Drama Title: Meng Jinghui’s classic drama work, the eternal love bible ‘Rhinoceros in Love’.
Plot: When the sexy and mysterious girl Mingming appears in front of the young man Ma Lu in an instant, Ma Lu’s life is completely changed. Mingming has an incredibly hard heart. Neither flowers, vows, nor physical intimacy can change her. Ma Lu has done everything he can. An unexpected huge prize seems to be able to make him obtain Mingming, but the result only makes him fall into deeper despair. The salesman ‘Toothbrush’ who runs around everywhere finds young girls Honghong and Lili for Ma Lu and directs a ridiculous farce. Ma Lu’s madness completely collapses the theory of the love instructor. On a night when rhinoceroses howl, Ma Lu kidnaps Mingming in the name of love. Highlights of the play: ‘The eternal love bible’, ‘A leading work of avant-garde drama’. ‘Rhinoceros in Love’ is a flagship work of contemporary Chinese drama. It endows drama with a new form with its brand-new narrative style, performance method and stage design. It discusses pain, perseverance and loneliness with a sharp and fearless attitude. The breakthrough poetic lines have also become the collective memory of a generation of literary and artistic youths. It has also witnessed the growth of countless people and influenced several generations’ interpretations of love, dreams and selves. Creative team list: Playwright: Liao Yimei. Director: Meng Jinghui. Composer: Zhang Guangtian. Stage design: Zhang Wu. Lighting design: Wang Qi. Actors: Zhang Yicheng, Liu Shuang, Li Zhihao, Lv Jing, Luo Huan, Zhang Gongchang, Guo Bingkun, Li Jingyi, Chen Yuxin, Tian Yu. Creative team members: Playwright Liao Yimei. Liao Yimei is a Chinese playwright and writer. In 1999, the play ‘Rhinoceros in Love’ written by her became popular all over the country and is hailed as the ‘eternal love bible’. It is a popular work in the history of Chinese small theater drama. In 2003, the large-scale multimedia musical drama ‘Amber’ written by her caused a sensation as soon as it was launched and has become a flagship work in the Asian theater circle. In 2010, the drama ‘Softness’ written by her was born out of nowhere. Together with the first two works, it is collectively called the ‘Trilogy of Pessimism’. Her works have a profound and lasting influence on contemporary audiences and readers and are passed on by word of mouth by thousands of people. Representative works: Stage plays ‘Rhinoceros in Love’, ‘Amber’, ‘Softness’, ‘Romantic Encounter’, ‘Magic Mountain’, movies ‘Life and Death’, ‘Flying Like Feathers’ (FIPRESCI Critics Award at the Hong Kong International Film Festival, Special Jury Prize of the Youth Jury at the Locarno International Film Festival), ‘A Touch of Tenderness’ (Gold Award at the American Women’s Film Festival), and the movie ‘Gone with the Bullets’.Novels: ‘Flowers of Pessimism’, ‘The Magic Mountain’; Script collection: ‘Rhinoceros in Love + Amber’. Director Meng Jinghui. Meng Jinghui is an influential Chinese drama director in the international theater scene. With his pungent, humorous, and critical dramatic skills, he has created a new look for contemporary drama and injected vitality into the diversified new situation of the theater stage. His unique creativity and diversified artistic style have become a remarkable cultural phenomenon. Since the 1990s, he has created more than 40 works, and the appearance of each work has caused a strong reaction. Representative works: stage plays ‘Rhinoceros in Love’, ‘Two Dogs’ Opinions on Life’, ‘To Live’, ‘Four Dreams in Linchuan’, ‘Amber’, ‘Letter from a Strange Woman’, ‘Murder in the Air Garden’, ‘The Unexpected Death of an Anarchist’, ‘I Love XXX’, ‘Gun, Lies and Roses’, ‘Mermaid by the Dead Water’, ‘He Has Two Revolvers and Black and White Eyes’, ‘Bonjour Tristesse’, ‘Bedbug’, ‘The Good Person of Szechwan’, ‘Softness’, ‘The Latest Concept of the Destination of Love’, ‘Nine and a Half Loves’, ‘Teahouse’, etc. He has extensive popularity in the international theater field. His works have been performed at multiple international art festivals and toured in various countries: Germany, the United States, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Australia, Brazil, Egypt, etc. In recent years, he not only maintains a rich creative output but also initiates and serves as the artistic director of multiple major theater festival events such as the Beijing International Youth Theater Festival, the Wuzhen Theater Festival, the Hangzhou International Theater Festival, and the Contemporary Theater Biennale, striving to create a better environment for the growth of Chinese theater people. He is the author of ‘Archives of Avant-garde Drama’ and ‘Archives of New Drama’. Composer: Zhang Guangtian. Zhang Guangtian is a famous Chinese composer and theater director. His directed theater works include ‘Che Guevara’, ‘Confucius the Sage’, ‘Mr. Lu Xun’, ‘Old Summer Palace’, ‘Left Bank’, ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’. His composition works include: film composition ‘Shanghai Triad’, film composition ‘Armed Forces in Enemy’s Rear Area’, theater composition ‘The Unexpected Death of an Anarchist’, theater composition ‘Rhinoceros in Love’. He also has a documentary work ‘The Forbidden City’. Stage art: Zhang Wu. A renowned visual artist in the theater world. Main works: ‘Teahouse’, ‘To Live’, ‘Amber’, ‘Softness’, ‘Four Dreams in Linchuan’, ‘Rhinoceros in Love’, ‘Mermaid by the Dead Water’, ‘Romantic Encounter’, ‘The Latest Concept of the Destination of Love’, ‘Labyrinth’, ‘The Magic Mountain’, ‘Love Is Colder Than Death’, ‘The Unexpected Death of an Anarchist’, ‘Murder in the Air Garden’, ‘Two Dogs’ Opinions on Life’, ‘Metamorphosis of Butterflies’, ‘Romeo & Juliet’, ‘Hitler’s Belly’, ‘Three Oranges’ Love’, ‘First Love’, ‘Riotous Festival of Mischievous Boys’, ‘Gun, Lies and Roses’, ‘I Love XXX’, ‘Letter from a Strange Woman’, ‘Nine and a Half Loves’, ‘Bonjour Tristesse’, etc.
Lighting design: Wang Qi. In recent years, he is a lighting visual artist dedicated to drama performances in mainland China. Graduated from the lighting design major of the Stage Art Department of the Central Academy of Drama. Many of his works have won the Wenhua Award of the Ministry of Culture Art Festival, the Quality Project Award, and the Five-One Project Award of the Central Propaganda Department. He is the chief lighting designer of the ‘Urban Life Pavilion’ of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. Many contemporary art works have been exhibited at the Pompidou Center in France, the ICA in the UK, and the Guggenheim Museum in the US.
His main stage lighting design works include: ‘Teahouse’, ‘Love Is Colder Than Death’, ‘Rhinoceros in Love’, ‘Mermaid by the Dead Water’, ‘To Live’, ‘Four Dreams in Linchuan’, ‘Accidental Death of an Anarchist’, ‘Murder in the Air Garden’, ‘Two Dogs’ Opinions on Life’, ‘Metamorphosis of a Butterfly’, ‘Romeo & Juliet’, ‘Amber’, ‘Soft’, ‘Hitler’s Belly’, ‘The Bride’, ‘Three Oranges’ Love’, ‘Nine and a Half Loves’, ‘He Has Two Revolvers and Black and White Eyes’, ‘Ominous Egg’, ‘Good People in Sichuan’, ‘Hello, Melancholy’, ‘Pursuit of Pleasure’, ‘Letter from a Strange Woman’, ‘I Love XXX’, ‘Bedbug’, ‘Guns, Lies and Roses’, ‘Carnival of the Mischievous Boy’, ‘Don Quixote’, etc. His main art exhibition lighting works include: The opening ceremony performance of the first Shenzhen Urban/Architectural Biennale in 2005, and the opening ceremony of ‘Yangtze River on Site · Zhangjiang in Progress’ in Shanghai in 2006. Actors: Zhang Yicheng as Ma Lu. Zhang Yicheng is a contracted actor of Meng Jinghui Drama Studio. Representative works: ‘Rhinoceros in Love’, ‘Amber’, ‘Red and Black’, ‘Guns, Lies and Roses’, ‘First Love’, ‘Romeo & Juliet’, ‘Accidental Death of an Anarchist’, ‘Murder in the Air Garden’, ‘Don Quixote’, ‘He Has Two Revolvers and Black and White Eyes’, ‘The Sun and the Temple’, ‘Wild Garden Concert’, ‘Twelve Love Poems’, etc. Liu Shuang as Mingming. Liu Shuang is a contracted actor of Meng Jinghui Drama Studio. Representative works: ‘Rhinoceros in Love’, ‘Amber’, ‘Red and Black’, ‘Guns, Lies and Roses’, ‘First Love’, ‘Murder in the Air Garden’, ‘Accidental Death of an Anarchist’, ‘He Has Two Revolvers and Black and White Eyes’, ‘The Sun and the Temple’, ‘Wild Garden Concert’, ‘Twelve Love Poems’, etc. Chen Yuxin as Toothbrush. Chen Yuxin is a contracted actor of Meng Jinghui Drama Studio. Representative works: ‘Twelve Love Poems’, ‘Rhinoceros in Love’, ‘Amber’, ‘Red and Black’, ‘Guns, Lies and Roses’, ‘Murder in the Air Garden’, ‘Accidental Death of an Anarchist’, ‘He Has Two Revolvers and Black and White Eyes’, ‘The Sun and the Temple’, ‘Wild Garden Concert’, etc.Li Zhihao plays the Love Professor. Li Zhihao is a contracted actor of Meng Jinghui’s Drama Studio. Representative works include: ‘The Accidental Death of an Anarchist’, ‘Rhinoceros in Love’, ‘Amber’, ‘Red and Black’, ‘Gun, Lies, and Roses’, ‘First Love’, ‘Romeo & Juliet’, ‘The Murder Case of the Hanging Gardens’, ‘Don Quixote’, ‘He Has Two Pistols and Black and White Eyes’, ‘Sun and Temple’, ‘Unrestrained Garden Concert’, ‘Twelve Love Poems’, etc. Lv Jing plays Hei Zi. Lv Jing is a contracted actor of Meng Jinghui’s Drama Studio. Representative works include: ‘Sun and Temple’, ‘Rhinoceros in Love’, ‘Red and Black’, ‘Amber’, ‘Gun, Lies, and Roses’, ‘The Murder Case of the Hanging Gardens’, ‘The Accidental Death of an Anarchist’, ‘He Has Two Pistols and Black and White Eyes’, ‘Unrestrained Garden Concert’, ‘Twelve Love Poems’, etc. Luo Huan plays Hong Hong. Luo Huan is a contracted actor of Meng Jinghui’s Drama Studio. Representative works include: ‘Rhinoceros in Love’, ‘Amber’, ‘Red and Black’, ‘Gun, Lies, and Roses’, ‘The Accidental Death of an Anarchist’, ‘The Murder Case of the Hanging Gardens’, ‘He Has Two Pistols and Black and White Eyes’, ‘Sun and Temple’, ‘Unrestrained Garden Concert’, ‘Twelve Love Poems’, etc. Zhang Gongchang plays the Photographer. Zhang Gongchang is a contracted actor of Meng Jinghui’s Drama Studio. Representative works include: ‘Rhinoceros in Love’, ‘Amber’, ‘Red and Black’, ‘Gun, Lies, and Roses’, ‘First Love’, ‘The Accidental Death of an Anarchist’, ‘The Murder Case of the Hanging Gardens’, ‘He Has Two Pistols and Black and White Eyes’, ‘Sun and Temple’, ‘Unrestrained Garden Concert’, ‘Twelve Love Poems’, etc. Guo Bingkun plays the Agent. Guo Bingkun is a contracted actor of Meng Jinghui’s Drama Studio. Representative works include: ‘Rhinoceros in Love’, ‘Amber’, ‘Red and Black’, ‘Gun, Lies, and Roses’, ‘The Murder Case of the Hanging Gardens’, ‘The Accidental Death of an Anarchist’, ‘He Has Two Pistols and Black and White Eyes’, ‘Sun and Temple’, ‘Unrestrained Garden Concert’, ‘Twelve Love Poems’, etc. Tian Yu plays the Great Fairy. Tian Yu is a contracted actor of Meng Jinghui’s Drama Studio. Representative works include: ‘Rhinoceros in Love’, ‘Red and Black’, ‘Teahouse’, ‘The Murder Case of the Hanging Gardens’, ‘The Accidental Death of an Anarchist’, ‘He Has Two Pistols and Black and White Eyes’, ‘Sun and Temple’, ‘Unrestrained Garden Concert’, ‘Twelve Love Poems’, ‘I Love XXX’, ‘The Latest Concept of Love’s Destination’, ‘Young Beasts’, ‘Love in Hysteria’, ‘Venus Diary’, ‘From Dawn to Midnight’, ‘Romeo and Juliet by the Sea’, etc.
Li Jingyi plays Lily. Li Jingyi is a contracted actor of Meng Jinghui Theatre Studio. Representative works: ‘Rhinoceros in Love’, ‘Red and Black’, ‘Gun, Lies and Roses’, ‘Murder in the Air Garden’, ‘The Unexpected Death of an Anarchist’, ‘He Has Two Revolvers and Black and White Eyes’, ‘The Sun and the Temple’, ‘Twelve Love Poems’, etc.
Troupe: Since its establishment in 1997, Meng Jinghui Theatre Studio has taken diversification and avant-garde as creative principles and creatively produced a large number of contemporary drama works that lead the trend of Chinese culture and art. The touring footprints of Meng Jinghui Theatre Studio’s works cover all over the world: Japan, South Korea, Mexico, France, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Austria, Brazil, Egypt, etc. Full text opening time: December 24th – December 28th, Tuesday – Saturday. The performance time and duration are subject to the site.Related posts:
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Meng Jinghui’s Classic Rock Musical ‘The Murder in the Hanging Garden’ in Beijing
Musical ‘The King of Lawyers’ in Shanghai
Yang Liping’s Work ‘The Rite of Spring’ World Tour, Shanghai Station
