16 Monday, June 25, 2018 LIFE CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION Theater comes SHOWTIME IN SHANGHAI to the screen A new Chineselanguage production of hit Broadway and West End musical Beauty and the Beast has just opened at the Shanghai Grand Theatre, Zhang Kun reports. By CHEN NAN starring actor Benedict [email protected] Cumberbatch, at Beijing’s MOMA Broadway Cinema. Chinese cinemagoers will Meanwhile, popular NT soon have diverse offerings Live productions, including that go beyond films. Shakespeare’s Hamlet featur The new season of the the ing Cumberbatch in the title ater live program, New Live role, and No Man’s Land, in China, announced by Bei which has Ian McKellen and jingbased company, ATW Patrick Stewart share the Culture, on June 20 will stage, will return to cinemas bring 58 productions from this year. And, besides popu different genres in the Unit lar plays, New Live in China ed States, the United King will offer opera and ballet dom, Russia and France to productions to Chinese cine cinemas across the country. magoers for the first time. The highlights will be Audiences will be able to William Shakespeare’s Juli see five opera productions by us Caesar featuring British the Royal Opera House Cine actor Ben Whishaw, filmed ma, including Carmen, The by the National Theatre Live Nutcracker and Tosca; and at the Bridge Theatre in Lon five ballets by the Bolshoi don; the Olivier Awardwin Ballet in Cinema, including ning Royal Court Theatre Giselle choreographed by production of writerdirect Akram Khan and designed or Martin McDonagh’s by awardwinning artist Tim Hangmen; the Royal Shake Yip, Romeo and Juliet and La speare Theatre’s contempo Traviata. rary production of Among the other high The Shanghai Media Group Live and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group launch their Phantom China Project, which includes the production of The Phantom of the Shakespeare’s Macbeth, fea lights are Tony Awardwin Opera in Chinese. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY turing British actor Christo ning Broadway musical An pher Eccleston in the title American in Paris and ajor production involved in the Chinese pro ond installment of the pro role and Irish actress Niamh French romantic comedy companies and duction from the very begin grams will take place again in Cusack as Lady Macbeth; Cyrano de Bergerac. established artists ning. When the script was first Shanghai. and Stage Russia’s produc According to Li Chongzhou, from Broadway translated into Chinese, she The first joint production tion of Chekhov’s The Three the CEO of ATW Culture, so andM the West End have had asked for it to be translated between SMG Live and RUG Sisters with a cast who only far 76 theater productions in announced they will be collab back into English to ensure was Webber’s Chinese version communicate in sign lan total from international dis orating on a slew of musical everything was correct. She of Tell Me On A Sunday, which guage. tributors, such as NT Live, the coproduction projects in Chi made changes and offered sug was performed at the Majestic Since 2015, New Live in Royal Shakespeare Company, na. gestions to the director on how Theatre in Shanghai from China, supported by the Brit Broadway HD and Stage Rus A new production of Beauty to improve the musical in a bid June 816. ish Council, has been offered sia, have been screened at 58 and the Beast in Chinese pre to guarantee the production Jessica Koravos, president to Chinese viewers by ATW venues in 24 cities across the miered at the Walt Disney remained true to her vision. of RUG, said that the produc Culture, the main distributor country. Grand Theatre in Shanghai on Both Woolverton and Roth tion “marks an exciting cross of Britain’s National Theater And, besides cinemas, 16 June 14, led by the creative were very much impressed pollination of skills and Live in the country. plays by Shakespeare’s Globe team behind the original with the ability of the Chinese resources between the UK and A new production of Beauty and the Beast in Chinese premiered at And, so far, the project, have been aired online Broadway show, including actors, who she praised for China to grow the global the Walt Disney Grand Theatre in Shanghai on June 14. known as NT Live, or Nation through iQiyi, a major online playwright Linda Woolverton, being “spoton and disci industry.” al Theater Live, which was streaming platform in Chi director Rob Roth and set plined”, and for giving “heart “This project has nurtured launched in June 2009 with na, to enable viewers to get designer Stanley Meyer. felt and emotional” audiences responded to the original star who played Chris cooperation across every disci the broadcast of the National easier access to a theater The production follows The performances. performance with huge bouts tine in the first production of pline — script and lyric writ Theatre production of Phed experience. Lion King as the resident show Roth said that it took them a of laughter and overwhelming Phantom, joined the news ing, stagecraft and technical re, starring Helen Mirren, “Broadcast allows audien at the Walt Disney Grand The while to find the Chinese applause. “I hope this play will conference, and shared the work, marketing, creative has broadcast numerous ces to watch theater being atre, part of the Shanghai Dis actors, “because musical thea usher in a wave of musical the story of how her career took development, musicianship stage productions to cine performed on the other side ney Resort. While it wasn’t ter doesn’t have such a long ater productions in China, and off with the musical. “I hope and performance, and cos mas around the world, of the world,” says Li. “And revealed how many shows history here as it does in the I hope it will make people Phantom will continue to tume design — it’s been excit including War Horse and we are hopefully attracting a were planned for the Chinese US,” he said. But once they want to see more Broadway launch careers in China, and ing to collaborate with Frankenstein. new generation of fans and production of Beauty and the started to work together he shows in Chinese.” whoever wins the talent show Chinese designers,” Koravos The project first came to bringing more theater pro Beast, its predecessor The Lion was surprised at “how quickly Earlier this month on June will not only have the opportu said. China in June 2012 when it ductions to a movie screen King ran for 500 shows before they understood the ideas,” 7, the Shanghai Media Group nity to play in the Chinese ver The first Andrew Lloyd broadcast Frankenstein, near you.” it closed in October 2017. and he said their performan Live and Andrew Lloyd sion, they will be rewarded in Webber musical to be per “This is the best version of ces “more than matched Webber’s Really Useful Group ways they couldn’t imagine,” formed in Shanghai was Cats the show,” said Rob Roth, who Broadway in terms of quality”. held a news conference at the she said. Brightman will be in 2003, when it ran for 53 was nominated for a Tony “I wanted to create the show Shanghai Grand Theatre one of the talent show judges, shows at the Shanghai Grand Award as best director for together with the actors, rath announcing the launch of which will undertake a nation Theatre, said Zhang Xiaod Beauty and the Beast in 1994, er than just teach them how to their Phantom China Project. wide search for an actor to ing, general manager of the which marked his Broadway do it,” Roth said, adding that The project consists of a play the lead role in the Chi SGT. In 2004, the Phantom of debut. Roth has since worked he was happy that the actors series of plans, starting with nese production of Phantom. the Opera made history at the on more than 20 different ver “brought their own ideas, “the largest scale China tour” A TV production about the tal theater by making 100 con sions of the musical in several which made the show so much of The Phantom of the Opera in ent show will be broadcast in secutive fullhouse perform different languages. better.” 2020, a reality show to find 2020. ances. “The record is still “As an artist, I always want In contrast to The Lion King, musical talent in China, as The collaboration between waiting to be broken, and to keep pushing forward. You which was a modern theatri well as the production of The SMG Live and RUG began last hopefully with the combined learn more each time you per cal production, featuring fan Phantom of the Opera in Chi year, with the two hosting a efforts of SMG Live and RUG, form a show,” he told China tastic puppetry and visual nese. series of training programs for we will make that happen,” Daily in Shanghai. “This latest effects, Beauty and the Beast is Webber was in New York to musical talent in Shanghai Zhang said. production has a better struc an “oldfashioned Broadway accept a lifetime achievement last November, when profes Webber’s latest musical cre ture ... and the lighting and show”, consisting mainly of prize at the Tony Awards, and sional musical actors and ation, School of Rock, will tour music are also much better singing, dancing and comedy, was therefore unable to attend aspiring young students spent China in 2019, with its open than the last production, Roth said. His openingnight the event in Shanghai. 20 days training with experi ing performance scheduled to Anastasia Hille and Benedict Cumberbatch in Hamlet. which ended six years ago.” nerves about the production Instead Sarah Brightman, enced tutors from London. take place at the Shanghai PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Woolverton has been soon faded when he saw how the British star soprano and Later this month, the sec Grand Theatre next February. Children’s ballet is a deer sight
By CHEN NAN the king’s army to hunt down honesty, credibility and being the deer because the king’s kind.” This April, the National Bal concubine wants a coat made Besides The NineColored let of China premiered its first of the deer’s skin. When the Deer, the National Ballet of performance aimed at chil merchant falls into the river China premiered a ballet pro dren, titled The NineColored again, he is drowned. duction, Dunhuang, at the Deer. As well children’s books, the Tianqiao Theater in Beijing On June 20 and 21, the ballet story of the ninecolored deer last September. production was staged at the was adapted into a popular Yu also adds that compared Art and Education Center for Chinese cartoon movie in 1981 to ballet works performed by the Performing Arts of Tsing by Shanghai Animation Film professional adult dancers — hua University by 85 amateur Studio. which are based on solid ballet The NineColored Deer tells the story of a spiritual ninecolored deer, who saves a Persian merchant from drowning in a river. dancers — students from Bei According to the ballet’s techniques and years of train PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY jing Chaoyang District Jin scriptwriter and director, Yu ing — amateur student danc song No 4 Primary School — Daxue, choreographers and ers make the ballet production general,” Yu says. who are of a similar age to that tional Chinese folk dancing. performance. “I have watched with an average age of 9years dancers from the National Bal much easier for a child audi Feng Ying, the president of of the dancers, will be able to She joined the dance troupe of ballet performances but it’s old. let of China traveled to Dun ence to appreciate. Additional the National Ballet of China, have fun and enjoy the show Beijing Chaoyang District Jin very difficult to dance using Adapted from a wellknown huang several times to visit ly, it also helps that the story of said in an earlier interview much more,” Feng said. song No 4 Primary School at the ballet techniques myself.” painting in the murals of Dun the Mogao Caves. the ninecolored deer is so that she had always wanted to Twelveyearold Liu Yiduo 6yearsold and a year later, However, it seems that Liu, huang, Gansu province, the “We’ve seen two of the most wellknown among both chil create a ballet production for a played the leading role, that of she made her debut perform who has read the story about ballet tells the story of a spiri wellknown mural paintings dren and adults, alike. young audience. the ninecolored deer and it ance at the school. the ninecolored deer from tual ninecolored deer, who — Flying Apsaras and The “If our production of The Soon after the premiere of was the first time she had ever Along with other student books and watched the car saves a Persian merchant from NineColored Deer. We not NineColored Deer inspires the ballet, Feng agreed to performed ballet. dancers, she has been trained toon movie, is now keen to drowning in a river. In only appreciated them as art children to start ballet les allow Beijing Chaoyang Dis Of creative stock, her father by ballet dancers from the add another string to her exchange, the merchant works but also got inspired,” sons then that’s great, but trict Jinsong No 4 Primary is an oil painting artist, so he National Ballet of China for artistic bow: “I am excited to promises not to tell anyone says Yu. “The story of the nine most importantly I hope it School to perform the ballet. has taken Liu to many art exhi four months. dance my first ballet and I about the deer. However, he colored deer is about the tradi helps them to appreciate the “With students performing bitions and she was taught “It’s so different to dance want to learn more about the breaks his promise and leads tional Chinese virtues of magic of dance and theater in in the ballet, child audiences, piano before she learned tradi ballet,” she said before the art.”