18 YOUTH | Life Wednesday, July 11, 2018 CHINA DAILY Super! Martial arts comedy a big hit By CHEN NAN was looking for actors with mar­ tial arts skills. The opening show for the new The six actors in the comedy Super Theater founded by Deng include actresses Li Muzi, who Chao and Yu Baimei in Gu’an, practices taekwondo, and Yang Hebei province was a martial arts Qingzhu, who practices fencing. comedy, entitled Tai Chi. For Zuo Xiang, 27, who was an The show was staged in Gu’an acrobat with the China National and Beijing from June 28 to July 1 Acrobatic Troupe, it is his first play. and July 6 to 8, respectively, and And when he applied for the role, the comedy is scheduled to return he didn’t expect to be picked. to the capital in September. “I had no experience, but it’s my The story begins with four stu­ dream to become a comic,” says dents sharing their dreams in a Zuo, who won the top Golden classroom. One of them, named Tai Clown prize at the International Ji, dreams of becoming a tai chi Circus Festival of Monte­Carlo in master. So, he learns tai chi but 2013. doesn’t understand its spirit until Zuo, who was born in he faces bullying from a classmate. Cangzhou, Hebei province, says he Chinese kung fu star Wu Jing started doing acrobatics at the age initiated the idea of the play along of 5. And when he was 15, Zuo won with scriptwriter Yu. the Golden Clown award in the Wu, 44, who was born in Beijing children’s group. and received professional martial Speaking about his move into arts training as a child, made his comedy, Zuo, who also received film debut in the Hong Kong mar­ two years of training at the Beijing tial arts film Taichi Boxer in 1996, Film Academy before acting in TV which was directed by Hong Kong dramas, says: “It’s an art. It’s hard­ martial arts choreographer and er to make people laugh than to director Yuen Woo­ping. make people cry.” Speaking about the play, Wu, Zhang Zhenlei, who plays the Tai Chi, a play that mixes Chinese martial arts and dance with comedy, makes its recent debut at the second Super Theater in Gu’an, Hebei province. who is also the director of the hit teacher in Tai Chi, is, however, not ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY franchise Wolf Warrior, says: “I new to comedy. started by playing a tai chi master Zhang, 36, a veteran dancer and in that film, but I always wanted to comic, who has been performing direct a film about tai chi. with Yu’s company for seven years, “Tai chi is an important part of has also starred in the two films Chinese martial arts culture. It has directed by Deng. a long history and is based on the Speaking about the play, he Chinese philosophy of yin and says: “We spent two months in yang. So, by telling a story of tai Seoul early this year. And for eight GETTING THEIR chi, young people get a better to 10 hours each day, we received understanding of the ancient art.” training in dancing and acting. According to Yu, Tai Chi fulfills “Unlike other comedies I’ve act­ his dream of presenting different ed in, Tai Chi is all about physical types of comedies to Chinese audi­ moves, which is very challenging. ences, who are used to comedies And it depends on eye contact ACT TOGETHER centering around dialogue. a n d body language instead He adds that the process of audi­ of dialogue to tioning was harder and longer make the audi­ Artistic duo team up to fulfill their dream, Chen Nan reports. than his other comedies since he ence laugh.” everal years ago, when Chi­ “Now, with the second theater, I festival in the world — where he nese actor Deng Chao and am proud to share the magic of thea­ sources small and mid­budget plays scriptwriter Yu Baimei met ter with more people.” to present in China. in the lobby of a hotel in Bei­ Deng, 39, who was born in Nan­ So, during the past two years, Now, with the Sjing and decided to use their own chang, Jiangxi province, rose to We bring in shows audiences at the Super Theater money to open a theater in the capi­ fame by acting in popular TV series have seen productions, including second theater, I am tal, they were prepared for it to fail. such as The Young Emperor and catering to Morgan and West: More Magic for “It was a dream for us and we just Happiness Is Like Flowers and big­ Kids, a comedy by Rhys Morgan proud to share the wanted to try,” says Deng, adding that budget movies, including Chinese families. And the and Robert Wes, a duo of magicians this had been his goal since he was in director Feng Xiaogang’s film from the United Kingdom, and magic of his third year of studies at the Central Assembly, and Hong Kong actor­di­ feedback from the Sticks, Stones and Broken Bones, a Academy of Drama in Beijing. rector Stephen Chow’s film The Mer­ show by Canadian puppeteer Jeff theater with The theater, named Super Thea­ maid. audience proves Achtem. ter, has around 500 seats and is In 2014, Deng made his directorial “We bring in shows catering to more people.” located in a hutong near Wangfujing debut with The Breakup Guru, and that language is families. And the feedback from the Street, a popular commercial area in he directed his second comedy, Devil not a barrier.” audience proves that language is not Deng Chao, actor and co­founder of the capital. and Angel, the following year. a barrier,” says Yu. Super Theater Since its opening on June 26, According to Yu, Deng’s partner Yu Baimei, scriptwriter “Before I came to Beijing from my 2016, the theater has staged more and longtime friend, who is also the hometown, Xi’an, when I was about than 300 shows, which have attract­ scriptwriter for Deng’s two directo­ 25 years old, I had never watched a ed over 100,000 people. rial ventures, the duo started mak­ ny, Baimei Studio, is home to a doz­ play performed in theater, but now The success of the theater was ing preparations for the second en Chinese comics, including Liang my 4­year­old kid has watched more beyond the expectations of both theater over a year ago. Chao and Yu’s wife, actress Dai than 40 shows. Deng and Yu, which led them to Gu’an is part of the Jingjinji (Bei­ Lele. “So, you can see the huge change open a second Super Theater two jing­Tianjin­Hebei) economic cir­ However, the new comedy, Tai in China’s performance market.” years later. cle. A two­hour drive from Chi, unlike his other works, com­ And while he is happy with the On June 28, the new theater downtown Beijing, Gu’an is a grow­ bines Chinese martial arts, dance sold­out shows at the theater, Yu is opened in Gu’an county, Hebei prov­ ing city, and Yu expects that the and comedy with minimal onstage also concerned about the future of ince. Super Theater there will become a dialogue. Chinese comedy and the younger Occupying about 2,500 square key entertainment venue for the Speaking about the play, Yu says: generation of Chinese comics. meters, the theater has two venues local people and people from near­ “We wanted to present a different “Compared with five years ago, with capacities of 390 seats and 100 by areas. form of comedy,” and adds that a we have fewer good comedy scripts seats respectively, as well as three The opening play for the new the­ team from South Korea joined in and talented young comedians. rehearsal rooms and cafes. ater was a 90­minute comedy, titled the production, including director “The market (for Chinese come­ “When we launched the first Tai Chi, which was staged until July and scriptwriter Lee Jun­sang. dy) is growing, which makes the sit­ Super Theater, I said that I enjoyed 8. Meanwhile, besides staging origi­ uation urgent,” says Yu. acting in theater because it’s like a The scriptwriter Yu, whose real nal comedies, Yu also travels to Scot­ Kung fu star Wu Jing (middle) who co­initiated the idea of the play Tai Chi, magic box, containing various emo­ name is Wu Tao, is known for his land every year for the Edinburgh Contact the writer at interacts with the audience together with Super Theater co­founder Deng tions,” says Deng. original comedies, and his compa­ Fringe Festival — the largest arts [email protected] Chao and other performers. PHOTOS BY ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY.