Opera 歌剧 （十一）

Although my main focus has gradually shifted since then, there is one more thing worth mentioning in my career as an actor, that is, I have acted in two operas, and I am not a legend, but a protagonist with a name and a surname!

During the period when I was pregnant and gave birth to a child, the troupe arranged “Sister Liu” with singing and dancing, which just carried forward the longs of folk song and dance troupe and was very popular. Encouraged, “Liu Hulan” was ranked again in the second half of 1962. The Zhejiang Folk Song and Dance Ensemble originally had only singing teams, dance teams, and bands, and did not have an opera system. It could only continue the style of the cultural troupe. The whole group had a game of chess, breaking professionalism, and using it uniformly. I’m an old actor, so I was assigned to play Liu Hulan’s mother. Although it was not the first heroine, there was a highlight. When Liu Hulan was captured, there was a long aria. My voice is clear, my natural voice is high, and I have a so-called golden voice.

But during the rehearsal, I was repeatedly praised by the director, saying that I was devoted and passionate in acting. I also said that I have strong physical expression. Hu Lanzi blocked me when he was taken away. The angry and sorrowful mood was accurate and strong without words. Unlike some actors who always think about the resonance position of the sound, they only sing and sing. I remember the performance of “Liu Hulan” when I went to Zhoushan during the Spring Festival of 63 to show my condolences to the troops. Because it was still in a difficult period, there was no food for supper, but there were yellow croakers. The troops would entertain us one by one and one fried yellow croaker for supper. At that time, the incense that came out of the cooking room! Everyone salivates when they smell it. I have been suffering from mild swelling due to long-term overload and working hard to make ends meet. I did not expect to eat the high-protein yellow croaker midnight snack at this stage.

Although the performance in the countryside has been described in detail in the section “Light Cavalry Team”, it is worthwhile to write a few more words about the team this year. That year, as part of the Four Cleansing Movement, the Zhejiang Song and Dance Troupe was divided into three teams to perform in the countryside. Han Yongyan, the deputy secretary of the third team leader, because he loves to eat, drink and talk about the benefits, the performance route should be arranged in a wealthy place with good food and drink. If you find a reason, you can rest on the spot, and everyone is happy; the second team Led by Liu Shikun, the deputy head of the regiment, he was good for his fame and fame, looking for those leaders who could see it to slander and confuse his eyes. Although he went to places like Sanmen and Xianju, he was still poor in the past, but he still led a group of people. The girl went to the dance party organized by the county party committee, and it happened that the head of the parent official left the folk band Feng Moumou for the night; Gao Ziming, the secretary of the leading branch of our team, couldn’t come to them. How to do it hard can truly serve the poor and transform the intellectuals.

The most unbelievable thing is that we received a notification from the superiors during the performance, that an area on our performance route had broken out of malaria, which has now been designated as an infectious disease endemic area and closed down. However, Gao Ziming said: The more this time, this kind of place, the more we should go. With an order, we drove into the lockdown area. The result is conceivable: the team members one by one, even Gao Ziming himself fell ill, but had a high fever, he also issued an order: “You can’t withdraw, you must stick to the end.” You know, the team is a carrot and a pit. , I fell ill, but not only the work of this individual should be shared by everyone, but also the burden of taking care of the patients. I have more and more programs, more and more things on my back, and less and less sleep time.

When faced with a difficult situation, people with poor health will fall first. Good health can always last longer, but when those with good health fall, they must be the heaviest. It is said that this is the case when crossing the snow-capped mountains and grasslands. Unfortunately, I am the one with the best physique. After all the members fell ill in turn, I started to have a fever, but no one can top my show, so I took a shot and insisted on going on stage. After the finale of the show “Capture the Seal”, my eyes went dark and a somersault came from the stage. Falling up and down, (the grass platform built with door panels, there is no escalator for the lower stage.) Fortunately, Zhou Dean, who played my husband’s old farmer, walked in front and caught it.

Fortunately, we didn’t change on foot that night. A truck drove us over, but even so, the performance site was far from the parking lot. It was the dance team Yu Bozhong who carried me all the way to the car. Many years later, he still said: “On weekdays, rehearsal dance lifts, Shen Bei is the lightest. Why is it so heavy that day, like a dead pig, I almost collapsed after finding the car.” At this time, the fever was so high that I lost consciousness and passed out. Isn’t that the same as a dead pig? ! When I arrived in the car, people didn’t know where to find some ice cubes and rubbed it hard for me, only then slowly woke up.

