Director Lan Lanye (right) of the drama "Wu Wang Jin Ge Yue Wang Sword" speaks for actor Pu Cunxin (left).

A still photo of Lan Lanye playing Feng Leshan in the play "Home". All pictures are taken by Li Chunguang

A mist rose from the depths of the stage. The mist drifted away slowly, shrouding the set in a hazy, like a freehand painting scroll of virtual and real, taking the audience into a distant time and space. In the distance, a boat suddenly appeared, and a beautiful girl came with a penny... The poetic stage mood and the heavy historical emotion were perfectly integrated, and the audience was all intoxicated.
The curtain was drawn, and there was already applause in the theater. In the backstage corridor, a silver-haired old man who had been sitting all night finally showed a smile. Although he is described as a little thin, he is in good spirits. Then, he got up slowly, tidied up his clothes, straightened the party emblem on his chest, and walked to the stage step by step with a cane. He is Lan Lanye, the director of the play. At that time, he was 94 years old, but he did not miss a single rehearsal for more than two months; even for the 8 performances, he did not miss every single one.
The actors greeted him excitedly, gave him high fives one by one, and invited him to the middle of the stage. Immediately, the audience burst into warm applause, which is a tribute to the old artist. Lan Lanye's eyes couldn't help but get wet, and the fiery atmosphere made him a little dazed. More than 70 years ago, it was the party who nurtured and led him on the path of drama. From a young boy to an elderly man, from an actor to a director, he always held on to the stage with awe and conscientiousness, until one day he fell ill and had to be hospitalized...
one
Looking back on life, 1945 was an extremely important year for Lan Lanye. This year, the Anti-Japanese War was won; this year, he joined the Communist Party of China with honor.
Lan Lanye will never forget September 23, 1945, the day he joined the party. Due to the situation at the time, there was no formal party membership ceremony, but Lan Lanye said to himself: "You are a party member, give all of yourself to the party, and listen to the party's words for the rest of your life." Since then, he has practiced throughout his life. With the solemn oath when joining the party.
Lan Lanye's party introduction is his third sister Shi Mei. In early 1945, Shi Mei, who was working in the Jinchaji Jinjin Drama Club of the Liberated Area Art Troupe, was sent to Peiping to carry out underground work, and their home immediately became an underground contact point for the Communist Party. Lan Lanye learned about life and work in the Liberated Area from Sanjie, and was full of yearning for the vitality of the Liberated Area. He voraciously read a lot of progressive books, articles, these new ideas deeply shocked his heart.
18-year-old Lan Ye firmly joined the Chinese Communist Party. At first, it was mainly to help the third sister to do publicity work. "The higher-level party organization gave the third sister a shortwave radio. Every night at a fixed time, we would listen to the broadcast of the liberated area, record it, and then I would engrave it on the wax plate, make a mimeograph, and then she would take it out and distribute it. Due to the lack of manpower, I also became a traffic officer." Lan Lanye recalled.
In those days, Lan Lanye often carried a small cloth bag and rode a broken bicycle, went out of Xizhimen, crossed the Qinglong Bridge behind the Summer Palace, and went straight to the contact point at the foot of Xishan. No one knew that this young man's bag contained all kinds of daily necessities, documents and books needed by the liberated areas. On the road, they encountered military police patrolling and were stopped for questioning. Lan Lanye was not in a hurry, but said that he was playing around after school. In this way, he shuttled back and forth in and out of the city without any risk, trying his best to be a traffic officer.
"Are you afraid at the time?" Later, people often ask Lantianye. "I didn't really think about danger at that time, the only thing I thought about was how to keep people from finding out. I was too young at that time, and my thinking and work experience were very naive, and I couldn't do other things. Doing this well is doing my best for the party. A little strength." Lan Lanye's answer was simple and sincere. These thrilling experiences are proof of his infinite loyalty to the party.
two
Before becoming a traffic officer, Lan Lanye was a student in the Oil Painting Department of Peiping Art College, and joined the Salon Troupe at the invitation of his classmates, and performed in some plays.
After joining the party, according to the arrangement of the party organization, Lantian worked in the troupe while engaging in revolutionary work and participating in theatrical performances. In early 1946, in order to further strengthen the leadership of the theater front, the party organization decided to prepare for the establishment of the Peiping Theater Association (hereinafter referred to as the "Peiping Theater Association"), and to perform Li Jianwu's work "Youth" to expand its influence. Lan Lanye plays an old watchman nicknamed "Red Nose" in the play.
