介绍:
Chinese musical aficionados, it's time to "surrender to the music of the night", because Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera", is ready to haunt Chinese theaters.
So let's join Wang Ling to take an early listen of the show.
Reporter:
If French writer Gaston Leroux had lived to this day, he would definitely be stunned by how popular his gothic thriller has become. Featuring an unconventional love triangle between a soprano, her childhood sweetheart and a ghostly, disfigured music genius in a Paris opera house, the novel forms the basis of British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's immortal musical: The Phantom of the Opera.
Thanks to its powerful, soul-stirring music and spectacular cinematic stage setting, this multi-award winning musical is the longest-running show in Broadway history and the world's highest-grossing entertainment piece. However, besides two previous tours in Shanghai, this much-travelled musical hasn't been staged in other parts of China until now.
Tian Yuan, general manager of One World Culture Communication, is responsible for introducing this classic to Chinese audiences. She explains that her company has planned to bring the show back home since 1999, but at that time there was no suitable theatre for staging such an epic musical.
"If the physical condition of the venue cannot meet the requirements, our endeavor would end in vain. The show not only sets a really high standard for the venue, but more importantly, it is technically demanding inside the theatre, since this classical love story happens in an opera house. In order to authentically bring out the sense of mystery, the grandeur of the stage, and some elements of a play-within-a-play, we need to work closely with the proprietor in the next few months. "
In this upcoming season, American actor Brad Little portrays Phantom, our talented but damaged protagonist who spends his entire life hiding underneath an opera house due to a deformity. Falling in love with Christine, an ingenue who receives musical lessons from him, the Phantom can be capricious, murderous, manipulative, yet at the same time, acts as a mesmerizing and love-struck soul.
As one of the only four men to have played this role more than two thousand times, Brad has a solid understanding of the character.
"What I attempt to bring is the passion and truth of the story of a man who is physically deformed, is shunned by the world and wants to find love. He believes he has found this beautiful woman Christine Daae. His ways of showing it may not be necessarily natural in the society that we are living today. But I believe that he only knows because the world has never accepted him. And then Christine turns around and shows him love. I don't think he knows how to handle that, because he has never been loved before. It's an awakening time for him. "
Emilie Lynn, who plays Christine, says their performances in China will follow the original settings, but she ensures that the shows will not be blind repetitions.
"I think between the two of us, we could create a really raw, organic approach to it. So every night, depending what we have been through that day, it's different show for us. Words speak differently and the music speaks differently.So it's fresh everynight for us. "
According to Kerry Comerford, vice president of RUG Asia Pacific, which is in charge of all Andrew Lloyd Webber's productions, although musical is still a relatively new phenomenon in China, the potential is promising. Maybe one day, Chinese audiences could even enjoy the story of Phantom sung in their own language.
"Andrew has a vast repertoire. There are a number of shows we could explore doing. When the market has grown, then it will be time to do it in Chinese. "
But how can an interest in musicals be nurtured among Chinese people?
Comerford gives her answer.
"Listen to the music. That's what all is about. If people hear the music, they will want to come to see the show. Because the music tells the story. "
"The Phantom of the Opera" will be staged in Guangzhou from mid-September to October and in Beijing from November 20th till December.
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