China News Service, Shanghai, March 9 (Reporter Wang Ji) The new production version of the Broadway immersive musical "Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812" has left a splendid "Comet" at Shanghai Qiantan 31 Performing Arts Center "End"; "2024 Original Chinese Musical Performance Season" kicked off at Shanghai Cultural Square, and "Chinese Style" masterpieces such as "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" became beautiful scenery on the stage... In the past few days, "stars" have emerged in the Shanghai performing arts market, and topics have continued .

From "exotic products" to a rising industry, musicals are "growing towards the rising future" here.

　　In 2002, the Shanghai Grand Theater introduced the original musical "Les Misérables" for the first time and was a great success. It was regarded as an "icebreaker" for the original Western musical to "knock on the door" of Shanghai's performing arts.

Since then, many famous overseas dramas such as "Cats" and "The Phantom of the Opera" have entered the Chinese market, attracting domestic audiences to enter the theater and experience musical theater culture.

In 2011, the Shanghai Cultural Plaza was rebuilt and opened, carrying the "big banner" of musical performances. Classic plays from non-English speaking countries such as France, Germany, Spain, and Russia were performed here, cultivating a group of fans of musicals in minor languages.

　　"More than 20 years ago, I was the script translator for "Les Miserables" (the original musical introduced by the Shanghai Grand Theater). This play influenced my career direction and life plan." Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Cultural Plaza, "Chinese Original Musical" Fei Yuanhong, the founder of the "Incubation Plan", recently said in an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Service that in the past 20 years, China's musical industry has simultaneously made efforts in three "tracks": the introduction of original versions, Chinese version adaptations, and Chinese originals. The Chinese musical market is the most “world-compatible” state.

　　As one of the earliest cities to open its ports in modern China, Shanghai was once known as the "Paris of the East". It was the "original point" for the beginning of Chinese symphony, and it was also the place where jazz music flourished after it was introduced to China.

In recent years, Shanghai has promulgated policies such as the “50 Cultural and Creative Measures” and strives to create an “Asian Performing Arts Capital” to provide a favorable environment for the development of musicals.

　　In Fei Yuanhong's view, musicals are "growing" in Shanghai. First, because Shanghainese are more "foreign" and receptive to Western music and drama; second, because Shanghai began to introduce Western musicals earlier. , the cultivation of the market has never stopped.

"There are more and more theaters and performances, and the number of stores creates a market; creators, actors and other musical talent are gathering in Shanghai, and the number of people creates momentum."

　　He also observed some interesting phenomena.

For example, the "repurchase rate" of small theaters in Shanghai is very high. The immersive and experiential musicals in some new performing arts spaces have attracted audiences and "multiple viewings" have become a trend; "subtitles" can be called the "standard feature" for domestic audiences when watching dramas. , even in Chinese scenes, I would glance at the subtitles from time to time.

"English and other phonetic characters have a higher degree of speech recognition, while Chinese characters are ideographic characters based on hieroglyphics. Chinese people are accustomed to reading text in one eye and ten lines."

　　Another characteristic is that China's musical theater industry has "narrow paths" with the Internet in its early stages of development, making its growth path more challenging.

In the "battlefield of time", the Internet takes up a lot of people's fragmented time, and in addition to musicals, there are many domestic entertainment methods for people to choose from.

　　"For the audience, the cost of going to the theater to watch musicals is relatively high. Therefore, providing high-quality, cost-effective repertoire is an inevitable choice for the Chinese musical market." Fei Yuanhong hopes that Chinese musicals can go further. To be more stable, development also requires "precipitation". Only after precipitation can we "departure" better.

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