沪江英语采访《古怪的一对》话剧团

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        话剧《古怪的一对》导演Jonathan Geenen接受沪江英语采访实况：
        Q: Why do you choose to do “the odd couple”? Why is it attractive to you?
        A: My inspiration for producing The Odd Couple came from being able to work with Jim Bennett and Charley Mayer on a previous play. They are both dynamic actors who have an incredible range. It is a play that has been in the back of my mind for about 10 years. I worked on it as a sound designer as a student. These two actors gave me the courage to tackle it and have helped me discover an enormous amount of truth in it. I am incredibly grateful to the entire cast for their courage and hard work.
        Q: It was said that when Neil began to write this play, he thought that it would be a dark and tedious play about two mismatched men, and it might end his career as a playwright. Have you heard of that? Do you think Neil really said that and how do you think of that?
        A: I haven’t heard this before. I can’t begin to imagine what Neil Simon believed the effect that the play would have on people. I was drawn to the play because of the universal qualities that I believe it touches on in regards to relationships between two people.
       
        Q: When Neil began to write play, he used to be reminded that “you can not confuse ‘comedy’ and ‘drama’ as one thing,” but Neil himself thought that if our life is really like that, why we can not add comedy into drama? What’s your own opinion? Do you think The Odd Couple can be regarded as a comedy or a drama?
        A: I believe the play has all of the structure of a drama and that audiences over time have appreciated the human folly as comedic. All great plays have the ability to travel from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again.
        Q: I know this 1965 classic play has a following successful group of film and television series. Is there any one you like most? And do you refer to one of them before you start your production?
        A: I haven’t seen the movie for 10 years. I never use previous production photos, movies or otherwise when working on a play.
        Q: Have you add any of your own creations and ideas into the original script? Can you tell me the details about that?
        A: I have tried to remain as faithful to the script as possible. A few small details may be different because of the venue that we are playing in but other than that, nothing that is too surprising.
        Q: And what is the most challenging thing when you start to direct this play?
        A: Getting to know how the actors and getting them to trust the material. It is easy for actors and directors to add ideas to scripts. The most difficult thing to do sometimes is to simply trust the material.

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        话剧《古怪的一对》主演Charles Mayer接受沪江英语采访实况：
        Q: Felix and Oscar, are you any one of them in your daily life?
        A: I’ve never seen The Odd Couple before but it is a part of western culture. It seems that couples like Oscar and Felix live everywhere. So my understanding is that I have been a Felix in an ‘Odd Couple’ before and also an Oscar; perhaps we all have!
        Q: We know that the odd couple is a very famous Broadway show, it also has its Movie version, TV series, but on the other hand, most of the Chinese audiences are not familiar with it. So what is the biggest challenge to re-produce a classic like this? Do you prefer to keep it the way it is? Or add some new thing into it?
        A: I watched some of the TV show and film, and the performances are outstanding and have plagued me throughout the rehearsal process. I wish I hadn’t! The play has been written for the actors to grab it and perform for audiences everywhere. We’re not trying to reproduce the TV show or film. We’re trying to reproduce what human beings do to each other.
        Q: Have you add any of your own creations and ideas when you are acting? Can you tell me the details about that?
        A: Yes, we’re given the script, and those are the only facts that we have. All the other details that we need to create a 3-dimensional character come from our imagination of the actor. And a brilliant playwright like Neil Simon gives the actor lots of scope to fill in the details using their imagination and talent.
        Q: And what is the most challenging thing when you acting this play?
        A: Working with an American accent with Americans on stage in front of Americans. It’s a beautiful challenge. It’s an American story and I love New York City!
        Q: How’s it like to be a director or be an actor or actress in China? Is there any difference in your home country? What is the biggest problem you’ve ever met here?
       
        A: Being a foreign actor in China is wonderful because there’s plenty of work for actors who act in the Western style. The Chinese style of acting is slightly different, and there are some western actors who act in the Chinese style but I prefer the Western style.
        I’m very pleased that Western plays have been produced here such as Doubt and 12 Angry Men. Ad it is a mark of excellent playwriting and the standard of Chinese acting that 12 Angry Men was so good at the SDAC.