Chapter 409: Every Session is Full
The premiere date of "The Kite Runner" was confirmed when Lin Weimin was still in the United States.
There is something different about Arthur Miller's approach to producing plays. He never believes that the more rehearsals a play has, the better, because he believes that doing so would consume too much of the actors' passion and creative desire.
Compared to the difficult start of "The Intouchables" on Broadway, "The Kite Runner" is much luckier.
This is not only due to the added bonus of Arthur Miller's previous play "The Intouchables", but also the excellence of "The Kite Runner" itself and the help of investors.
In the first week of the performance, there were eight consecutive shows, and every show was sold out. This result was beyond everyone's expectations.
It exploded!
On Broadway, musicals are always the mainstream, while dramas can only be considered as the younger brothers.
The success rates of hundreds of musicals and plays performed every year are actually similar.
But in recent years, the box office revenue of a hit musical is far greater than that of a drama, which is often counted in the billions. Not to mention in terms of influence, musicals are even more powerful than dramas.
The enthusiastic response and welcome that "The Kite Runner" has received since its release has given it a reminiscent feeling of the golden age of Broadway dramas from the 1930s to the 1950s and 1960s in the first half of this century.
"The Kite Runner" became one of the most talked-about topics on Broadway in a short period of time. People talked about the success of the play, Arthur Miller's Midas touch, and naturally, the original screenwriter of the play, Lin Weimin.
At the beginning of the premiere of The Intouchables, Lin Weimin was an unknown figure on Broadway. After the success of The Intouchables, Lin Weimin's name began to spread in a small circle on Broadway, and many people knew that there was such a screenwriter from the East whose works were successful.
But that’s all. Broadway is not only a holy land for art, but also a place of fame and fortune.
There are so many faces appearing here every year, and there are many talented and gifted people among them. Becoming famous with one play has never been a myth on Broadway, but behind the fame of a play, few people can gain a foothold on Broadway in the following career.
The biggest difference between Lin Weimin and those people is that his two works were successively landed on Broadway and both were successful.
No one can ignore such a talented screenwriter.
——
Lin Weimin put down the newspaper. He was extremely satisfied with the performance of "The Kite Runner" on Broadway. He felt that it was worthwhile for him to travel all the way to the United States to get the script.
It has been nearly a month since the premiere of "The Kite Runner". Arthur Miller's letter and package were sent out a week after the performance and only arrived in Lin Weimin's hands today.
The newspapers and magazines in the package were carefully collected by Arthur Miller, and each newspaper and magazine spoke highly of "The Kite Runner".
Lin Weimin opened Arthur Miller's letter again. The content was not long.
In addition to greetings and Lin Weimin's request to deliver the tickets before he left, Arthur Miller emphasized the popularity of "The Kite Runner" and the effect it caused.
That is something that "The Intouchables" could never achieve even at its peak.
Arthur Miller said that since the premiere, various media outlets have been competing to invite him for interviews. Lin Weimin, the original screenwriter, has also received even more enthusiastic interview invitations from the media.
Many media outlets expressed regret when they heard that Lin Weimin had returned to China after finishing the script.
But these people did not give up and tried their best to take advantage of Arthur Miller, the old fat sheep.
He introduced "The Intouchables" and "The Kite Runner" to Broadway, so people are naturally curious about the cooperative relationship between him and Lin Weimin.
According to Lao Mi Tou, he accepted interviews from at least 20 media outlets during the performance, including three exclusive interviews, and a large part of the content of the interviews was about issues related to Lin Weimin.
Lin Weimin could see that the old man was very proud in his letter.
At his age now, he has no shortage of fame and fortune, but the exhaustion of his creative ideas is more painful to him than death.
The consecutive introductions of "The Intouchables" and "The Kite Runner" were successful, especially since they were from a distant country like China. In a way, this satisfied the sense of accomplishment in the heart of the old man.
Lin Weimin will definitely not be able to see the interview that Lao Mi Touer gave this time. Given Lao Mi Touer's character, it will definitely be included in the next package.
I packed up everything in the package and put it in my bag, ready to go home from get off work.
The car drove back to the Shichahai courtyard. Not long after entering the courtyard, Yin Geli came in carrying vegetables.
The family is having a dinner together tonight, and Yin Geli will be the chef. After one year of marriage, her cooking skills have improved remarkably, and she can cook Chinese food quite well.
Han Dingbang had just completed his retirement procedures in September, and he took advantage of the good weather in Yanjing during the National Day holiday to stay here for a while.
Han Zhuangzhuang is currently filming for the TV series "Red Sorghum" and cannot spare the time for the time being.
The father and son agreed that they would return to Shanghai after the New Year to tidy up their home, bring back what they could bring to Beijing, and give away what they couldn't.
