Staging a return

Since the inauguration of the theater in 2011, the Shanghai Culture Square has presented a total of 450 performances of 24 productions, including successful shows from Broadway and the West End, as well as musicals from Germany and France, in its "annual hits" program. The productions have been seen by more than 600,000 people, winning commercial success. Many shows embarked on national tours later and were received well. More importantly, Fei says, the productions nurture Shanghai audiences' "love for musicals".

Although the pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to live entertainment everywhere, opportunities for Chinese theater productions have opened up with many international performances halting.

Fei says he is glad to see the theater's efforts to adapt foreign musicals into Chinese, and the incubation of original Chinese shows has also led to fruitful achievements.

Into the White Night, for example, is a musical adapted from a best-selling novel by Japanese author Keigo Higashino. Produced by Ran Space and starring Liu Lingfei and Han Xue, the musical adaptation premiered in 2018 and won acclaim after touring China for four years. The production will hold its 100th show from Jan 1-9 at the Shanghai Culture Square's annual event.

The Dream of the Red Chamber, which will be shown on New Year's Eve at the Shanghai Culture Square, is the latest creation of the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center. Written by Yu Rongjun, the artistic director of the arts center, the 6-hour play made its debut at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center on Sept 2 and is running through Sept 25.

The Dream of the Red Chamber is "undoubtedly the most important literary classic of China", Yu says. "The Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center has cultivated a strong team of creative talent, built a large collection of quality repertoire through the past decades, and I think we are ready for such a heavy-weight subject."

It is a risky decision to create a theater production that lasts six hours. Because of the length, the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center split the piece into two chapters that are presented over two evening sessions. The audiences, says Yu, are receptive to this.

"Audiences have the patience to sit in the theater for six hours, and immerse themselves in the stories about the decline of a big Chinese family," he tells China Daily.