"Therearemanyjokesintheworldthatyoulistentowithtearsinyoureyes,"sayswriterLiuZhenyun,whenaskedwhatLaughterandTears:ANovelisabout.
Publishedin2021,it'sthestoryofafairynamedHuaErniang,wholovesjokesandseekstolearnnewones.Formorethan3,000years,shehasbeensearchingforjokesinpeople'sdreams.Withthelaughter,thefairyalsotastesthesadnessofeveryday,messylives.
In2024,thenovelwasadaptedintoaplay,OneDayThreeAutumns.DirectedbyDingYitengandstarringdancer-actressTangShiyiintheleadrole,itpremieredinChengdu,SouthwestChina'sSichuanprovince,andthentourednationally.
AspartoftheNCPAInternationalTheatreFestival2024,OneDayThreeAutumnswillbestagedattheNationalCentreforthePerformingArtsinBeijingonWednesdayandThursday.
AccordingtoLiYangduo,itsproducerandfounderofBeijing'sDrumTowerWestTheatre,theplayisoneofthreeproducedbyhertheatercompanythatarecollectivelyknownasthe"LiuZhenyuntheatretrilogy".
"Thenovelcombineselementsofintrospectionwithabroadersocialcritique,makingitbothameditationonindividuallives,andacommentaryonthelargersocietalforcesatplayincontemporaryChina,"LisaidatthenationalcenteronNov25.
"Whenwedecidedtoadaptthenovel,wevisitedLiu'shometownofYanjincounty,Xinxiang,inHenanprovince,andlearnedabouthiswritingprocess,"sheadds.
"Manyseeminglyhumorousorlightheartedstoriesactuallycontaindeep,underlyingpainorsorrow.Thenovelreflectsthecomplexityofhumanemotionsandexperiences,wherelaughtersometimesservesasamaskforgrief,struggleorhardship.These'jokes'mightbebornoutofdifficultsituations,makingthembittersweet,orevenheart-wrenchinguponreflection."