Ok..finally got time to blog again..a week full of tests and exams...
Huangcheng 2008!!!
Despite all the negative remarks and uncertainties, i would say this year's production was quite good actually..at least i enjoyed myself from the start to the end..=)
I must say daoju did a really brilliant job this year..im truely amazed by the setting and many of the special effects..claps claps!!
Watched the 1st night one instead of the second, so we didnt meet much people at VT. Met kapo outside VT before the show and he was talking to some seniors/juniors that we didnt know.. he commented that we are 老人s and didnt want to talk to us..he's still cute as usual!! Hahas =)
the 16 bucks tix promised good seats and i was quite surprised to find weilong sitting at exactly the same row as us!! Hahas..all others are juniors or seniors that we havnt seen before..
Just about the same as past years, theres 3 ju this year. The 1st one 《妈妈晚安》 was about this women who was abandoned by her husband, who committed sucide later in the story. She was forced to leave her house with her son who was paralysed in the legs coz she had no money to pay the rent. Her health was getting worse by day and being forced to a dead end, she committed sucide as well, leaving her son behind. Actually the story was not that interesting, but there was once scene that left a deep impression on my mind. There was this part that was supposed to show that the husband hanged himself, and there was only a rope hanging down from a flybar with a loop at the end, together with a chair placed below it on the center of the stage. There were no actors, just a spotlight on the rope. Then at the next instant, the chair toppled over on its own!!! I would say the effect was very good coz it left the audience stunned for a few seconds..and everyone was like how did they do it?? and stuff..hahas =D
The second one 《冥》was better coz of the atmosphere..The story was about 5 friends who ended up in a haunted house in the middle of their fieldtrip..at the start of the story there was this giant tarot card at the back of the stage, about 3 metres tall i think, which was supposed to be the card of justice, together with a sword hanging in front of the card by a flybar (so it was like as if the lady in the card was holding the sword). As the story proceeds, the sword suddenly dropped to the ground on its own and even broke to half, revealing a hidden message. Again, the audience went "wow", but it didnt last for long coz the string previously attached to the sword could actually be seen under the spotlight after the sword dropped..anyways so the story proceeds to uncover a common secret between the 5 friends, which was actually some stuff that each of them had done which contributed to the sucide of this 6th person which was the twin sister of one of the 5 friends. They really made full use of the flybars to hang strips of cloth, which contributed to the overall gloomy atmosphere in the house..There was also this part where one guy lit up three candles on a giant candle holder, and during huanchang, all the candles went off on their own!! It very much reminded me of a similar scene in phantom..hahas..oh and the fireplace was also very well made, such that when they "light up the fire", it looked like a real one..as in you can see orange red light glowing from beneath the wood..=)
The third ju 《完美升级》was the best of all, with very cute settings and props..it took place in a toy shop, with a lot of colourful "castles" hanging from flybars (again), and there was even a railway track hanging above the stage with a train on it..brings me back to those childhood times..hahas..=) The story was about this couple who visited the toyshop and decided to buy a female robot named "x", which was still under test. Most of the other actors acted as toys with giant barcode labels hung around them..hahas.."x" was later taken home by the guy, since she only listened to the orders of her "master", who was supposed to be the 1st person who operated her. Later there was some misunderstanding between the couple as the girlfriend did not like his job of an artist, coz she felt that she couldnt see any future in it. In the meantime "X" played the role of a confidant (she had more than a hundred functions, including a confidant) and listened to his sorrows. Toward the end there was a wedding ceremony and there was really a stand with pillars decorated with white and pink streamer on center stage, and the most amazing thing is that the couple really walked all the way down the aisle past the audience up the stage!! And really wearing wedding gowns and stuff!!! Wow!!! They put this temporary starcase connecting the front of the stage to the audience seats and covered it with a red carpet, so it looked like a real wedding!! But unfortunately the guy backed out at the last minute coz he became hesitant of his decision, and he went to the toyshop wanting to buy back "x", who was returned to the shop coz the 7 days testing period was over, since he felt that "X" understood him better than his girlfriend..but the shopkeeper was reluctant coz he did not want "X" to be too influenced and affected by the human world..
Of course the best part of the show is the 谢幕..which reminded me of those happy times that i spent with my fellow huangcheng mates..i was atruely mazed by the number of hua zhuang people this year..29 people in total!! and i really tot they were dao ju people when they came out!! Hahas.. when the 华初的歌started, the entire row of us stood up to sing along with them..actually we were the only row of people standing..coz most of the old huangcheng ppl are watching the sun noght show..nevertheless we were very ON and it was very shiok!! Hahas..=)
Truely enjoyed myself this year, and i really look forward to the next..=)
