Great dame inspires bright lights of the theater, literature

Nine years ago, Tong Xin, a Shanghai Theater Academy graduate, decided to quit his job in advertising and pursue his passion for theater.

It was a decision many of his friends were skeptical about, given that he had never produced a drama before. But his wife, Lin Yi, a director and actress at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, gave her full backing.

The pair went on to adapt one of Agatha Christie's most popular thrillers, And Then There Were None, into a play, which premiered in Shanghai on Nov 29, 2007.

In those days, crime and suspense dramas were rarely seen in the city. The first 30 performances were sold out, and the production has since been staged more than 380 times, attracting a total audience of 300,000. The most recent performances were staged in Shanghai between May 19 and June 19.

Looking back on his decision, 36-year-old Tong attributes his unexpected success to Christie.

In December 2007, Tong and Lin founded Mousetrap Drama Studio, which focuses on adapting Christie's stories into stage plays. They have produced nine dramas based on Christie's works, including The Unexpected Guest, The Hollow and Go Back for Murder.

"Her dark, captivating tales thrill and enthrall as murder unfolds," Tong says, adding: "In the early days, Shanghai audiences had seen few thrillers. But in the intervening years, we've built up a loyal fan base, not only among theater lovers, but also among fans of Christie's books."

The British author is particularly significant to the couple as their relationship started after they played a married couple in a university production of The Mousetrap.

Lin once said in an interview, "the most interesting part of a crime drama is that everyone breathes together. Audiences watch everything so carefully. Actors have to be alert."

Like many Chinese, Tong learned of Christie through two movies adapted from her novels that were among the earliest imported Western movies broadcast in China in the 1990s: Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile.

Of all her works, Tong's favorite is Witness for the Prosecution.

"One of the main reasons why she is among the best-selling writers of all time is that murder and suspense are methods of telling a good story and portraying characters. With a female sensitivity, she tells a different and compelling crime story."

In 2010, to mark the 120th anniversary of Christie's birth, the writer's only grandson, Mathew Prichard, was invited to Shanghai to watch Mousetrap Drama Studio's production of And Then There Were None.

Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center says it has further plans to work with Agatha Christie Ltd, which has managed the author's literary and media rights globally since 1955, and Mousetrap Drama Studio to turn more works into Chinese plays.

"Prichard (chairman of Agatha Christie Ltd) has agreed to work with us because he saw how popular his grandmother's works are with Chinese audiences," Tong says. "Each of our productions takes about 18 months because we want to make each work a classic, not just paying tribute to Christie, but also telling a high-quality crime story to Chinese audiences."

In 2014, they presented a new translation of Christie's Murder on Air, which brought together acclaimed actors Tong Zirong and Liu Guangning. The first 47 performances sold out within two weeks. The translation will be staged at the National Center for the Performing Arts in October.

Liu Fangqi is among the young Chinese theater directors and producers who are also adapting Christie's works into Chinese dramas.

The 33-year-old became enamored with the detective stories while at university, after coming across the script of The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of Western theater, in the library of Shanghai Theater Academy.

"The murder mystery is so vivid, and it contains all the kinds of exciting details you can imagine such as conflict, a sharp twist and strong portrayal of characters," Liu says, who later presented the drama on campus.

After graduating in 2007, he went to France for further studies. On his return, Liu focused on adapting classic Western novels and scripts into Chinese plays. Of all the adaptations, Christie's works, including Towards Zero and Black Coffee, are among his favorites.

In celebrating the 60th anniversary of The Mousetrap, 60 productions were performed in different languages around the world. Liu, working with Shanghai Modern Theater, directed a Chinese production, which made its UK debut at St. Martin's Theater in London in October 2012.

"I'll never forget the experience of staging a Mandarin version of The Mousetrap in London," he says. "I was so proud."

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn