Using Warmth to Alleviate Heaviness: Localization Strategy in Zhou Ke’s Production of <i>The Pillowman</i>

Youyan Lu; Xialu Chen

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2025.02.032

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Article Open Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2025.02.032

Using Warmth to Alleviate Heaviness: Localization Strategy in Zhou Ke’s Production of The Pillowman

Youyan Lu¹, Xialu Chen^2,*

¹Nanjing Foreign Language School, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu, China.

²Shanghai Hillymoon Pictures Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200333, China.

*Corresponding author: Xialu Chen

Published: March 20,2025

Abstract

This study explores Zhou Ke's localization strategy in adapting Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman for Chinese audiences, focusing on how warmth can be used to alleviate the play's inherent heaviness. By analyzing narrative restructuring, line revisions, character acting, and set design, the study highlights how Chouk's approach transforms pre-existing dark themes of violence, oppression, and moral ambiguity into more accessible and culturally resonant theatrical experiences. Key techniques in the adaptation include the integration of fairy tale aesthetics, humor, multimedia storytelling, and symbolic stage elements while preserving the core theme and softening the cruelty of the script. Decades of commercial viability and audience acceptance attest to the success of the adaptation and also highlight the effectiveness of "de-blurring" in bridging the cultural divide and promoting intercultural artistic exchange. This case study demonstrates how localization reinterpretations strike a balance between fidelity to the original and cultural sensitivity and offer implications for future cross-cultural theatrical adaptations.

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How to cite this paper

Using Warmth to Alleviate Heaviness: Localization Strategy in Zhou Ke's Production of The Pillowman

How to cite this paper: Youyan Lu, Xialu Chen. (2025) Using Warmth to Alleviate Heaviness: Localization Strategy in Zhou Ke's Production of The Pillowman. Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science, 9(2), 405-411.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2025.02.032

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Using Warmth to Alleviate Heaviness: Localization Strategy in Zhou Ke’s Production of The Pillowman

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