Since the house was allocated by the government, it is difficult to sell it right now, so I can only leave it there for now.
During this period, Han Zhuangzhuang was not in Yanjing, and Han Dingbang did not live in Qiqizuo Hutong, but lived with Lin Weimin to avoid suspicion.
The dishes were served one by one, and after Yin Geli had finished preparing everything, the three of them sat down at the table.
Lin Weimin poured a glass of wine for Han Dingbang, "It's a pity that Zhuangzhuang is not here today."
"At his age, he should be busy with his career!" Han Dingbang said, and then sighed: "Thanks to you!"
"Brother-in-law, why are you saying this?"
Han Dingbang had a complicated expression, with a look of nostalgia in his eyes. "Zhuangzhuang has been a useless kid since he was young. Ten years ago, I would never have thought that my son, Han Dingbang, could play the leading role in a movie!"
"Zhuangzhuang is the right person for this role. He has been performing on the Spring Festival Gala stage and in the People's Art Theatre for several years, and has also acted in TV dramas. It's not uncommon for him to play the leading role in a movie now."
Han Dingbang laughed, "This kid has a good uncle!"
"Let's not talk about this anymore." Lin Weimin waved his hand, took two bites of food, and asked Yin Geli how her part-time job was going.
Previously, Qiao Sen came to China to sign a publishing contract with Lin Weimin, and mentioned in passing that he wanted to introduce some works by domestic writers to the United States. Lin Weimin recommended a number of them to him.
Lin Weimin also found a part-time job as a translator for his nephew's wife Yin Geli.
"Random House has very high requirements. I have translated the synopsis and background introductions of dozens of novels for them, but they have not yet confirmed any of the works they want to publish."
Lin Weimin nodded slightly. "That's normal. It's hard for domestic writers to satisfy the tastes of American readers. I think they are just speculating."
Yin Geli couldn't help but ask, "Then why is your novel selling so well in the United States?"
I'm different, I have a cheat!
Lin Weimin certainly couldn't tell anyone what was in his mind, "My work probably doesn't sell very well, right?"
"You can't compare with the most popular works." Yin Geli said.
"That's true. According to your standards, it should be considered popular. I think it probably has something to do with the creative ideas and concepts of each author."
“I don’t know about other authors, but when I’m creating, the first thing I consider is not the meaning or the idea, but the reader’s feelings.
But now many domestic authors have different creative thinking. Before they create, they first set a "lofty goal" for themselves. This cannot be said to be wrong, but overall it will still affect the interest and readability of the story.
Another problem is the outdated writing style. Many people’s creative experience does not accumulate with age. Instead, they are constantly consuming and repeating themselves. The works written in this way may be popular at present, but they are destined to be eliminated after several years.
Finally, there is one more point, which may be due to some elements mixed in some of my works, such as the oriental opera and transgender emotions in "Farewell My Concubine", and the narrative traps and murder elements in "The Dark Knight".
Each reason cannot be singled out, it should be the effect of superposition. "
Lin Weimin's words were very pertinent. Yin Geli nodded and said, "Random House is indeed interested in the avant-garde novel "Chasing the Murderer" you mentioned. Qiao Sen also said that this is a rare novel among the many works I have translated. Unfortunately, many of those works are short stories."
Medium and short stories mean that they can only be published in collections. In this way, it is almost impossible to build the writer's brand image. It is extremely difficult to produce another writer like Lin Weimin.
“Haha, it’s good enough to be published. Art has no country, but readers have nationalities.
Works that can truly be marketed in various countries are all classics among classics.
If I publish the collection, I can at least make some money!"
After Lin Weimin finished speaking, he asked Yin Geli, "Have you paid all the fees for Random House?"
Yin Geli nodded. "Random House pays by volume, and settles the payment every month. So far, they have paid me two thousand dollars."
Yin Geli translated the story outline and background introduction of a novel for Qiao Sen, and the fee was one hundred dollars.
Of course, this price is impossible in the United States, and even in Yin Geli’s hometown of Austria, it is impossible. But who can blame Yin Geli for being in China now?
This price was given out of consideration for Lin Weimin. After all, the translation that Qiao Sen wanted was not of publishing quality, and it was not difficult to find translation talent at Yenching University.
Yin Geli was also very satisfied with this. She had never considered the issue of money when she married Han Zhuangzhuang, and the two of them had never lacked money in Yanjing.
But it is certainly good to be able to earn some extra money. She plans to go back to her hometown every two years, and each trip will cost a lot of money.
We had dinner and chatted at the same time. It wasn’t very lively, but it was warm and comfortable.
After dinner, Lin Weimin drove Yin Geli back to Qiqizuo Hutong.
(End of this chapter)
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