the Beijing People's Art Theater and opened on Wednesday. After a year's break from the stage, the show's revival was met with thunderous applause from the Beijing audience, as it recalls the lives of old Beijingers.
The familiar courtyard setting, an all-star cast, Beijing dialect and hilarious dialogue. This is a play that theatre fans can not afford to miss. The play features the original line-up from 2009 including Pu Cunxi, Song Dandan, He Bing and Yang Lixi.
"I came for the actors, who were all very good. You got a sense of the authentic Beijing folk culture, that you rarely see in real life nowadays. I feel very honored to have seen it. I met an old lady just now who said she had waited for the play's revival for a whole year," audience member said.
Directed by Lin Zhaohua, playwright Liu Heng's "Wotou Compound" depicts the life of people living in a courtyard in Beijing, one year before China's Liberation in 1949.
Liu Heng, a Beijinger himself, writes in distinct Beijing dialect, which the cast deliver faultlessly. Having debuted in 2009, the show has been staged several times since- a sell-out each time.
And this time around, the relentless applause once again testified to the enduring charm of the play and the skill of these veteran actors.
"This year the Beijing Cultural & Creative Industry Expo has opened with a play, as opposed to a gala or conference. It's good, this way local people can feel involved in the event," audience member said.
"The set is simple, but it has a strong effect. This is the essence of the art of the People's Art Theater. It's very powerful."
The show runs for two nights at the People's Art Theater or Capital Theater, welcoming in the four day Beijing Cultural & Creative Industry Expo.
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