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Curtain up on stage spectaculars
By Nie Xin |
August 28, 2009, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
IT'S the season for stage performances in Hangzhou with audiences looking forward to many exhilarating performances over the next two months.
The musical "Butterflies," Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats" and Agatha Christie's drama "And Then There Were None" are just some of the treats in store.
The Peony Art Festival kicks off on September 15 at Hangzhou Grand Theater and "Butterflies" will be the opening show.
One of the biggest original Chinese musicals, it has achieved huge success when it was performed in Shanghai last year.
The story is an adaptation of an ancient Chinese legend, "Butterfly Lovers" also known as "Liang Zhu." The story tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance between two lovers, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. The legend is sometimes thought of as the Chinese equivalent to Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."
The legend has inspired other works of art including a violin concerto and Chinese operas.
The musical debuted in Guangdong Province in 2007 and has been performed in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Soul.
With a budget of around 60 million yuan (US$8.7 million), the show has been created by top talents from around the world including Chinese art director Li Dun, Gilles Maheau from Canada and Wayne Fowkes from the UK. Chinese composer San Bao is music director for the show.
The Australian dance show "Burn to Floor" is also one of the highlights of the festival.
"Burn the Floor" began as a spectacular ballroom dance demonstration at Elton John's 50th birthday party in 1997. Australian producer Harley Medcalf attended the party and was mesmerized. In 1998, the show stormed its way on to stages around the world and has since toured 32 countries and regions and sold over 3 million tickets.
It became the biggest touring dance show in the world and has since been performed in such prestigious venues as the Royal Albert Hall in London, Radio City Music Hall in New York and the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The dancers' stunning performances made them overnight sensations and earned rave reviews.
The show brings new life to many styles of dance including the samba, salsa, waltz, rumba, tango, swing and jive.
The show will feature 36 top dancers, many of them are world champions.
The art festival will also include a concert featuring 12 world-class tenors from 12 countries and regions, a concert by Chinese pianist Shen Wenyu and the stage adaptation of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None."
Cultural showplace
The award-winning West End and Broadway musical "Cats" is to be staged in Hangzhou from October 24 to 31 with eight performances at Hangzhou Grand Theater.
"Cats" debuted in Shanghai in 2003 at Shanghai Grand Theater.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, based on "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" by TS Eliot, introduced the song "Memory" to the world.
It has won numerous accolades, including a Laurence Olivier Award and a Tony Award for Best Musical.
Since it first opened in London's West End Theater in 1981 and in Broadway in 1982, "Cats" has been performed in 26 countries and regions in numerous productions. It has also been translated into more than 20 languages.
The London production ran for 21 years till 2002 and the Broadway production for 18 years, both records. It played a total of 8,950 performances in London.
Actresses Elaine Paige in the role of Grizabella and Betty Buckley became particularly associated with the musical.
Hangzhou Grand Theater is one of China's most modern cultural showplaces and Hangzhou 's premier event venue. Designed by Canadian architect Carlos Ott, the theater covers 100,000 square meters with a total construction area of 55,000 square meters. It consists of an opera house, a concert hall, a multifunction hall, an open air stage and a culture square.
It's famous for its unique architecture, perfect performing function and advanced stage design and was also the most suitable venue for "Cats."
"'Cats' has high requirements for stage technology. So far the most satisfactory venue for them is the new Hangzhou Grand Theater," says Zhu Huijun, general manager of Shanghai International Culture and Art Exchange Co, one of the organizers for the Shanghai stop.
To guarantee the quality of the performance, all the props for the show, even the garbage which is part of the set, is importedfrom the UK.
"Cats" kicked off its 2009 world tour this May in Hong Kong and then they spent about two months touring Australia. The tour in China also covers Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing and Nanjing (Jiangsu Province). There will be eight performances in each city.
Zhu hinted that the Hangzhou show might be the final tour of "Cats" in China.
"Butterflies"
Date: September 15-19, 7:30pm
Tickets: 50-1,280 yuan
"Burn the Floor"
Date: September 21, 7:30pm
Tickets: 50-1,280 yuan
"The Twelve Tenors"
Date: September 22, 7:30pm
Tickets: 50-1,280 yuan
Venue: Hangzhou Grand Theater, 360 Tiyuchang Rd
Tel: (0571) 8510-9939, 8517-7801
Cats
Date: October 24-31
Venue: Hangzhou Grand Theater, 360 Tiyuchang Rd
Tickets: Not decided
Tel: (0571) 8715-3999; 8685-5003; 8800-3888
The musical "Butterflies," Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats" and Agatha Christie's drama "And Then There Were None" are just some of the treats in store.
