French comedy "The Game of Love and Chance" debuts in Beijing

"The Game of Love and Chance," a classic French romantic comedy directed by French director Jacques Lassalle and performed by Chinese cub actors premiered in Beijing Saturday night.

The drama is one of greatest plays written by the most celebrated French dramatist Marivaux of the 18th Century. It reveals the deep and agonizing struggle over the true nature of love.

Silvia's father has arranged for her to wed Dorante, the son ofhis oldest friend. Silvia has seen too many unhappy marriages, so her father allows her to switch roles with her servant to observe Dorante more freely, now that he is coming to meet her. But unbeknownst to her, Dorante has done the same thing with his servant.

In the ensuing melee, Dorante and Silvia, each thinking the other is but a servant, fall in love. Although reason tells them they shouldn't, their hearts urge them on.

Lassalle is one of the most prominent international theater directors and has worked with the famous movie star Grard Depardieu, well known as the "big-nosed lady-killer," and IsabelleHuppert, who has won le Prix d'interpretation feminine for her marvelous performance in La Pianiste at the 54th Cannes Film Festival.

Lassalle has directed more than 130 theatrical dramas, created nine with diverse styles, and won the Grand Prix National du Theatre in 1998.

He taught at the Conservatoire National Suprieur d'Art Dramatique, the Three Most Prominent Theater Research Institutes in Paris and the Strasbourg National Theatre (the only high-rankedtheater research organization in France that integrates both the academy and theater). He also assumed the presidency of l'Association Nationale de Recherche et d'Action Theatrale in 2000.

The drama is the fruit of Lasslle rehearsing with student actors with the Peking University Theatre Research Institute for amonth and half. As an activity of "The Year of France in China," the comedy is also a test of the new drama educational mode of "master with practice" in China.

"(The premiere) made me more confident about our mode," said Lin Zhaohua, the director of the institute and famous Chinese drama director.

Source: Xinhua