Chapter 389 Theater, next part
A Mercedes was driving on the streets of New York, with neon lights flashing outside the window and heavy traffic.
Chen Chong’s dilemma did not last long, and the car stopped at the subway station entrance.
"This matter is very important to you. You can think about it slowly later." Lin Weimin said as he saw the guest off.
Chen Chong looked towards the subway station, her expression still embarrassed.
"Oh, right!" Lin Weimin looked at her expression and then he took out his wallet from his pocket. "Next time, at least keep some money on you, or you won't even have money to go back."
The 200-meter knife was stuffed into Chen Chong's hand as an emergency weapon. She said to Lin Weimin, "Thank you, Teacher Lin!"
Lin Weimin smiled and said, "Don't be so polite. We are all Chinese. If we meet someone outside, we will definitely help him if we can."
"Get off the bus and be careful!"
Looking at the Mercedes Benz driving away, Chen Chong felt a mixture of emotions and her eyes were complicated.
The next morning, Arthur Miller arrived at the Dakota Apartments.
"Lin, where do you want to go today?"
Lin Weimin just arrived in New York the day before yesterday. Yesterday was the rest time left for him by Arthur Miller. In the next few days, he and his wife will take time out to take Lin Weimin around New York, just like when Lin Weimin found Arthur Miller when he went to China.
"Let's go straight to the theater and meet everyone."
Arthur Miller said, "Lin, you young people shouldn't be so boring. There's plenty of time to go to the theater, so why don't you take advantage of these few days to have some fun?"
Lin Weimin smiled and said, "I prefer to travel when I have nothing to do and nothing to worry about."
"Well then! Let's go to the theater first to see how the kids are doing, and then enjoy their performance in the evening."
"I'm afraid not tonight. Mr. Laurentius invited me to drink last night when I left your house."
Arthur Miller asked in surprise: "He asked you out? He wants to adapt your novel?"
"I think so? We haven't talked about it yet." Lin Weimin said without comment.
Arthur Miller said, "Lin, you have to be careful of those guys in Hollywood. They don't tell the truth."
Lin Weimin looked at Arthur Miller with amusement. He suspected that the old man's hostility towards Hollywood was because of his ex-wife.
"He was a guest at your house last night."
"That's because he's Ivy's guest, and I can't refuse."
Well, they are just superficial friends after all.
The two chatted for a while, then went downstairs and got into the car.
The theaters on Broadway from 44th Street to 53rd Street are known as Inner Broadway.
Every morning is the quietest time on Broadway. Walking on the street, it is not much different from most streets in the United States.
But as soon as night falls, this place will be transformed into a palace of drama, with bright lights and bustling voices, and countless audiences flock to the theater on the street to enjoy their favorite shows.
Arthur Miller took Lin Weimin to introduce these theaters on Broadway along the way. Before they knew it, it was noon. After having lunch, the two came to the Barrymore Theater at 243 West 47th Street.
The Barrymore Theater was built in 1928 and named after Ethel Barrymore, a famous American actress at the beginning of this century. It is affiliated with the Shubert Theater Group.
The exterior of the theater is modeled after the design style of an ancient Roman bath, and the interior decoration is a combination of Elizabethan, Mediterranean and Adamic styles. Among the many theaters on Broadway, the architectural style is unique.
The Shubert Theatre Group, which owns the Barrymore Theatre, is the largest theater operating company in the United States. At its peak, it had the operating rights to nearly a thousand theaters.
The Barrymore Theatre mainly performs plays. The theatre has 1,058 seats, which is medium-sized among the more than 40 theatres on Broadway.
Arthur Miller and Lin Weimin came to the theater and first took a tour. As a theater itself, the Barrymore Theater was nothing special. It was the word "Broadway" itself that brought it fame.
In the afternoon, actors arrived at the theater one after another.
These actors are night owls, just like the actors in the People's Art Theatre. They perform until after 10 o'clock every night and are extremely excited, so it is unlikely that they can fall asleep.
Therefore, there are almost no people in the theater in the morning, and most people only show up here in the afternoon.
During the performance stage, the play will hardly be rehearsed again, because the previous rehearsals have already finalized the content and arrangement of the performance, and there are fixed performances every night. Performances are very energy-consuming and physically demanding.
If you expend too much energy and enthusiasm before a performance, it will only backfire.
Arthur Miller gathered all the staff of "The Intouchables" on stage and behind the scenes and solemnly introduced Lin Weimin to everyone. Everyone looked at Lin Weimin with curiosity.
At the beginning of the preparation of "The Intouchables", everyone knew that this was a drama from faraway China. Arthur Miller had praised Lin Weimin, the original screenwriter, more than once, calling him a "genius from the East."
Today, everyone finally saw the true face of this genius.
The yellow race, or the Chinese, have never had a high status in the United States, but those who are rich, powerful and talented are not included.
After Arthur Miller's introduction, Lin Weimin received warm applause from the crowd. Several young people even whistled, and the scene was lively.
Arthur Miller introduced these people to Lin Weimin one by one. He certainly couldn't remember their names, and he couldn't even recognize their faces, but he couldn't lose his manners, so Lin Weimin greeted these people with a smile on his face.
"Mr. Miller, are you preparing for the next play?" The speaker was a black young man, who played the role of Dris, the American version of Lin Xiaoding.
Badman was originally just an unknown minor actor, but was chosen by Arthur Miller to star in "The Intouchables", which not only made him a lot of money financially, but also won him last year's Tony Award. His life changed dramatically in an instant.
Arthur Miller had mentioned the next play many times before, and Lin Weimin was here today, so he naturally became concerned about this matter.
Not only Badman, but other actors as well, the popularity of "The Intouchables" on Broadway brought them substantial income and fame.
Although they may not be used in the next play, how can we know if we don't try? With the cooperation in the first play, if the conditions are the same, Arthur Miller has no reason not to use them.
Arthur Miller pointed at Lin Weimin and smiled, "You should ask Lin about this!"
Lin Weimin looked at Arthur Miller helplessly, then said loudly: "I won't keep you waiting for the next play. Yesterday, Mr. Miller and I discussed a lot about the creation. I will stay in New York for the next period of time and concentrate on writing the script. I hope to see you again when the script is ready in the future."
Lin Weimin's speech once again won applause from the crowd. For these actors, there was no better news than this.
After spending the entire afternoon in the theater, Lin Weimin and Arthur Miller separated in the evening.
After dinner, Huang Guangsheng drove Lin Weimin to the Green Garden Lounge in Central Park.
This place is surrounded by greenery and adopts a glass curtain wall architectural style. You can bask in the sunshine during the day, and when the surrounding lights light up at night, it is equally beautiful and makes people linger.
The Green Lounge opened in 1934 and has been in business for more than half a century. During this period, it has been transferred several times and opened and closed, but it has always been one of the favorite pubs for actors, musicians, and writers in West Manhattan.
Many Broadway shows will celebrate on the Green after their opening night, which has become a Broadway tradition.
It was about seven o'clock in the evening, when the pub was just beginning to get busy.
Lin Weimin met Laurentice again, whom he had met yesterday. Compared with their first meeting last night, the two of them were much warmer today.
As soon as he sat down, Laurentius looked ambiguous, "Lin, how was your night last night?"
"What?"
"Don't pretend. I saw last night that you and that lady are old acquaintances."
The old guy has a pretty good eye.
Lin Weimin said: "We have only met twice, we are not familiar with each other."
Laurentius added, "Do you need me to help you match them up? That lady looks like she would be perfect for the role in 'The Tai-Pan'!"
Laurentice was deeply impressed by Chen Chong after their chance encounter in the underground garage last night.
Chen Chong's appearance is good-looking among Chinese people, but she is not a great beauty. On the contrary, she is very much in line with the Western aesthetic of Chinese women.
The heroine of "The Big Boss" has not been found yet, and Laurentice is indeed considering giving the role to Joan Chen, and he can also do Lin Weimin a favor at the same time.
Lin Weimin smiled and shook his head. "I'm not familiar with Ms. Chen Chong. You need to discuss this matter among yourselves."
His straightforward expression made Laurentius feel a little regretful that he failed to do this favor!
After drinking some wine and chatting for a while, Laurentis stated his purpose, which was indeed to obtain the adaptation rights of "Farewell My Concubine".
"Lin, I bought your novel early this morning. Although I haven't finished reading it yet, I have to admit that it is a rare masterpiece. It would be a shame if it is not adapted into a movie!"
As if to express his sincerity, Laurentis took out a brand new copy of "Farewell My Concubine".
Just because of the movie "Da Ban" you made, I would not give you the adaptation rights of "Farewell My Concubine".
I thought this in my heart, but I definitely couldn't say it out loud.
"Big Pan" is the first Hollywood movie shot entirely in China. Even the government supports their work. Lin Weimin is not qualified to make comments.
Lin Weimin said: "Mr. Laurentius, Farewell My Concubine is a story rooted in Chinese history and culture. I don't think this movie can be handled well in Hollywood."
Laurentius tried to persuade Lin Weimin, and it was obvious that he was indeed optimistic about "Farewell My Concubine".
"How about this. Aren't you preparing for "The Big Boss"? This movie happens to have oriental elements. If this movie can gain a good reputation, then I will consider giving you the adaptation rights of "Farewell My Concubine"!"
Under Laurentius's persuasion, Lin Weimin put forward his plan.
Laurentius hesitated for a moment and nodded.
Today, he spent the whole day collecting information about "Farewell My Concubine". The more he learned, the more surprised he was.
"Farewell My Concubine" has been sold in the United States for four years, and the cumulative sales have approached one million copies. It has many fans in the United States. In addition, this novel has been published in other English-speaking countries, and the sales are also very good.
The huge sales volume represents the influence of the novel. Once the news of a movie adaptation is released, such a novel will bring traffic and topics, even if it is a work with an oriental background.
The millions of readers behind the novel are enough to support the novel's adaptation prospects. This oriental background will not only not diminish the luster of the work, but will to some extent enhance the mysterious temperament and award-winning chances of the adapted film.
"Okay. It's settled then. I look forward to the opportunity for us to cooperate in the future."
Lin Weimin shook hands with Laurentius with a smile on his face, but he was afraid that he would never have this opportunity again.
(End of this chapter)
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