Chivalry in Shanghai

• Source: Global Times
• [14:23 June 30 2010]
• Comments

Guo Tao (right) as Don Quixote and Liu Xiaoye as Sancho.

By Hu Bei

In 1605, the deluded hero of Don Quixote, by the immortal Miguel de Cervantes, said he traveled to China at the invitation of a Chinese Emperor. Now, over 400 years later, Meng Jinghui, China's most famous experimental theater director, is really bringing the mad chivalric knight to Shanghai.

From tomorrow until July 4, this Chinese theater adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote is set to wow audiences in Shanghai after a well-received premiere in Beijing last year.

Its Shanghai performance is organized by the Consulate General of Spain in Shanghai and will be performed by the National Theater Company of China (NTCC).

Meng's avant-garde works normally feature absurd humor and fragmentary story lines, but Meng surprised his normal fans by returning to a more classical approach to Don Quixote.

He admitted that he put off reading the giant tome. "But after I spent one week reading it without distractions, I was overwhelmed. It is really a great novel, not only in the formation of a heroic figure, but also the concept of madness, which became the focus of my adaptation."

He and his team made a special trip to Spain, trying to get to grips with the classic work.

"We were in Castilla-La Mancha where Don Quixote began the journey. We walked the road for two days, seeing the beautiful landscape. At that moment, we all felt like Don Quixote himself," said Meng.

"His bursting imaginative power, his enthusiasm for life and chivalry makes modern people feel deeply ashamed. He is a combination of idealism and romanticism. He is an innocent child, but sometimes a wise philosopher."

Based on the Chinese version of the book Don Quixote translated by Dong Yansheng, a professor who majored in Spanish at Beijing Foreign Studies University, Meng concentrated on two aspects of the story: the adventures and the growth of Don Quixote.

"In my opinion, these two aspects really reflect what Miguel de Cervantes wants to express: the spirit of unfairness and the hope of building one's own ideal world. I hope my play will open a tunnel in time for people like Don Quixote and anyone who loves this character," Meng said.

Guo Tao, a Chinese actor from television, movies and theater, plays the role of Don Quixote.

Guo grew a beard, lost 10 kilograms and styled his hair like the hero in order to better represent the bony character. He said that the long monologues of Don Quixote posed a real challenge for him.

"I experienced difficulty sleeping after rehearsing the monologues. I could not separate myself from Don Quixote's complex moods. Although this character is eccentric and mad, everyone clearly knows there is a strong idealism within him. I will try to play his inner madness."