Comedy and deep tragedy highlight how conflict tears society apart, Chen Nan reports.

It was a quiet afternoon rehearsal at Beijing People's Art Theatre 20 years ago that actor He Bing stopped suddenly. His colleague, actor Pu Cunxin, stood in the corridor of the theater, calling everyone to watch a rehearsal by Zhu Xu (1930-2018) of the Chinese stage adaptation of a classic script, Der Bockerer.

"My eyes, like the others, were locked on him (Zhu Xu), who, as always, commanded the stage with his effortless mastery. The way he moved between light-hearted humor and the intense moral weight of the role was something truly special," recalls He.

The role Zhu played was a butcher named Karl Bockerer, who manages to survive the societal upheaval caused by war. The Chinese stage adaptation is based on a script of the same title, co-written by German playwright Ulrich Becher and Austrian actor, writer and director Peter Preses.

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"I was approaching 40 back then and I always admired Zhu Xu, dreaming of becoming a good actor like him someday," adds He, 57.

"But I was aware that it would take years or even decades to become a good actor, who has the ability to bring the character alive onstage not only with his or her solid acting technique but also with the personality of his or her own style."

Twenty years later, when Beijing People's Art Theatre decided to re-stage the Chinese play, Der Bockerer, He became the director, leading a group of young cast members to revive the classic.

From Sept 6 to 17, the play will be staged at Cao Yu Theatre of Beijing International Theater Center, one of the new venues of Beijing People's Art Theatre.

According to Feng Yuanzheng, president of Beijing People's Art Theatre and a veteran actor, director, Der Bockerer is one of the most well-received Chinese plays by the theater adapted from Western classics. This year, the play is being staged to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the World Anti-Fascist War.

Der Bockerer is set in Vienna and follows the character Bockerer, a working-class man who runs a modest butcher shop. The play revolves around his interactions with various individuals during the war, unfolding as Bockerer tries to maintain his business, his family and his integrity in the face of fascism, social unrest and the influence of Nazis in Austria during the war.

"Opposition to war and the pursuit of peace have become universal consensus; what is important now is to deepen this shared understanding. We need to find the link between expression and reception," says He.

In 1982, a German theater company staged Der Bockerer in Beijing, home of the Beijing People's Art Theatre, after the theater toured Europe with its classic production, Teahouse, in 1980.

Later, Beijing People's Art Theatre turned Der Bockerer into a Chinese play, gathering the theater's actors, including Zhu, Zheng Rong and Zhou Zheng.

In 2005, the veteran actors, such as Zhu and Zheng, who were in their 70s and 80s, returned to the stage, performing Der Bockerer again, making the play a classic of Beijing People's Art Theatre. Bockerer became one of the most memorable characters that Zhu performed.

When He was commissioned to direct a new version of Der Bockerer, he knew that with his years of experience in Chinese theater, he could bring a new vision to the play — a fresh, contemporary take that would resonate with younger audiences, just as the original had resonated with older generations.

He gathered a team of talented designers, actors and technical experts, and the project was set into motion. He knew the journey wouldn't be easy. Bringing a fresh interpretation of a classic was always fraught with challenges. But as he stood on the stage for the first read-through of the new version, He felt a sense of connection to the legacy of the play.

"The master, Zhu Xu's nuanced performance seemed to breathe life into the ordinary butcher, a man grappling with the mounting pressure of fascism and societal decay. His ability to blend comedy with tragedy, to make you laugh in one moment and ache in the next, was a testament to the deep emotional complexity of the character," says He.

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Actor Jin Han plays the role of the butcher in the new edition.

Jin, 37, says that He's vision for the new rendition is a powerful guide for creating a version that feels distinct, whether that means adjusting the pace or delivery of lines.

"Modern sensibilities help the characters to behave in different time or environment. We can reflect the changing dynamics in society through our performance," Jin says.

"The young cast members work very hard to interpret the characters and I know that there was something about Zhu's performance that went beyond technique — it was pure, raw humanity laid bare. They are still young and need time to grow as actors. But they got inspired by the great actors who made Der Bockerer a classic of the theater," he says.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn