出生浙江嵊州、活躍于舞臺多年的越劇表演藝術(shù)家周寶奎，創(chuàng)造了眾多栩栩如生的古代老婦人形象，如《紅樓夢》里的老祖宗、《珍珠塔》里的方朵花、《碧玉簪》中的阿林娘等等，不知有多少“越劇迷”為她扮演的角色所傾倒，通過電影的輸出以及她隨團(tuán)出國演出，在海外也博得了眾多的知音。

留在觀眾記憶中的是：她那穩(wěn)健明快、潑辣生動(dòng)、貼近生活的表演，她那吐字遒勁、聲腔宏亮、韻味十足的唱腔，只要一上臺，她就能猛的一下把觀眾鎮(zhèn)住，緊接著是一陣暴風(fēng)雨般的“滿堂彩”掌聲，尤其是她那《碧玉簪》阿林娘的一曲膾炙人口的《手心手背都是肉》，已成為經(jīng)典唱段，堪稱“神品”，可以說在越劇觀眾中無人不知、無人不愛，并成了一代又一代后來的旦角藝術(shù)家們努力追求的坐標(biāo)，時(shí)至今日，仿效者中佼佼者固然涌現(xiàn)了不少，然而要說“超越”她的，則至今寥寥。

歷來演越劇老旦不會像京劇老旦那樣能夠出名，早年她的啟蒙老師把她的原名周彩娥改名周寶奎，其意思就是希望越劇界也能有京劇界李多奎那樣出類拔萃的老旦演員：她期望“京劇有多奎，越劇要有寶奎?！敝軐毧回?fù)師望，在越劇界中她所飾演的老旦一角，身價(jià)完全能與花旦、小生平分秋色，能與徐玉蘭、王文娟一樣成為越劇觀眾家喻戶曉的人物，這大概就是人們通常所說的“藝術(shù)的獨(dú)創(chuàng)性”吧。

周寶奎出身于越劇發(fā)源地浙江嵊州的一個(gè)貧寒家庭，她11歲開始學(xué)戲，與后來成名的筱丹桂、商芳臣、裘大官等24位姐妹同一個(gè)科班，在嚴(yán)師教導(dǎo)下邊學(xué)邊演，她15歲便正式掛牌，先后與筱丹桂、姚水娟、屠杏花、徐玉蘭、王文娟諸名角同臺演出，與袁雪芬、范瑞娟、傅全香等著名演員同時(shí)活躍在越劇舞臺上。周寶奎的藝術(shù)造詣除了名師指點(diǎn)，還得力于新中國大環(huán)境對她的培育。她對筆者說，新中國建立之前她還只是側(cè)重于演技的精益求精，對于如何窺透角色內(nèi)心世界、把握人物性格還不太懂，要說真正自覺地深入生活，創(chuàng)造不同性格的角色，這還是在新中國建立后，尤其是在穿上了軍裝之后。1952年，她從業(yè)的“玉蘭劇團(tuán)”被編入了中國人民解放軍總政文工團(tuán)行列，成為總政文工團(tuán)越劇團(tuán)。在解放軍這個(gè)大學(xué)校的藝術(shù)團(tuán)體里，經(jīng)常由著名戲劇家宋之的給她們分析劇本內(nèi)容與主題思想，分析人物環(huán)境與性格形成的因果，分析角色的內(nèi)心世界與外表行動(dòng)的關(guān)系等等，這些分析講得繪聲繪色、絲絲入扣；特別是導(dǎo)演陳其通，他是個(gè)思想境界很高的老紅軍，在藝術(shù)上有很高的造詣，這對她掌握人物的內(nèi)心世界和對角色的性格把握幫助很大，加之人民軍隊(duì)的人際關(guān)系，自然給周寶奎以“如沐春風(fēng)”之感。1953年春節(jié)，越劇團(tuán)以志愿軍政工干部身份入朝慰問演出，她經(jīng)歷了“演出中警報(bào)聲響，演出場地頓時(shí)被炸成平地”的驚險(xiǎn)情景，她那歷時(shí)8個(gè)月在坑道里、在簡易舞臺上、在隆隆炮聲中趕場子的血與火的戰(zhàn)地演出，鍛煉了藝術(shù)，更鍛煉了意志，她獲得了朝鮮民主主義人民共和國軍功章。1954年全團(tuán)回國后，她隨團(tuán)由北京回上海，在改編后的上海越劇劇院里成為戲劇改革中的重要一員。

