‍New version of the theatrical scripture "Tea House" made its world premiere on Thursday night at the Wuzhen Grand Theatre, kicking off the 2018 Wuzhen Theatre Festival at the ancient town of Wuzhen in east China's Zhejiang Province.

Directed by theater master and co-founder of the festival Meng Jinghui, "Tea House 2018" has been one of the most anticipated plays showcased at the theatrical carnival as its tickets were sold out within minutes after release.

As the opener of this year's festival, the three-hour play attracted more than 1,000 Chinese and foreign audiences for its first performance, continuing with three more shows in the following days through October 21.

Written by celebrated Chinese novelist and playwright Lao She in 1957, "Tea House" offers a window into half a century of upheavals from the last days of the Qing Dynasty to the looming Chinese civil war. 

It is widely regarded as one of the most significant theater classics, occupying a very special status in the history of Chinese theater.

For Meng, the new production will show respect for the heritage of theater and "pay fervent homage to Lao She, the great master in Chinese literary arena."

The 2018 version, starring young Chinese directors and actors such as Wen Zhang and Qi Xi, is a cooperative work by Chinese and German theatrical production teams. Sebastian Kaiser, a respected German dramatist, was invited to participate in the adaptation of the original play with the director.

Meng believed that "Tea House" is not only an essential theater classic for Chinese audiences, but also a cultural diamond of international importance. It is necessary to put it in a wider cultural context for different interpretations and consideration.

The cult theater director admitted in a media interview before the festival opened that it was challenging and sometimes made him feel "sort of nervous," especially when Kaiser came up with various questions during the rehearsals, which, however, is also a unique and impressive experience in his career.

The four-month cooperative creation is, as he put it, "a deep and comprehensive art experiment with the global front-edge art forms."

Unaltered focus, brave new design

The play in its 2018 version embraces a unique and bold interpretation, through which the director would like to dig deeper into the background and contradiction behind Lao She's creation, focusing on normal people, their struggles and hopes.

According to Meng, the original work is highly praised for its vivid and complex characterization of each figure. "Though it is a different era and our expression of the social lives and relations vary, the humanity it shows always matters, very essential," the director said.

He also hoped that his interpretation would be able to better communicate with the audiences, adding that "the work can become lively and lovely only when we put more personal emotions and spirits inside it and present them on stage."

Renowned actor and also one of the festival founders Huang Lei noted in an interview after the show that it still contains Meng's unique explanation about love and desire, featuring strong elements of the installation art and contemporary art, which, in his words, "is very Meng's style and even surpasses it."

Brand-new and bold efforts were taken by the production teams to present a new version of "Tea House."

A huge wheel-like installation can be seen on the stage, replacing the original setting of a traditional tea house in previous versions. 

The stage designer Zhang Wu described it as a symbol of human loneliness and helplessness – human beings as small entities have no choice but to be drawn into the "colossal wheel" of the times.

Music has always been an essential part in the course of Meng's creative process. The avant-garde director invited contemporary artist Hua Shan as the music director, and the Nova Heart, who is also a live band, to perform with the actors, to create the background music.

The band took the bold step of bringing elements of electronic music into the theater classic to add more psychedelic and dramatic effects, creating a special experience for the audiences. 

(Cover: Part of the poster for "Tea House 2018" /Photo via Weibo)