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'Jane Eyre' staged as Chinese ballet
By Zhang Qian |
July 21, 2012, Saturday
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The Shanghai Ballet will stage its version of "Jane Eyre" in which Mr Rochester's mad wife Bertha plays a major role.
The ballet will be staged at the Shanghai Grand Theater on November 18 and 19 as part of the Shanghai International Arts Festival.
It is choreographed by German choreographer Patrick De Bana, and stage sets and costumes are designed by Jerome Kaplan from France.
In her first appearance, governess Jane Eyre crawls out of a suitcase she takes to Edward Rochester's Thornfield Hall. In a dramatic scene representing emotional struggles, Jane Eyre, Rochester and Bertha struggle in vain to escape from a transparent glass box.
The ballet was inspired by the namesake Chinese stage version presented at the Shanghai Grand Theater last December.
"I watched the play, heard the lines and could not help picturing Jane Eyre as the heroine in ballet - elegant and graceful," says Xin Lili, president of Shanghai Ballet. "The conversations were just so suitable for pas de deux."
She discussed the idea with Shanghai Grand Theater and with Yu Rongjun, the scriptwriter of the Chinese drama "Jane Eyre." "Bana's choreography is quite modern, unique but not abstract. I think Chinese audience will like it," Xin says.
The score will be composed from existing works that will assist in telling the story of the young English governess who falls in love with her employer Rochester, who keeps his mad wife locked away in the mansion. The famous novel "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte was published in 1847 in London.
Mahler's works are strong candidates, according to Qian Shijin, artistic director of Shanghai Grand Theater.
The ballet script was written by Yu who also created the stage version. He agreed to write a very different ballet version.
"The script for a dance drama needs to be simple and condensed, but detailed as well," Yu says. "Ballet is an art on toes that requires an elegant, peaceful and calm altitude in creation. What I want to deliver is not only simple storytelling but also an atmosphere that lingers throughout the show."
In rounds of discussions with Bana, Yu created a script with a simpler structure than that of the play, one that emphasizes the three main characters - Jane Eyre, Rochester and his demented wife Bertha - and their emotional turmoil.
Bertha
Bertha is almost never given a leading role in various adaptations of the work, so her appearance as a major character in this ballet is unusual.
"Jane Eyre has been popular in China for generations, but the long popularity also placed considerable restrictions on how we see the novel," playwright Yu says.
"Bertha is a mad women, but her existence is always a key to the relationship between Jane Eyre and Rochester," he says. "I did plan to have Bertha appear as major character in the previous drama, but failed. This time I will do it.
"I hope the story will be powerful rather than peaceful," Yu concludes. "I want this version of 'Jane Eyre' to slap the audience in the head, rather than just provide entertainment."
Date: November 18-19
Venue: Shanghai Grand Theater, 300 People's Ave
The ballet will be staged at the Shanghai Grand Theater on November 18 and 19 as part of the Shanghai International Arts Festival.
It is choreographed by German choreographer Patrick De Bana, and stage sets and costumes are designed by Jerome Kaplan from France.
In her first appearance, governess Jane Eyre crawls out of a suitcase she takes to Edward Rochester's Thornfield Hall. In a dramatic scene representing emotional struggles, Jane Eyre, Rochester and Bertha struggle in vain to escape from a transparent glass box.
The ballet was inspired by the namesake Chinese stage version presented at the Shanghai Grand Theater last December.
"I watched the play, heard the lines and could not help picturing Jane Eyre as the heroine in ballet - elegant and graceful," says Xin Lili, president of Shanghai Ballet. "The conversations were just so suitable for pas de deux."
She discussed the idea with Shanghai Grand Theater and with Yu Rongjun, the scriptwriter of the Chinese drama "Jane Eyre." "Bana's choreography is quite modern, unique but not abstract. I think Chinese audience will like it," Xin says.
The score will be composed from existing works that will assist in telling the story of the young English governess who falls in love with her employer Rochester, who keeps his mad wife locked away in the mansion. The famous novel "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte was published in 1847 in London.
Mahler's works are strong candidates, according to Qian Shijin, artistic director of Shanghai Grand Theater.
The ballet script was written by Yu who also created the stage version. He agreed to write a very different ballet version.
"The script for a dance drama needs to be simple and condensed, but detailed as well," Yu says. "Ballet is an art on toes that requires an elegant, peaceful and calm altitude in creation. What I want to deliver is not only simple storytelling but also an atmosphere that lingers throughout the show."
In rounds of discussions with Bana, Yu created a script with a simpler structure than that of the play, one that emphasizes the three main characters - Jane Eyre, Rochester and his demented wife Bertha - and their emotional turmoil.
Bertha
Bertha is almost never given a leading role in various adaptations of the work, so her appearance as a major character in this ballet is unusual.
"Jane Eyre has been popular in China for generations, but the long popularity also placed considerable restrictions on how we see the novel," playwright Yu says.
"Bertha is a mad women, but her existence is always a key to the relationship between Jane Eyre and Rochester," he says. "I did plan to have Bertha appear as major character in the previous drama, but failed. This time I will do it.
"I hope the story will be powerful rather than peaceful," Yu concludes. "I want this version of 'Jane Eyre' to slap the audience in the head, rather than just provide entertainment."
Date: November 18-19
Venue: Shanghai Grand Theater, 300 People's Ave
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