當(dāng)然，周寶奎的成就也離不開她自身的努力和她對觀眾、對藝術(shù)的責(zé)任感與使命感，來源于她對自身職業(yè)的敬與愛。她幾十年如一日地對戲藝的刻苦鉆研，直到晚年出國演出，還被海外的華人報(bào)紙?bào)@呼：“越劇瑰寶、寶刀不老、渾身是戲!”

2001年初春，這位年屆80歲的老人與她的老伴，興致勃勃地來到了她的故鄉(xiāng)與學(xué)藝之地——浙江嵊州市長樂鎮(zhèn)，鄉(xiāng)親們喜出望外，探視不絕，大家為這只飛出故鄉(xiāng)多年的越劇金鳳凰感到驕傲，她十分理解鄉(xiāng)親們對自己的情意，她深情地說：“我的生命是父母和家鄉(xiāng)給的，我的藝術(shù)生命是觀眾給的!”

今日周寶奎已經(jīng)離開越劇舞臺安度晚年，然而她仍一往情深地視越劇如生命，平日曲不離口，只要有演唱場合和機(jī)會，她總會到一處就唱一處，從不擺藝術(shù)家架子。從某種意義上來說，如今她的藝術(shù)舞臺更為寬廣了，她不像往昔只在舞臺上演出，眼下整個(gè)社會都是她的舞臺。

（作者為浙江省作家協(xié)會原副主席、著名兒童文學(xué)作家）

The Gold Phoenix of Yueju Opera

By Shen Hugen

Born in Shengzhou， Zhejiang Province in 1920， Zhou Baokui is an eternal legend of Yueju Opera. Before she retired， she created many vivid characters of old women in the best known plays of the traditional opera that originated in the province and bloomed into brilliance in Shanghai in the first few decades of the 20th century. She appeared on films and performed abroad， which has made her a well known Yueju Opera artist even among overseas fans.

Unlike those who play an old female character in Peking Opera and have an opportunity to become famous， few girls in Yueju Opera become popular by personifying an old woman. But Zhou Baokui is the only exception in Yueju Opera. Her radiant performance and skillful singing captivated audiences. Her aria of he flesh on the palm and the back of the hand is equally dear to me?in The Green Jade Hairpin is her signature performance. Every Yueju Opera enthusiast knows the aria and loves it. Actresses of new generations have tried to emulate her and there are good ones， but none has surpassed her.

Zhou began to learn the role of an old woman at the age of 11. At the age of 15， she began to appear on the stage acting as an old woman.

In addition to the rigorous training from her teachers， Zhou also owes her success to the learning she received after New China was founded. Before that time， what she had learned most was about performing techniques. She was not perfect in understanding and exploring the minds of the roles she played. She joined the PLA in 1952， which proved to be a turning point in her career. She was able to work with knowledgeable directors who would analyze and explain to her the themes， connotations， characters， interaction between characters and the surrounding society， and the external interpretation of the inner world， etc. The learning and the different life experience she had in New China helped her to peep into a great art world. When the Korea War broke out， she volunteered for the front as a Yujue Opera actress. She even stayed in a tunnel for eight months in the front. She was awarded a medal for her heroic deeds in Korea. She came back to China in 1954 and then moved to Shanghai with the troupe. She became a key person in the traditional Chinese opera reform at the Shanghai Yueju Opera Theater. It was in Shanghai that her career bloomed.

Highly dedicated， Zhou never stopped honing her performing skills. For decades， she worked hard to improve herself. Even in the last years of her stage career， her performances in the foreign countries and regions wowed audiences and critics. That was definitely not just because she was an old woman acting as an old woman.

Now in her 80s， Zhou Baokui is retired from the stage， but she would like to sing her arias whenever possible. The whole world is still her big stage.

(Translated by David)