"Le Dîner de Cons" (The Dinner Game)
Dashan returned to the stage in the summer of 2007 alongside one of China's top comedians, Guo Donglin, in a Chinese adaptation of Le Dîner de Cons.
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The play launched on July 6 at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre Theatre before touring across China through through the rest of 2007 and into 2008. On April 10, 2008, Dashan was awarded the presigious White Magnolia Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in this play. This marks the first time a foreign national has been awarded one of China's top three dramatic arts awards. Francis Veber's play Le Dîner de Cons was a huge hit in Paris, where it opened in 1993 and ran for hundreds of performances over several years. A film adaptation in 1998 went on to win three César awards, the French equivalent of the Academy Awards. Francis Veber is best known internationally for his Oscar-winning screenplay La Cage Aux Folles. Left: Dashan receives the White Magnolia Award for Best Supporting Actor |
Dashan plays the role of Pierre Brochant, a successful Parisian publisher, who attends a weekly "idiots' dinner". Each guest must bring along an "idiot" for the amusement of the other invitees. At the end of the dinner the evening's "champion idiot" is selected. Brochant manages to find an exceptional idiot: François Pignon (played by Guo Donglin) a Taxation Bureau employee with a passion for building replicas with matchsticks. Things start to go haywire when Pierre injures his back, and instead of going to the dinner with François Pignon, has to ask François to help him. Soon Pierre's life disintegrates as the overly-helpful François accidentally destroys Pierre's marriage, jeopardizes his finances by bringing in a scrupulous fellow tax collector, and pushes his sanity to the limit with a series of bungles.
Reviews
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"The Canadian performer, Dashan, is a true celebrity in China. Over 10 years ago, his fluent and authentic xiangsheng performances won him fame across the country. Now, he's brought us another pleasant surprise on stage. This week, Dashan not only hosted the White Magnolia awards ceremony in Shanghai, but also took home the award for "Best Supporting Actor".
Liberation Daily, April 14, 2008
“This unexpected partnership between Guo Donglin and Dashan has sent Shanghai rolling with laughter. After the performance some have commented that it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Dashan playing the role of Brochant. With his natural and fluid performance, Dashan makes you forget that he and Guo Donglin are performers from two different countries.” Beijing Star Daily, July 19, 2007
"These past few years there has been an increasing number of very funny plays at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre, but not so many that can fill you with carefree laughter at one moment and touch your heart the next. 'Le Dîner de Cons' is one such play." Shanghai Xinmin Evening News, July 19, 2007
"This play is packed full of comedy. The innocent look on Guo Donglin's face along with Dashan's increasingly desperate predicament leaves the audience laughing from start to finish." Shanghai Morning News, July 7, 2007