Fortunately, a special medical team has been dispatched to the affected area to immediately take measures to prescribe the right medicine. Fortunately, the next one a hundred miles away, and the last point of this performance, is a large orchard specializing in the production of “flat peaches”. It was the same as when I was pregnant. When picking flat peaches from the orchard, I have a great appetite. The flat peaches are big, juicy, and extremely delicious, and they accompanied me through those dangerous days. A few days later, the class returned to Korea. Of the three teams, we were the last to return to Hangzhou. It is considered that we insisted on completing the task successfully, and the whole group lined up to welcome. Most of the members of a team are injured and have not yet healed. Some support each other and some are on crutches. They look like a troop of defeated soldiers, shaking and sick. Only some family members are quietly talking aside: “Okay.” Poor! So pitiful!”

The sudden cultural revolution, the criticism of the “three highs”, “meat and egg actors” and “revisionist seedlings” interrupted my acting career. After the Cultural Revolution, some influential actors of my generation made their comebacks, and some people came to persuade me. I feel that dance should present the most beautiful things in front of people. As a dancer, I have no time for it, and I resolutely refuse to take the stage again. And thought that he had already put an end to his life as an actor. Unexpectedly, thirty-eight years later, at the age of sixty-eight, at the kind invitation of a friend, I made my debut in the United States and played a friendly role as the nanny in “Romeo and Juliet”. Not a few times in line, the director and partner both gave thumbs up. After watching the performance, my friend Yang Mo Niuhui unexpectedly said: “You have the best performance on the stage.” He also listed one, two, three and four reasons seriously, and I couldn’t breathe with laughter. It turned out that it was destined to end my actor’s life with this famous dance drama. So today I also use it to end the article describing my acting career.

虽说从这时开始，我的主要关注点已渐渐转移，但作为演员生涯还有一点值得一提，那就是演了二部歌剧，还不是龙套，是有名有姓的主角哩！

在我怀孕生孩子这段时间，团里排了《刘三姐》，有歌有舞，正好发扬了民间歌舞团之长，非常受欢迎。受到鼓舞，62年下半年又排了《刘胡兰》。浙江民间歌舞团本来只有歌队、舞队、乐队，并没有演歌剧的体制，只能延续文工团作风，全团一盘棋，打破专业，统一使用。我也算个老演员了，就分配演刘胡兰的妈妈，虽不是第一女主角，但有一场重头戏，在刘胡兰被抓走时，还有一段长长的咏叹调。我嗓音清亮，讲话天然声音位置高，是所谓的金嗓子，但不会用气，只会直着喉咙喊，演歌剧根本不合格。

但排戏时却一再受到导演的表扬，说我演戏投入，有激情。还说我形体表现力强，胡兰子被抓走时以身阻挡，既愤怒又悲痛的心情没有语言却表现得准确强烈，不像有的演员老想着声音的共鸣位置，只会干戳着唱。记得63年春节去舟山慰问部队，就是演的《刘胡兰》，因为还在困难时期，宵夜没有粮食，但竟然有黄鱼，部队就招待我们一人一条油煎黄鱼做宵夜，每到戏快结束时，炊事房里传出来的那个香啊！人人闻到都垂涎欲滴。我因为长期超负荷运作，入不敷出，已出现轻度浮肿，没想到吃这一阶段高蛋白质的黄鱼宵夜，竟不治自愈了。

第二个歌剧是1963年为下乡演出排的小歌剧《夺印》。(其实是为配合四清运动。)

虽说下乡演出，在“轻骑队”一节中，已用专篇详细描述，但对于这一年的小分队，还值得再写上几句。那一年，作为四清运动的一部分，浙江歌舞团分成三个小分队下乡演出。三队领队副支部书记韩永言，由于他爱吃爱喝讲实惠，演出路线尽量安排在较为富裕，有好吃好喝的地方，找个理由就原地休息打个“尖”，皆大欢喜；二队由副团长刘式坤带领，他好沽名钓誉，尽找那些领导能看得见的眼皮底下招摇，搞花花肠子，虽然去的像三门、仙居这些地方，当年也是穷山恶水，但照样领了一帮女孩子去参加县委办的舞会，居然还发生父母官一把手把民乐队冯某某留下过夜的事；我们一队领导支部书记高子明看不来他们，认为下乡巡演就是该哪里艰苦去哪里，怎么艰苦怎么做，才是真为贫苦大众服务，才是真改造知识分子。

他身体力行：能坐车不坐，硬是要步行，常常一走就是四十多里地，不但要背自己的被褥行囊，所有的服装道具也都分别由队员们背驮肩扛，有一次大家实在走不动了，要求休息一下，他气得嘴一抽一抽的说：“你们不走，我走。”就赌气的一个人往前冲，结果摔倒在地上。老乡给我们腾了大房子他不住，硬是要住在仓库烂泥地甚至废墟里，地上只垫一张晒谷子的粗草席，南方潮湿，有一次我睡下去，手一摸，冰凉，竟是一条蛇，时隔五十年半个世纪，最近碰到周德安他还说起这件事，可见印象多么深刻。能休息他不休息，千方百计让你连轴转，经常加班加场。

最最匪夷所思的是，演出途中接上级通知，在我们演出路线上的一个区域爆发了疟疾，现已划为传染病流行区加以封锁。高子明却说 ：越是这种时候，这种地方，我们越应该去。一声令下，我们开进封锁区。可以想见的结果是：队员们一个接一个，连高子明自己也病倒了，可发着高烧，他还下达命令：“不能撤，一定要坚持到底。”要知道，小分队是一个萝卜一个坑，病倒一人，不但这个人的工作要大家分担，还要增加照顾病员的重担，我节目越来越多，背的东西越来越重，睡觉时间越来越少。

遇到艰苦情况，身体差的人先倒下，身体好的总能多撑些时日，但等到那体质好的倒下时，一定是最重的，据说过雪山草地时就是这样。不幸的是，我就是那个体质最好的。当全体成员都轮流病倒过一遍后，我开始发烧，但我的节目无人能顶，便打了一针，坚持上台，演完压轴戏《夺印》，我眼前一黑，一个筋斗从台上摔下来，（用门板搭的草台，下舞台本就没有扶梯。）幸好演我丈夫老农的周德安走在前面，一把接住。

还好，那天连夜转场不是步行，有一辆货车拉我们过去，不过即便这样，演出地到停车处也很远，是舞蹈队余伯忠一路把我抱到车上。很多年后，他还说：“平日排舞蹈托举，沈蓓最轻了，怎么那天这么重，像死猪一样，找到车子我都快虚脱了。”平时排练是提着气用的巧劲，这时高烧烧得失去知觉昏死过去，那还不和死猪一样？！到了车上人们也不知从哪里找来些冰块，给我使劲地擦，这才慢慢醒过来。

所幸疫区已派有专门的医疗队，马上采取措施，对症下药。更有幸的是，百里外的下一个，也是这次演出的最后一个点，是个专门生产“蟠桃”的大果园，又和怀孕时那样，病中我什么都不能吃，只有看到当天从果园摘的蟠桃时，胃口大开。蟠桃大而多汁，鲜美无比，伴我度过了那段凶险的日子。数日后班师回朝，三个队中我们是最后回杭的，算是坚持圆满完成任务，全团列队欢迎。一队全体成员大部分伤了元气，尚未痊愈，有的互相搀扶，有的拄着拐杖，活像一队残兵败将，摇摇晃晃，病病歪歪，只听见一些家属在旁悄悄议论：“好可怜！好可怜！”

骤然而至的文化大革命，“三名三高”“肉蛋演员” “修正主义苗子“的批判，打断了我的演艺生涯。文革后，一些和我同代在全国有影响的演员纷纷复出，也有人来劝我。我却觉得舞蹈应把最美好的东西呈现在人们面前，作为舞蹈演员，我已光阴不再，坚决不肯再上台。并以为自己对作为演员的生命已经打上句号。万万没想到的是，事隔三十八年，六十八岁时，在朋友的盛情邀请下，我在美国又粉墨登场，友情出演《柔密欧与朱丽叶》中的奶妈。没排几次，导演和舞伴就都竖起了大拇指。好友杨墨牛辉等看演出后，竟众口一词，说:：”满台你演得最好。“还认认真真地列出了一二三四理由，笑得我气都喘不过来。原来，命里注定，以这部著名舞剧来打上我演员生命的句号，才够分量。所以今天我也以它打上记述我演艺生涯的文章的句号。