Although it is only a small role, Shi Lan, secretary of the party branch of the Peking Opera Federation and the director of the play, put forward strict requirements on Lan Lanye, to play this role as a real and vivid old farmer full of life. This made Lan Lanye, who already had some experience in acting in a student troupe, find it difficult: how can a 19-year-old who grew up in a city play the role of an old farmer?
Lan Lanye thought about it all night. He realized that if the characters are to be real and vivid, they must be familiar with them. Early the next morning, he ran into the countryside outside the city and began to make friends with farmers. This simple guy quickly won the favor of the villagers. "I have been there many times, and I have become familiar with them. Before leaving, they will go to the field to cut a handful of fresh leeks and bring them with me. Observing their words and deeds is especially helpful for shaping the role I want to play. Useful." Through in-depth experience of life, Lan Lanye created an authentic old watchman image in the performance.
As the situation in Peiping changed, progressive organizations such as Peiping Drama Federation attracted the attention of the Kuomintang reactionary authorities. In order to preserve the strength, the backbone members of the group are temporarily dispersed and hidden. Lan Lanye was sent to the second drama team, completely saying goodbye to the Peiping Art School, a place he once had difficulty letting go. According to the instructions of the party organization, he focused his work on the theater front, and since then he has embarked on the road of professional theater performance. In the second drama team, Lan Lanye began to study the theory of acting hard, combined it with the practice of acting, and successfully performed dramas such as "Thunderstorm".
In 1948, Lan Lanye withdrew to the liberated area with the second team of the drama. On the night of arriving in the liberated area, a comrade at the reception station of the Ministry of Urban Works said: "In order not to implicate and affect relatives and friends in the Kuomintang-controlled area, we will change our name when we arrive in the liberated area, and we will change it now." Three words blurted out: "Blue sky and wild." Blue sky and green fields, pure heart. Since then, this pseudonym temporarily taken for revolutionary work has accompanied Lan Lanye throughout his life, and has shone brightly in the long history of Chinese drama.
three
Zeng Wenqing in "Peking Man", Dong Si in "Cai Wenji", Hu Hanye Shanyu in "Wang Zhaojun", Feng Leshan in "Home"... After decades of stage career, Lan Lanye devoted himself to studying Stan Nislavsky's drama system has always adhered to the exploration and practice of nationalization of dramas, and has created a number of distinctive artistic images in more than 70 plays. Among them, the most well-known to the audience is Qin Zhongyi in "Tea House".
In the early morning of December 2, 1957, writer Lao She walked from his home in Dengshikou Danshi Courtyard to Beijing People's Art Theater, where he read his newly created play "Tea House" for all the actors in a conference room. Lao She's vivid reading aloud excited everyone present, and Lan Lanye was also deeply attracted. Beijing Renyi decided to rehearse "Tea House" on the spot, and everyone applied for roles one after another.
When the mood calmed down, Lan Lanye thought, with so many roles, which one can he play? If you don't know what to do, don't apply. However, when the cast list came out, to his surprise, he played Qin Zhongyi, one of the main characters.
Lan Lanye was deeply inspired to play such an important role in "Tea House" written by Lao She and directed by Jiao Juyin. He secretly made up his mind: I must play this play well! But how to shape this national capitalist? This is a person who is far away from himself.
Director Jiao Juyin asked everyone to experience life first. Experiencing life is also a valuable experience that Lan Lanye realized after performing "Youth".
In order to perform "Tea House" well, Lan Lanye visited the large and small teahouses in Beijing, carefully observing the people who were soaking in the teahouses; he also went to the downstairs of Andingmen to see the businessmen who set up stalls on both sides of the entrance of the city gate. Experiencing life in many ways gave him a deeper understanding of the customs of old Beijing. Under the introduction of friends, he got in touch with some former national capitalists. In this way, Qin Zhongyi's image gradually became clear in his heart.
