Super! Martial arts comedy a big hit
The opening show for the new Super Theater founded by Deng Chao and Yu Baimei in Gu’an, Hebei province was a martial arts comedy, entitled Tai Chi.
The show was staged in Gu’an and Beijing from June 28 to July 1 and July 6 to 8, respectively, and the comedy is scheduled to return to the capital in September.
The story begins with four students sharing their dreams in a classroom. One of them, named Tai Ji, dreams of becoming a tai chi master. So, he learns tai chi but doesn’t understand its spirit until he faces bullying from a classmate.
Chinese kung fu star Wu Jing initiated the idea of the play along with scriptwriter Yu.
Wu, 44, who was born in Beijing and received professional martial arts training as a child, made his film debut in the Hong Kong martial arts film Taichi Boxer in 1996, which was directed by Hong Kong martial arts choreographer and director Yuen Woo-ping.
Speaking about the play, Wu, who is also the director of the hit franchise Wolf Warrior, says: “I started by playing a tai chi master in that film, but I always wanted to direct a film about tai chi.
“Tai chi is an important part of Chinese martial arts culture. It has a long history and is based on the Chinese philosophy of yin and yang. So, by telling a story of tai chi, young people get a better understanding of the ancient art.”
According to Yu, Tai Chi fulfills his dream of presenting different types of comedies to Chinese audiences, who are used to comedies centering around dialogue.
He adds that the process of auditioning was harder and longer than his other comedies since he was looking for actors with martial arts skills.
The six actors in the comedy include actresses Li Muzi, who practices taekwondo, and Yang Qingzhu, who practices fencing.
For Zuo Xiang, 27, who was an acrobat with the China National Acrobatic Troupe, it is his first play. And when he applied for the role, he didn’t expect to be picked.
“I had no experience, but it’s my dream to become a comic,” says Zuo, who won the top Golden Clown prize at the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo in 2013.
Zuo, who was born in Cangzhou, Hebei province, says he started doing acrobatics at the age of 5. And when he was 15, Zuo won the Golden Clown award in the children’s group.
Speaking about his move into comedy, Zuo, who also received two years of training at the Beijing Film Academy before acting in TV dramas, says: “It’s an art. It’s harder to make people laugh than to make people cry.”
Zhang Zhenlei, who plays the teacher in Tai Chi, is, however, not new to comedy.
Zhang, 36, a veteran dancer and comic, who has been performing with Yu’s company for seven years, has also starred in the two films directed by Deng.
Speaking about the play, he says: “We spent two months in Seoul early this year. And for eight to 10 hours each day, we received training in dancing and acting.
“Unlike other comedies I’ve acted in, Tai Chi is all about physical moves, which is very challenging. And it depends on eye contact and body language instead of dialogue to make the audience laugh.”
Now, with the second theater, I am proud to share the magic of theater with more people.” Deng Chao, actor and co-founder of Super Theater