The NCPA production of the Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni’s classic masterpiece, Il Servitore di Due Padroni, will have its premiere at the NCPA from May 31st to June 3rd. On May 8th, the creative team and cast members, including the Vice President of the NCPA, ZHANG Yao, the director WANG Jian’nan and main performers DONG Wenliang, YANG Qi, GUO Shuojie, etc., appeared at the press conference and shared the highlights.
The NCPA’s production is aimed at paying tribute to classics. Some creative team members are invited from the National Theatre of China, including the Director WANG Jiannan and Set Designer ZHANG Huaxiang. The NCPA Drama Ensemble members have devoted themselves to the production and the rehearsal.
ZHANG Yao, Vice President of the NCPA, expressed his expectation for this work that, the classic comedy now takes on a brighter and trendier look, by getting interpreted from a modern perspective by retaining the original historical features.
Director WANG Jian’nan also pointed out, classics is never passed down on account of its authoritativeness, but of something known as vitality contained in those works that resonates strongly with the times. Artists keep exploring from generation to generation and presenting it to the audience on stage.
The drama centres around Truffaldino, a smart but muddle-headed servant. After a hilarious series of misunderstandings and mistakes, the story comes to a happy ending, with the lovers getting married. Even Truffaldino meets his sweetheart.
The servant Truffaldino is portrayed by DONG Wenliang, a member of the NCPA Drama Ensemble, known as an honourary artist of the NCPA. As the only character to deliver punchlines in the drama, he feels stressed but will make it. Another two members of the NCPA Drama Ensemble, YANG Qi and GUO Shuojie, will play the two masters of the servant, who have little chance of meeting each other again. YANG Qi will, for the first time, challenge herself by dressing as a man, and this will promote plot development. Additionally, other members of the NCPA Drama Ensemble, including SUN Lishi, XU Zixuan and WANG Yiqing, will also deliver a brilliant performance in this classic comedy.