Entering the rehearsal field, director Jiao Juyin asked the actors to practice sketches based on their recent experience in life. In the first act, as soon as Eunuch Pang played by Tong Chao came on stage, he had an overt and secret conflict with Qin Zhongyi, played by Lan Lanye. Tong Chao and Lan Lanye agreed that they should have had private festivals in the past. In order to clarify this background line, Lan Lanye conceived a sketch showing the relationship between the characters——
Qin Zhongyi called out an excellent quail, which happened to be seen by Eunuch Pang, and he wanted it too. Qin Zhongyi refused to let it go and deliberately raised the price. Liu Mazi made peace in the middle, but the two sides still quarreled. Eunuch Pang was eventually defeated due to lack of financial resources. Therefore, the two forged a beam.
Lan Lanye thought of a national capitalist he met while experiencing life. In fact, he didn't like these playthings, just for ostentation. So he changed his mind, did not end the sketch as originally planned, and instead ordered: "Go, give it to Master Pang."
Tong Chao, who played Eunuch Pang, also thought quickly. Just after losing face and being humiliated again, Eunuch Pang became angry, gritted his teeth and shouted: "Get it from the back kitchen and fry it for me to eat!"
Qin Zhongyi sneered in return: "Master Pang, hello Yaxing!"
The impromptu collision made this sketch a good story in the Beijing People's Art Rehearsal Hall, which inspired the creative enthusiasm of other actors in the crew, and also allowed Lan Lanye to touch the "soul" of the characters. Based on this, Qin Zhongyi and Eunuch Pang's fierce rivalry scene shines brightly in the first act.
In March 1958, "Tea House" premiered and received enthusiastic response. Qin Zhongyi, who was shaped by Lantianye, made his appearance at the entrance of Yutai Teahouse, and he won a lot of praise.
From its premiere in 1958 to 1992, Lantianye participated in 374 performances of "Tea House". He constantly enriched and adjusted his creations and used his acting skills flexibly, making Qin Zhongyi a classic in the history of Chinese drama.
"The drama must move people and make people think." Lan Lanye said that this is his lifelong pursuit.
Four
Looking back on how he embarked on the road of drama, Lan Lanye once said with emotion: "I didn't think at that time that I would be engaged in theatrical career for the rest of my life. But I am sure that I will do whatever the party decides, and I will do whatever the party asks me to do. "Since he put down his brush and devoted himself to the drama career, from the Second Drama Team, the Second Art Troupe of North China University, the Drama Troupe of the Central Academy of Drama, to the Beijing People's Art Theater, along the way, whether as an actor, director, or teaching, Lantianye has They did their best not only to shape many classic characters on the stage, to direct a series of excellent plays, but also to discover and cultivate a large number of talents in the literary and art circles, making important contributions to the prosperity and development of Chinese drama art.
In the spring of 2011, the Beijing Renyi Canteen was full of laughter, and the leaders of the hospital were inviting Lantian and Zhu Xu to dinner. Zhang Heping, the then dean, said straight to the point: "In order to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the party, the courtyard has decided to arrange a "Home" with Beijing's artistic style." Lantian nodded and said yes, rearranging classic plays and inheriting Beijing's artistic style is a major event. He thought that the theater wanted to hear the opinions of the old artists, but President Zhang changed the subject: "Please ask Amano and Zhu Xu to play a role in the play."
Acting on stage? You are in your old age, can you act well? Memory has already declined, can you remember the lines? Lantian hesitated. Although he has always been concerned about the development of Beijing's arts and crafts, he often lectures for young actors, but he hasn't acted on stage for 19 years, and he is now planning his third solo exhibition. Can he have enough energy to act?
Lan Lanye recalled that in 1984, he had rehearsed "Home" for the newly graduated Beijing Renyi 1981 actor training class. It was through the way that old and new actors played together on the same stage that a group of young actors grew up quickly. Time goes by, now "Home" needs him, and Beijing Renyi's "home" also needs him, how can he be absent?
Lan Lanye appeared on the crew of "Home" as scheduled, and to everyone's surprise, he decided to break through himself and play the villain Feng Leshan. He said to the theater: "If the performance is not good, please ask the director to replace me at any time."
There is no doubt that Feng Leshan in "Home" is a bad guy, but Lan Lanye believes that he can't simply play his "bad". While exposing the ugly and wicked characters, the audience must also enjoy artistic enjoyment. When he played Feng Leshan in the first act, the unrestrained and romantic image of celebrities was vividly reflected. I saw that he was holding a bunch of poems in his hand and commented: "Well, um, I love it for its chicness and aura..." There was a hint of arrogance in Feng Ya.
According to the script, the poems in his hand were written by Mr. Gao. In order to increase the realism of the characters and better express the relationship between the characters, Lan Lanye tried to figure out the mood of Mrs. Gao, wrote several poems such as "Homecoming" and "Begging for Dreams" in his identity, and carefully inscribed them in the book of sprinkle gold. On the paper, it is used as a prop to cooperate with the performance on the stage. "The audience can't see this, but I hold it myself, and I have more real confidence on the stage." As Lan Lanye often said to young actors: "Don't be stubborn in art, but pay attention to it." He used his own profound His literary and artistic literacy, and the ultimate pursuit of art, have created a flesh-and-blood character.
In those days, 84-year-old Lan Lanye came to the rehearsal hall on time every day, and did not leave until after the rehearsal was over at about 10 o'clock in the evening. One day, he accidentally tripped and fell off the one-meter-high stage when he was finishing rehearsal, breaking his finger, and everyone around was terrified. Lan Lanye reluctantly stood up, but the first sentence was: "I'm sorry, everyone was shocked." Everyone thought he would have to rest for a while, but the next day, when the actors pushed open the door of the rehearsal hall, they were surprised to see them The "Blue Grandpa" is already sitting there. At that moment, everyone really understood the four big characters that have been hanging in the Beijing Renyi rehearsal hall - "The drama is bigger than the sky".
Lan Lanye devoted himself to the rehearsal. Although he has directed "Home" and is familiar with every character in the play, he has not slackened. He believes that performances can't be the same, don't follow other people's models, and don't repeat yourself, and every performance must be original. "If only the pamphlet was still there!" he thought. The big booklet is a picture book of his characters. It contains nearly 1,000 pictures of all kinds that he has collected since he started his art, including old photos, pictures cut out from newspapers, and sketches of characters he drew. Every time he encounters a new play, he will look for inspiration from it. It's a pity that this booklet, which has accompanied him for decades, was borrowed and never returned. However, the accumulation in his heart is still there. After repeated pondering about the role, he designed a long beard and fluttering chest, hair and beard connected, wearing a long woolen robe, cuffs rolled into a crescent shape, wearing an oval black velvet hat, holding a The character shape of the square bamboo cane.
Lan Lanye has learned painting since childhood, and he has also studied with Li Kuchan and Xu Linlu. His profound artistic attainments have provided sufficient nutrients for his stage creations, and also made him particularly excel in makeup and styling. He sees this as an important part of the actor's shaping of the character. "For so many years of performances, I have always done my own makeup, and I even gave makeup to others in the crew. At most, I did makeup for 30 actors at a time!" Lan Lanye joked, and the characters he decorated with his own hands can always show a clear look. character traits.
The performance of the four generations of "Home" on the same stage became a major event in the theater industry that year. Lan Lanye's return to the stage excited the audience, and those who did not buy tickets were deeply regretted. In 2020, Beijing Renyi once again performed "Home" to commemorate the 110th anniversary of Cao Yu's birth. To the surprise of the audience, the 93-year-old Lan Lanye still participated in it and performed 11 consecutive performances. "Many audiences heard that I was in the show and were looking forward to it. I didn't want to disappoint everyone, so I insisted on performing every show and thanked everyone for their love." Lan Lanye's words were full of the most sincere respect to the audience.
Since returning to the drama stage at the age of 84, Lan Lanye has successively performed "Home", "Jiazi Garden" and "Winter Journey", and directed "Wu Wang Jin Ge Yue Wang Sword", "The Lady Returns Home" and "The Great Lawyer". A group of young actors has significantly improved their performance art level.
Even in illness, Lan Lanye has always been concerned about the development of the theater's career. This year coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Beijing Institute of Art and Design. Although Lan Lanye is too ill to go out, he still thinks in his heart: "If there is anything I need to do, you must tell me." At the end of his life, this old party member Moment, still working hard to play light and heat for the drama career.
On June 8, 2022, Lan Lanye, winner of the "July 1st Medal", left, completely saying goodbye to the people's literary and artistic career for which he had worked his whole life. 3 days later, in "Tribute to Drama - Beijing People's Art Theater's 70th Anniversary Performance", when the video clips of Lan Lanye's performance appeared on the stage of Cao Yu Theater, everyone in front of and behind the stage deeply missed the show. This talented artist.
The spiritual nourishment he left behind will nourish generations of drama people!