The Peony Art Festival kicks off on September 15 at Hangzhou Grand Theater and "Butterflies" will be the opening show.
One of the biggest original Chinese musicals, it has achieved huge success when it was performed in Shanghai last year.
The story is an adaptation of an ancient Chinese legend, "Butterfly Lovers" also known as "Liang Zhu." The story tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance between two lovers, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. The legend is sometimes thought of as the Chinese equivalent to Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."
The legend has inspired other works of art including a violin concerto and Chinese operas.
The musical debuted in Guangdong Province in 2007 and has been performed in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Soul.
With a budget of around 60 million yuan (US$8.7 million), the show has been created by top talents from around the world including Chinese art director Li Dun, Gilles Maheau from Canada and Wayne Fowkes from the UK. Chinese composer San Bao is music director for the show.
The Australian dance show "Burn to Floor" is also one of the highlights of the festival.
"Burn the Floor" began as a spectacular ballroom dance demonstration at Elton John's 50th birthday party in 1997. Australian producer Harley Medcalf attended the party and was mesmerized. In 1998, the show stormed its way on to stages around the world and has since toured 32 countries and regions and sold over 3 million tickets.
It became the biggest touring dance show in the world and has since been performed in such prestigious venues as the Royal Albert Hall in London, Radio City Music Hall in New York and the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The dancers' stunning performances made them overnight sensations and earned rave reviews.
The show brings new life to many styles of dance including the samba, salsa, waltz, rumba, tango, swing and jive.
The show will feature 36 top dancers, many of them are world champions.
The art festival will also include a concert featuring 12 world-class tenors from 12 countries and regions, a concert by Chinese pianist Shen Wenyu and the stage adaptation of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None."
Cultural showplace
The award-winning West End and Broadway musical "Cats" is to be staged in Hangzhou from October 24 to 31 with eight performances at Hangzhou Grand Theater.
"Cats" debuted in Shanghai in 2003 at Shanghai Grand Theater.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, based on "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" by TS Eliot, introduced the song "Memory" to the world.
It has won numerous accolades, including a Laurence Olivier Award and a Tony Award for Best Musical.
Since it first opened in London's West End Theater in 1981 and in Broadway in 1982, "Cats" has been performed in 26 countries and regions in numerous productions. It has also been translated into more than 20 languages.
The London production ran for 21 years till 2002 and the Broadway production for 18 years, both records. It played a total of 8,950 performances in London.
Actresses Elaine Paige in the role of Grizabella and Betty Buckley became particularly associated with the musical.
Hangzhou Grand Theater is one of China's most modern cultural showplaces and Hangzhou 's premier event venue. Designed by Canadian architect Carlos Ott, the theater covers 100,000 square meters with a total construction area of 55,000 square meters. It consists of an opera house, a concert hall, a multifunction hall, an open air stage and a culture square.
It's famous for its unique architecture, perfect performing function and advanced stage design and was also the most suitable venue for "Cats."
"'Cats' has high requirements for stage technology. So far the most satisfactory venue for them is the new Hangzhou Grand Theater," says Zhu Huijun, general manager of Shanghai International Culture and Art Exchange Co, one of the organizers for the Shanghai stop.
To guarantee the quality of the performance, all the props for the show, even the garbage which is part of the set, is importedfrom the UK.
"Cats" kicked off its 2009 world tour this May in Hong Kong and then they spent about two months touring Australia. The tour in China also covers Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing and Nanjing (Jiangsu Province). There will be eight performances in each city.
Zhu hinted that the Hangzhou show might be the final tour of "Cats" in China.
"Butterflies"
Date: September 15-19, 7:30pm
Tickets: 50-1,280 yuan
"Burn the Floor"
Date: September 21, 7:30pm
Tickets: 50-1,280 yuan
"The Twelve Tenors"
Date: September 22, 7:30pm
Tickets: 50-1,280 yuan
Venue: Hangzhou Grand Theater, 360 Tiyuchang Rd
Tel: (0571) 8510-9939, 8517-7801
Cats
Date: October 24-31
Venue: Hangzhou Grand Theater, 360 Tiyuchang Rd
Tickets: Not decided
Tel: (0571) 8715-3999; 8685-5003; 8800-3888
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