Mo Yan's stage play mirrors human nature

Taiwanese actor Winston Chao (L) and Hong Kong actress Sheren Tang in a scene from “Crocodile” staged May 3 in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. Photos by Xinhua

“CROCODILE,” the first play that Nobel laureate Mo Yan penned after winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2012, premiered over the weekend in Suzhou, East China’s Jiangsu Province.

The magical realist drama that digs into the depths of human nature and explores the themes of desire and decadence was well received among audiences and critics, thanks to director Wang Keran from Magnificent Culture and the performances of veteran actors, including Taiwanese actor Winston Chao, who plays the protagonist; Zhang Kaili, a veteran mainland actress with the National Theater of China; soprano Yao Hong, also vice president of the China National Opera House; Hong Kong actress Sheren Tang and mainland comedy actor Bai Kainan.

In the story, Shan Wudan, a corrupt official who has fled to the U.S., is gifted a small crocodile as a birthday present. Over the course of a decade, as he nurtures and indulges the reptile, the creature grows excessively, much like his own insatiable desires.

Mo Yan takes photos of the stage before the debut of his new drama “Crocodile” at a theater in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, on May 3. 

The play’s success not only lies in Mo’s thoughts on human nature and desires, but also reflects the rich imagination and detailed expression of the director and actors on the stage, who vividly portray a series of classic characters.

Mo said that it is “a good drama to be a mirror of life,” allowing each of us to view ourselves, our nobility, our purity, and our weaknesses in the characters of the play. “Such an observation, such an appreciation, is not only an appreciation of art, but also a kind of observation of one’s own life.”

Although “Crocodile” is a story about a corrupt official, it is also the story of a human being. The characters in the play present the common points of human nature, including human strengths and weaknesses. And human desires, sometimes like the crocodile, if not restrained, will expand rapidly and even engulf their possessor one day. On stage, we see others, but also ourselves.

Mo mulled this play for years, while director Wang made it a reality. Both of them share the same idea about portraying human nature, hoping to present a living person on stage, not just one labeled as a “good” or “bad” person. (Global Times)