Last night, when Cooper, the actor who played Pierre, finished singing the last line of the lyrics, he looked up at the magnificent ring of stars above the stage, as if he was seeing a comet from 1812 shooting towards the world at an indescribable speed. This scene touched my heart. Many people in the audience shed tears, both because they were moved and because they were reluctant to leave. The "Great Comet" that will visit Shanghai from December 29, 2023 - the Broadway immersive musical "Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812" (hereinafter referred to as "The Great Comet"), met here More than 45,000 spectators bid farewell to Shanghai for the night, leaving behind a splendid "comet tail".
During the last 10 performances of the premiere tour of "The Great Comet", audiences from all over the country came to Shanghai to complete the "farewell ceremony", and some of them had already watched it six or seven times. As a new Broadway work, "The Great Comet" was far less well-known in China than "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Mamma Mia!" " and other classic dramas, but with its unique temperament, it refreshed the previous understanding of musical audiences and attracted many audiences who did not originally watch musicals.
The crew will gather for rehearsal in November 2023, and the preview will be held at Jiukeshu (Shanghai) Future Art Center on December 29, 2023. It will move to the Bank of Communications Qiantan 31 Performing Arts Center on January 14, 2024 and will be officially performed until March 3. The international crew of "Comet" lived and worked in Shanghai for 4 months, and every actor and staff member was emotional when they parted. The male protagonist Cooper Godin toured China 11 years ago as the lead actor of another drama. This time he returned to Shanghai. While enjoying the performance, he also enjoyed the life in Shanghai. He was recuperating in his temporary residence. I love green plants and goldfish, and I know the restaurants near the Shanghai Grand Theater and Qiantan 31 Performing Arts Center very well, and I already have a feeling of "regarding a foreign country as my hometown". The tour of "The Great Comet" has come to an end, and he is reluctant to leave Shanghai: "I look forward to returning to Shanghai for a reunion soon."
Broadway actor Dean Cestari, who plays "Playboy" Anatole, is one of the most popular actors. , he always comes out to meet fans in a friendly manner. He said: "When I was a child, I would always wait for my favorite actors to sign autographs for me. Although I miss my friends and family in my hometown very much, I am lucky to have such people here. Many hugs and understanding."
In fact, "The Great Comet" is different from most fan-oriented works in the Chinese musical theater industry. It seems to be a typical Broadway show - full of singing, dancing and lively, but among musical theater industry insiders It seems that it "raises the audience's awareness of musicals." A senior musical theater fan wrote a detailed music analysis on social media. He commented that "The arrangement of "The Great Comet" is so unique", the music is "strongly experimental" and "non-routine", and "the composition is quite exciting".
Audience feedback like this is not surprising. When Ye Fei, the chief producer of the show, introduced this show, he adhered to the attitude that "the musical market cannot just repeat those classics." He said: "Shanghai, where the musical theater industry is developing the fastest, needs more interesting performances by the audience. Innovative works are staged.” "The Great Comet" provides a new market sample in addition to classic dramas and fan dramas. Composer Jin Fuzai commented: "This work proves the diversity of musicals and provides new directions and ideas for Chinese original musicals."
"The Great Comet" came to Shanghai. Although the story copyright belongs to Broadway, as Chinese director Zhou Xiaowei lamented: "In addition to the story and music, standing on the stage, everything I see is the independent copyright of Chinese musicals. I feel very proud and proud." This "Shanghai Production" has brought great success to Broadway Lots of surprises. Chloe Treat, the original director of the play, was invited to serve as the director of the Shanghai version. She said that she was "excited" by the innovations of the Chinese team partners. "I had already seen it before I even set off to Shanghai. Regarding the effects of stage design and lighting design, the designer used VR technology to let me feel the final presentation of the stage in advance; the Chinese visual designers also subverted the Broadway version of the costume design, which was bold but extremely inspiring."
"We hope to bring Come to a production of 'From Broadway, Beyond Broadway'.Zhang Xiaoding, the producer of the play and general manager of the Shanghai Grand Theater, said that from the perspective of the overall environment of the musical industry, "This is inevitable for the development of Shanghai and even China's musical industry. We have become an important player in the international musical market." the power of. "Twenty-two years ago, when most Chinese audiences had no concept of musicals, the Shanghai Grand Theater introduced the original English version of the musical "Les Misérables." At that time, this classic work could not even find a sponsor. Now, the musical has become Becoming an important force in China's performance market, in 22 years, Chinese musicals have experienced the strategic advancement of "introduction, localization and originality".
In the context of "rolling up" of China's original musicals, the Shanghai Grand Theater decided to " "Take a step forward", thus "The Great Comet" was produced: "This is an innovative move to form an international production team and present a play sung in English by Chinese and foreign actors. We learn the production process of Broadway while showcasing Shanghai’s production capabilities. Zhang Xiaoding believes that this model of mutual learning between China and foreign countries can update ideas and unlock new ways for the development of Chinese musicals. She also hopes that the inclusiveness and richness of Shanghai-style culture can inspire Chinese musicals to "speak on the international stage." "Good Chinese Story": "We can't always follow. We must consider how to participate more and work on the same track as the forerunners." ”
Author: Liu Qing
Text: Liu Qing Pictures: Pictures provided by the theater Editor: Jiang Fang Editor: Xing Xiaofang
Please indicate the source when reprinting this article.
